About the position
The Purpose of this position is to provide strategic and operational oversight of the hospital's patient administration function, ensuring an efficient, professional, and compliant administrative journey from pre-admission to discharge. The Patient Administration Manager is responsible for maintaining accurate patient records, driving operational excellence, aligning with medical scheme and regulatory requirements, and enhancing the patient experience across all touchpoints. The role ensures compliance with healthcare regulations, data accuracy, optimal billing processes, and excellent internal and external stakeholder communication.
Key Performance Areas:
Leadership & Team Management:
- Design staffing schedules and manage resources effectively across 24-hour operations to ensure uninterrupted patient administration services.
- Monitor team performance, provide coaching, and conduct performance reviews in line with HR guidelines.
Patient Administration Operations:
- Oversee all administrative functions, including patient admissions (pre-admission, day of admission), transfers, discharges, and medical records management.
- Ensure timely and accurate capturing of patient data across all wards.
- Coordinate closely with clinical, nursing, finance, pharmacy, and allied departments to support seamless patient care and billing accuracy.
- Ensure all required documentation (e.g., consent forms, authorisations, ID copies) is collected and filed in compliance with regulatory standards.
Systems & Compliance:
- Ensure optimal use of hospital information systems for accurate patient registration, billing, and record-keeping.
- Ensure compliance with POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act), National Health Act, Department of Health licensing requirements, and internal audit controls.
- Liaise with medical schemes, brokers, and patients to resolve queries, disputes, and authorisation issues.
Billing & Revenue Assurance:
- Monitor patient accounts, pre-authorisations, and medical aid claims to ensure accuracy and timely billing.
- Work closely with the Finance Department to ensure that patient revenue is safeguarded, and discrepancies are resolved efficiently.
- Participate in tariff reviews and collaborate with the billing department to ensure updates are correctly applied in the system.
Reporting & Stakeholder Management:
- Prepare and present weekly/monthly reports on admissions statistics, outstanding documentation, billing status, and compliance risks to hospital management.
- Support preparation for internal and external audits, including Department of Health inspections and medical scheme audits.
- Act as a key liaison between hospital management, funders, clinicians, and patients for any administrative escalations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree or National Diploma in Health Administration, Public Health, Business Management or similar field.
- Minimum 5-7 years of experience in hospital patient administration, of which at least 3 years must be in a managerial or supervisory role in a multidisciplinary hospital environment.
- Proven experience in managing complex, multi-department hospital operations.
- In-depth understanding of hospital billing systems, ICD-10 coding, PMB regulations, and private medical aid processes.
- Strong knowledge of applicable legislation: POPIA, NHI framework, National Health Act, HPCSA regulations, etc.
- Case management experience or exposure to case management functions (authorisations, length-of-stay monitoring, scheme negotiations)
Desired Skills:
- Health Administration
- Patient Administration
- ICD-10
- hospital
- PMB regulations
- POPIA
- NHI framework
- National Health Act
- HPCSA regulations
