Patient Service Specialist - ED - Hillcrest

Scripps Mercy Hospital has served central and downtown San Diego since 1890 and is the oldest medical center in the county. The San Diego campus is located near the corner of 5th Avenue and Washington Street in Hillcrest.

Scripps Mercy Hospital consists of two campuses in San Diego and Chula Vista.

Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego’s campus includes the O’Toole Breast Care Center, a 24-hour emergency room that is a Level I Trauma Center, outpatient physical rehabilitation, minimally invasive robotic surgery and our childbirth unit (including a Level II neonatal intensive care unit).

This is a non-benefitted Casual/Per Diem position, working 12 hour shifts on variable days. Flexible availability is a must (weekends/holidays, etc). This position is located at Scripps Mercy San Diego in Hillcrest.

Why join Scripps Health?

At Scripps Health, your ambition is empowered and your abilities are appreciated:

• Nearly a quarter of our employees have been with Scripps Health for over 10 years.
• Scripps is a Great Place to Work Certified company for 2026.
• Scripps Health has been consistently ranked as a top employer for women, millennials, diversity, and as an overall workplace by various national publications.
• Becker’s Healthcare ranked Scripps Health on its 2026 list of 150 top places to work in health care.
• We have transitional and professional development programs to create a learning environment that enables you to thrive in your specific field as well as in your overall career.
• Our specialties have been nationally recognized for quality in areas such as cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, geriatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and gastroenterology.

Join a winning team at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego supporting the Access & ED department as a Patient Service Specialist - ED. Working together, you’ll bring your expertise, compassion, and excellence to all we do. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy providing world class customer service.

As a Patient Service Specialist - ED, you will be responsible for:

• Interacting with patients, payers, and providers to gather information necessary for accurate registration including assigning of appropriate Medical Record Number, referral/authorization, point of service payment collection, document collection and arrival/check-in functions.
• Receiving and routing messages received in the department appropriately as well as manages customer billing and payment inquires as needed.
• Effectively managing the patient check-in and check-out process from start to finish, which includes identification verification; updating or confirming demographic and insurance information on every patient; ensuring appropriate forms are provided, signed and witnessed at the time of the patient visit; verifying coverage including benefits, authorization, pre-determination, payer specific policy exclusions or limitations to coverage, collecting any patient responsibility and accurately preparing end of day reporting or payment reconciliation as needed.
• Assisting patients with HPE eligibility, discussing payment arrangement options including financial assistance information, providing price estimates.
• Accurately scheduling and re-scheduling patient appointments. Successful scheduling includes, but not limited to, exhibiting proficiency in appointment scheduling procedures, accurate documentation, and routing of messages, scheduling and confirming appointments according to practice guidelines, entering appropriate insurance, initiating authorizations and referrals, performing Key User duties with minimal errors.
• Coordinating scheduling, meeting and travel planning needs, department communication as needed. May assist in gathering necessary reports, statistics, outcomes for the department as needed.
• Regularly displaying a proactive approach to customer service by listening to the patient, taking ownership of solutions and being able to accurately identify the need to involve leadership to resolve concerns.
• Acting as a member of the patient care team by supporting the clinical care staff in the care of the patient.

Required Qualifications

• Must be able to demonstrate proficiency of computer applications, excellent mathematical skills, and ability to handle monies.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills; innovative with ability to identify and solve problems.
• Able to adapt, prioritize and meet deadlines .

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 years of experience in a customer service or healthcare/medical office environment.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, commercial and government health insurance and billing guidelines, ACA requirements, understanding of DRG's, Medical ICD9/ICD10 codes and CPT/HCPC Codes and Modifiers.

At Scripps Health, you will experience the pride, support and respect of an organization that has been repeatedly recognized as one of the nation’s Top 100 Places to Work.

You’ll be surrounded by people committed to making a difference in the lives of their patients and their teammates. So if you’re open to change, go ahead and unlock your potential.

Position Pay Range: $27.24-$35.88/hour