Pros
The up-side to working in this under-appreciated position is the "front line" experience. As a Patient Services Rep, you will be forming relationships with patients that you see on a daily basis and that familiarity can be nice. However, it's a grueling position overall and turnover is high because even the kindest people get burnt out from the constant "push and pull" from both the company and the patients.
Cons
The company is based on values that are no longer being practiced. Everyone at SGF hears about "the good old days" when the company really cared about patients and the work being done, but today the only thing that is important is higher patient volume and higher revenue for cheaper costs to the company. Obviously, every company wants to make a profit, but SGF saying they are "patient focused" is no longer a statement any of the employees believes from corporate. The regional managers and supervisors are in the dark on what the day-to-day experiences are really like, both for employees and patients, and rarely visit the multiple "satellite" offices. When they do, they do not know or greet any of the employees, are pushy and rude with patients if they are working directly with them, and change the protocols in place on a whim (the most recent occurrence meant a patient overpaid by $200 because the supervisor did not know the rates of service). Most of the long-term employees are either family or close friends of the CEO/founding physician and are so secure in their jobs they are usually surfing Facebook or taking personal and inappropriate calls - all in front of patients. It's very difficult to have a good work environment, respect the company's values, and feel good about your job at a place where the management downright ignores the patients they are supposedly so focused on to give a play-by-play of recent escapades or plays music videos on their cell phones, while an entire waiting room listens in. There is no growth potential as a PSR and after a while you will feel completely exhausted. The endless questions, the lack of learning opportunities available to PSRs, the way patients take their anger out on you, and the lack of appreciation from the staff and the management doesn't make any of the day-to-day easier.