Patient Access Services

The Patient Access Department performs registrations for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of Pittsburgh’s Admissions, Emergency Department, Same-Day, and select outpatient services. This department coordinates all phases of the revenue cycle from pre-registration up to and including departures, referrals, and denial management. 

The Patient Access Department is responsible for interviewing/pre-registering patients at the time of or prior to their visit date and for inputting demographic and insurance information into the system to initiate a medical record and bill. 

They confirm insurance benefits with various online verification systems or through telephone inquiries. They also generate and complete all applicable forms for each visit and collect appropriate documentation for managed care programs regarding referrals and authorizations.

Admissions 

Scheduled admissions from home, clinics, and outside facilities check in with the Admissions office upon arrival for registration and to arrange transportation to the hospital unit. The main admissions office is open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, including weekends and holidays. There is an admissions staff member in the Emergency Department when the main admissions office is closed. Patients can be admitted to Children’s Hospital 24 hours a day

Emergency Department

Patients of any age in a medical emergency can be seen in the Emergency Department. The Patient Access Department is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. An account is created for every visit, which starts the billing process. All demographic information is verified and updated at bedside, all consent forms and documentation is completed, and a quick verification for health insurance eligibility is performed. Any copayment for the visit is collected upon discharge.

Same-Day

Patients with scheduled outpatient procedures check in at Same-Day Surgery, Floor 4, from 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Patient demographic information is verified and updated, and the proper consent forms and documentation are completed. The preregistered account is then activated and clinical staff are notified of the patient’s arrival.

Revenue Cycle

The Patient Access Department has a Financial Counselor who identifies and assists patients who are unable to pay their estimated liability prior to treatments or who have large outstanding balances. This assistance includes linking patients to available funding sources such as State Medical Assistance programs or by establishing payment plans.

The Patient Access Department also has a Data Quality Monitor who is responsible for resolving issues on the Previous Day File, trending errors with insurance, Data Quality Audits, and Quality Assurance Audits.

Patient Access Service Staff

If have questions, please contact one of our staff members:

Manager: Kira Bowers
Phone: 412-692-8293

POS Coordinators

• Marie Melnick, Revenue Cycle
  Phone: 412-692-7419
• Luci Kammenzind, Specialist
  Phone: 412-692-7471
• Maryann Sears, Operations
  Phone: 412-692-6231
• Sean Devlin, Operations
  Phone: 412-692-7161