University of California Irvine

System Director, Admissions and ED Registration - F/T - Days

Closes: Oct 24, 2026

Salary: $149,700 – $297,700 per year

1,276

Req ID: 146298

Location: Orange, California

Division: Medical Center

Department: Admissions - Orange

Position Type: Full Time

Salary Range Minimum: USD $149,700.00/Yr.

Salary Range Maximum: USD $297,700.00/Yr.

Job Description

Who We Are

UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties.

As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education.

Your Role on the Team

Position Summary:

The System Director, Admissions & ED Registration provides enterprise-level oversight for all admissions and emergency registration functions across UCI Health. The incumbent is accountable for the strategic planning, day-to-day operational management, budgetary oversight, and regulatory compliance of admissions and emergency registration units systemwide. This role maintains financial accountability for performance outcomes across all operational locations and collaborates with site leaders to identify and lead improvement initiatives that optimize patient access, throughput, and the overall registration experience. The System Director serves as the accountable executive for end-user information systems supporting these functions, including strategic planning and execution of system enhancements, upgrades, and ongoing maintenance to ensure operational continuity and compliance.

What It Takes to be Successful

Required Qualifications:

Strong knowledge of Admissions, Registration, Regulatory requirements for Admissions/registration, including, Consents, EMTALA, MOON, HINN Letter, etc
Strong knowledge and experience with payor authorization and scheduling processes
Resourcefulness to identify and search for information that is not readily available and ability to synthesize to form recommendations
Must possess the skill, knowledge and ability essential to the successful performance of assigned duties
Must demonstrate customer service skills appropriate to the job
Minimum 10 years directly related experience preferred
Minimum 10 years’ experience of progressive management responsibility
Minimum of 8 years’ experience in an executive leadership role (Director or higher) in a related setting
Knowledge of health care registration process
Highly developed analytic skills and ability to synthesize large amounts of data for purposes of reporting key data
Experience with and knowledge of insurance programs covering all payor types, billing processes, contracting
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
Excellent interpersonal communication skills to communicate effectively with physicians, managers and high-level administrative staff as well as support staff who are critical to departmental functions
Demonstrated knowledge of complex training curriculums
Demonstrated knowledge of Managed Care requirements
Demonstrated advanced skill, knowledge and ability to produce reports from computer programs such as Excel, Access, Word and general report writers
Ability to write succinct and accurate executive summaries for senior level audiences
Ability to think and plan strategically
Ability to summarize information in formats suitable for presentation to varied audiences
Ability to maintain a work pace appropriate to the workload
Ability to develop and lead teams involved in process improvement
Ability to lead change toward strategic business objectives
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across the Health System
Ability to act independently to solve problems and develop recommendations

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge of lean sigma process improvement methodologies
Knowledge of University and medical center organizations, policies, procedures and forms
Bachelor's degree in a related field or the equivalent combination of education and directly related professional experience

Total Rewards

We offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

Background Check and Live Scan
Employment Misconduct*
Legal Right to Work in the United States
Vaccination Policies
Smoking and Tobacco Policy
Drug Free Environment

*Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
E-Verify
Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page: https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact UCI's Employee Experience Center (EEC) at eec@uci.edu or at (949) 824-0500, Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

To apply, visit https://apptrkr.com/9783334

je-57558d9daa7246e9bf54c90ba307e1df

Job details

Title: System Director, Admissions and ED Registration - F/T - Days
Employer: University of California Irvine
Location: Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Published: Aug 24, 2026
Closes:: Oct 24, 2026
Job type: Full time, Executive
Field: Director / Manager
Salary: Salary: $149,700 – $297,700 per year

