Health Access Partner Team Lead

General Notes

The Dell Medical School is seeking a Health Access Partner Team Lead

Purpose

The Health Access Partner Team Lead serves as a frontline leader within the Access Center and is responsible for supporting daily operations, guiding team members, and ensuring exceptional patient access experiences. This role provides oversight of scheduling, registration, and patient communication activities while acting as a resource and mentor for Health Access Partners. The Team Lead reports to the Patient Access Manager and ensures efficient appointment coordination, monitors workflows, and resolves complex scheduling issues. The Team Lead also supports compliance with organizational standards and healthcare regulations, contributing to a positive and efficient patient journey.

Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

Serves as the lead decision-maker for the daily operations of the Health Access Partner team.

Creates and manages daily schedules to ensure appropriate staffing coverage.

Delegates task assignments as identified by the supervisor to maintain workflow efficiency.

Monitors team productivity and adjusts workflows to meet operational goals.

Communicates staffing needs and performance concerns to management.

Call Center Oversight

Monitors phone queues to ensure agents are available and alerts management of call spikes or high hold times.

Manages call center operations, including adjusting breaks and lunches to maintain coverage.

Tracks call metrics and reports trends to leadership.

Ensures adherence to call handling protocols and service standards.

Supports overflow coverage during peak periods.

Escalation & Patient Experience Management

Handles escalated calls from upset patients and redirects to appropriate resources when necessary.

Provides an exceptional arrival and service experience for patients and visitors, extending a warm and respectful approach to all individuals.

Serves as the first point of contact for staff and patient safety concerns, escalating issues appropriately.

Promotes an environment of empathy and professionalism in patient interactions.

Collaborates with Patient Relations to resolve service issues.

Subject Matter Expertise & Team Support

Acts as the subject matter expert on clinic workflows, processes, and provider preferences for the Health Access Partner team.

Assists Health Access Partners with scheduling and insurance-related questions to support accurate and efficient patient access.

Facilitates patient flow and communicates concerns to clinical leadership as needed.

Maintains up-to-date knowledge of scheduling systems and protocols.

Provides guidance on complex scheduling scenarios.

Training & Staff Development

Leads team huddles to reinforce training opportunities and operational updates.

Oversees and supports Patient Scheduling team members through ongoing education, competency validation, and workflow guidance.

Performs, facilitates, and coordinates new hire training in alignment with UTHA Access and Outcomes training competencies.

Provides additional training when new processes or procedures are implemented.

Evaluates training effectiveness and recommends improvements.

Advanced Scheduling & Data Integrity

Schedules complex, multi-disciplinary appointments across departments.

Manages scheduling in multiple systems and across multiple locations.

Ensures accurate documentation of appointment details and patient demographics.

Generates MyChart activation codes and collects required documentation.

Coordinates with registration for account updates.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

Partners with leadership and clinical teams to identify and resolve workflow or patient access concerns.

Contributes to process improvements that enhance efficiency, patient experience, and staff engagement.

Participates in cross-functional initiatives to improve scheduling operations.

Shares feedback from staff and patients to inform operational changes.

Supports implementation of new technologies or systems.

Other Job Duties may apply as assigned

MARGINAL OR PERIODIC FUNCTIONS :

Attends periodic leadership, process improvement, or departmental meetings.

Assists with special projects or pilot initiatives when assigned by leadership.

Participates in outreach or service recovery activities to enhance patient satisfaction.

Supports leadership in collecting, tracking, and reporting access center or clinic performance data.

Supports special projects or process improvement initiatives.

Fosters professional growth through required training and skill-building; serves as preceptor, mentor, and go-to resource for less-experienced colleagues.

Provides backup coverage during staff absences or high-volume periods.

Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES

Customer Focus

Anticipates and meets the needs of internal and external customers.

Builds trust through responsive and respectful communication.

Tailors scheduling solutions to patient needs.

Resolves complaints with empathy and professionalism.

Process Management

Designs and improves work processes to enhance efficiency.

Streamlines scheduling workflows and templates.

Identifies bottlenecks and implements solutions.

Uses metrics to monitor and improve performance.

Developing Others

Provides feedback, coaching, and development opportunities.

Creates individualized training plans.

Encourages peer mentoring and knowledge sharing.

Recognizes and rewards staff growth.

Priority Setting

Focuses on what matters most and manages time effectively.

Triages urgent scheduling needs.

Balances competing demands across clinics.

Delegates tasks appropriately.

Interpersonal Savvy

Builds effective relationships across teams.

Navigates sensitive conversations with diplomacy.

Collaborates across departments to resolve issues.

Maintains professionalism under pressure.

Informing

Communicates clearly and timely with relevant stakeholders.

Shares updates on scheduling changes.

Provides clear instructions to staff.

Escalates issues with appropriate context.

Required Qualifications

Requires a High School Diploma / GED in  with at least 5 year(s) of experience in patient scheduling, medical office operations, or healthcare access services. Demonstrated experience supporting or leading scheduling workflows, resolving patient issues, and collaborating with clinical teams.  Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Associate's Degree in healthcare administration, business, or related field with at least 7 year(s) of experience in patient scheduling, including  2 years in a lead or supervisory capacity. Experience with EHR scheduling systems.  Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA). Epic Cadence or other EHR scheduling system certification.

Salary Range

$52,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

Standard office equipment

Repetitive use of a keyboard

May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hazardous medications and disoriented or combative patients, or others.

Required Materials

Resume / CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.