How to Become a Patient Access Representative in South Dakota

When you walk into a clinic or the hospital, one of the first people you see are patient access representatives.

What exactly is a patient access representative, you ask?

A patient access representative is a healthcare professional who is responsible for the interactions with the patients.

They are responsible for billing, scheduling appointments, ensuring the accuracy of patient information, and much more.

Steps to Become a Patient Access Representative in South Dakota

Just like with any job, you need to go through certain steps to become a patient access representative in South Dakota.

Experience

According to statistics from Franklin University, approximately 45% of employers expect candidates to have anywhere from zero to one year of experience.

About 41% of employers look for around two to three years of experience, and around 10% of employers want candidates to have at least four to six years of experience.

This means that you have a good chance of getting hired, even if you don’t have much experience in the field.

However, more experience will give you a better chance of getting hired when compared with other candidates who have more experience or education.

Education/training

Most employers will hire you as a patient access representative with only a high school diploma or a GED.

While you don’t necessarily need additional education, it can help you get the job when competing with other candidates.

For example, you have a certificate or degree showing that you have additional education and experience in the field.

Another candidate for the same position is interviewing for the same position.

The employer is most likely going to choose you because you have more background in the field with additional education and experience.

Here are some of the educational programs that will help you gain the training and skills you need to become a patient access representative:

• Patient Access Representative
• Healthcare Administration
• Business
• Nursing
• Medical Assistant

Skills

If you get additional education and training, you will learn the skills necessary to become a patient access representative.

Some of the skills that are needed for this career include:

• Customer Service
• Insurance
• Medical Terminology
• Communication
• Billing
• Collecting and managing information
• Organization skills
• Administration skills

Job Interview

If you meet the education and experience requirements and you have the skill set needed to become a patient access representative, you can apply for the job.

Once you get the job interview, you are almost there.

Schools in South Dakota

Although school isn’t a required part of becoming a patient access representative, several schools offer programs for patient representatives in South Dakota.

Penn Foster (online school)

Penn Foster is an online school that is based in Pennsylvania.

It has programs for many different occupations, including:

• Construction
• Veterinary
• Automotive
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Utilities and Energy
• And much more

The patient access representative program at Penn Foster prepares its students to take two different exams:

• The Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam
• The Certified Electronic Health Records Specialists exam

This program takes approximately six to nine months to complete.

The patient access representative program includes the following courses:

• Introduction to Allied Health
• Medical Office Procedures
• Body Systems and Medical Terminology 1
• Body Systems and Medical Terminology 2
• Pathology and Pharmacology
• Electronic Medical Records
• Medical Billing and Health Insurance
• Law, Ethics, and Confidentiality in Allied Health

Dakota State University

Dakota State University has a program called Health Information Specialist.

They have options for an online program as well as a hybrid program, which means a mix between on-campus and online.

The health information specialist program takes about a year to complete and is about 12 credit hours.

The courses included in this program include:

• Introduction to Computers
• Health Information Management Profession
• Introduction to Health Info Management
• University Experience
• Basic Medical Terminology
• Legal Aspects of Health Information Management I
• Legal Aspects of Health Information Management II

Patient Access Representative Schools in South Dakota – Summary Table

Salary

The average salary of a patient access representative is approximately $50,391 in the United States.

A patient access representative’s salary ranges from $45,853 at the low end to about $56,326 at the high end.

For the state of South Dakota, the salary of a patient access representative ranges from around $40,406 at the bottom to approximately $49,634 at the high end.

The average salary in South Dakota is approximately $44,404.

Regional Salary in South Dakota

Below, we will answer some frequently asked questions about becoming a patient access representative in South Dakota.