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About the employer

University of California Irvine

4.0 Star Employer Ranking

AcademicJobs.com is the premier platform to discover UCI jobs, connecting talented professionals with exceptional career opportunities at one of the United States’ leading public research universities. The University of California, Irvine (UCI), located in Irvine, California, is renowned for its innovative research and academic excellence, making UCI Uni jobs highly sought after by academics and professionals globally. UCI careers offer a dynamic and collaborative environment for individuals to thrive. UCI university careers span a diverse range of disciplines, reflecting the university’s key areas of academic specialization, including computer science, medicine, environmental science, business, and social sciences. Employment UCI includes roles such as professors, research fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and professional staff positions, catering to various expertise levels. For those pursuing UCI jobs Irvine, the university’s modern campus provides a vibrant workplace in a sunny, thriving Southern California community. UCI vacancies and job postings are showcased on AcademicJobs.com, where candidates can explore opportunities in teaching, cutting-edge research, and administrative roles. Jobs at UCI cover fields like artificial intelligence, cancer research, and sustainability, aligning with the university’s commitment to addressing global challenges through discovery and innovation. Each UCI vacancy is an opportunity to contribute to impactful projects within a distinguished academic community. UCI Employment Opportunities are extensive, with UCI job Opportunities ranging from academic faculty to technical and operational roles. A UCI Career offers the chance to join an institution that values intellectual rigor, diversity, and societal impact. UCI Uni openings are regularly updated on AcademicJobs.com, ensuring access to the latest UCI vacancies. Jobs at UCI Uni are ideal for those passionate about advancing knowledge and driving progress. UCI job postings include positions in psychology, engineering, and professional services such as IT and research administration. UCI Employment through AcademicJobs.com connects talented individuals with UCI Uni vacancies, providing a seamless pathway to join a world-leading university shaping the future.

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Why this role is showing up on health systems' priority lists

Emergency departments in the United States record more than 130 million visits a year. Every one of those visits starts with a registration. If the registration is slow, patients wait longer and leave more frustrated. If the insurance information is wrong, the hospital does not get paid. It really is that simple.

Health systems are under intense pressure on both sides: patient satisfaction scores and days in accounts receivable. A poorly run admissions and registration function damages both. That is why the director role has moved from a back-office manager title to a senior operations position that reports to the chief financial officer or a vice president of revenue cycle in many systems.

You are not being hired to manage a few front desk clerks. You are being hired to own the first ten minutes and the last invoice of every patient encounter.

What the job posting actually means

The posting will list responsibilities that sound bureaucratic. Here is what they translate to in practice.

You own patient access for every hospital in the system, including emergency department registration, inpatient admissions, pre-arrival clearance, insurance verification, point-of-service collections, and the staff who sit at those desks.
You are accountable for data quality because a bad insurance ID entered at 2 a.m. becomes a denial six weeks later.
You work with information technology, clinical leadership, and finance to fix broken workflows that no single department owns.
You report to the chief financial officer or a vice president of revenue cycle, not to the nursing director, because this is a money role disguised as a service role.
You set staffing levels for a function that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and you will be called when the overnight shift has three callouts and the ED is boarding patients in the hallway.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical and health services managers to grow 28 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. That means the demand for people who can run this function is not going away. You can see the full outlook at the BLS occupational handbook.

The day-to-day reality no job description mentions

On a typical day you will spend the first hour reviewing yesterday's registration errors. You will meet with the emergency department nursing director to hear about patients who waited too long at triage because registration was backed up. You will walk the waiting room to see whether the furniture helps or hurts throughput. You will sit with a payer representative to argue about why a claim was denied because of a data entry mistake. You will review point-of-service collection rates for each registrar and decide whether the lowest performers need coaching or something stronger.

None of this appears in the job posting because it sounds too operational for a “director” title. But it is the job. The Healthcare Financial Management Association has spent years documenting how patient access is the front door of the revenue cycle. Miss the front door and everything downstream gets more expensive.

The most successful directors in this field know three things cold: the registration time for each patient type, the denial reasons tied to registration errors, and the name of every supervisor who reports to them. If you cannot answer those in an interview, you are not ready.

What separated candidates who got the job

Hiring committees for this role are tired of candidates who talk about “improving the patient experience” without numbers. They want proof. The candidates who get offers do the following:

They bring a one-page summary of a process they fixed, with baseline and post-change metrics. For example, reducing ED registration time from 18 minutes to 9 minutes, or cutting registration-related denials by a specific percentage.
They ask about the electronic health record platform before the second interview. If the system uses Epic, they talk about Grand Central and Prelude. If it uses Cerner, they talk about registration workflows.
They know the difference between a pre-registration team and a financial clearance team, and they can explain why both matter.
They have managed unionized front-desk staff or worked in a system with collective bargaining agreements, and they are not afraid of it.
They have a point of view on point-of-service collections: whether the system should collect before or after the clinical encounter, and why.

If you want a benchmark for what good looks like, the National Association of Healthcare Access Management publishes patient access standards and offers a certification that many systems now name as a preferred qualification.

How to apply without wasting your shot

Most people lose this job before they submit the application. Here is how to avoid that.

Read the full posting and note who the role reports to. If it does not say, that is a red flag, but you can still apply and ask later.
Rewrite your resume to show outcomes, not duties. Replace “responsible for overseeing registration staff” with “cut registration-related denials by 31 percent across two emergency departments in 12 months.”
Prepare one story about a time you fixed a broken admissions or registration process. Practice it out loud until you can tell it in 90 seconds without using the word “collaborated.”
Before you apply, find out which electronic health record the system uses. You can usually find this in public IT committee minutes or vendor press releases.
Submit your application through the official posting page and follow the instructions exactly. Attach your resume as a PDF unless the posting says otherwise.

This week, do one thing: call one patient access director you know and ask what problem they are spending too much time on this quarter. Their answer will tell you more than any job description can.

Frequently Asked Questions

🏥What does a System Director of Admissions and ED Registration do?

This role oversees patient access functions across a health system, including emergency department registration, inpatient admissions, insurance verification, point-of-service collections, and the staff who perform those tasks. The director is accountable for data accuracy, patient throughput, and revenue cycle performance.

📋What qualifications do I need for this role?

Most systems require a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business, or a related field, plus five to seven years of progressive patient access or revenue cycle leadership. Certification from the National Association of Healthcare Access Management is increasingly preferred.

💼Is System Director of Admissions and ED Registration a good career move?

Yes, if you want a role that combines operations, finance, and patient experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 28 percent growth for medical and health services managers through 2032, and patient access leaders are in short supply at the system level.

💰What salary can I expect for this position?

Compensation varies by region and system size, but system-level patient access directors typically earn between $110,000 and $165,000 annually, with bonuses tied to revenue cycle metrics. Larger health systems and major metropolitan areas can exceed that range.

⚠️What are the biggest challenges in patient access management?

Staff turnover, insurance verification errors, long registration times, and point-of-service collection resistance are the top challenges. A system director has to balance patient satisfaction with financial outcomes, often while managing unionized staff and legacy technology.

📉How does ED registration affect hospital revenue?

Emergency department registration errors cause claim denials, delayed payments, and write-offs. A bad insurance ID entered at 2 a.m. can become a denial six weeks later. Improving registration accuracy directly reduces days in accounts receivable.

🩺What is the difference between admissions and ED registration?

Admissions handles scheduled and non-emergency inpatient stays, often involving pre-authorization and financial clearance. ED registration is unscheduled, fast-paced, and must balance speed with accuracy because the clinical encounter is already underway.

🪜What is the typical career path to become a system director in patient access?

Most directors start as patient access representatives or registrars, move into supervisor or manager roles, then take on a multi-site or system-level director position. Experience in both registration and revenue cycle analytics is a strong differentiator.

🔍What should I look for in an employer before applying?

Look for a system that reports patient access under revenue cycle rather than under nursing or facilities. Ask about the electronic health record platform, the ratio of registrars to supervisors, and whether the system invests in automation for insurance verification.

🎯How do I prepare for an interview for this role?

Bring a one-page summary of a process you fixed with baseline and post-change metrics. Be ready to discuss registration time benchmarks, denial reasons tied to registration errors, and how you would handle a staffing crisis on an overnight shift in the ED.