Patient Access Financial Counselor - Full Time - Admitting

Summary of Position:

The Financial Counselor serves as Barton Healthcare’s primary contact for patient reimbursement issues in accordance with established credit policies. Provides information regarding hospital payment requirements, alternative financing, and charity care programs. All communications are conducted in a manner that will result in positive patient relations and prompt reimbursement for services. The responsibilities of the Financial Counselor include registration of patients and adherence to all registration practices and procedures. Other duties as assigned and overtime as requested and/or required by management.

Qualifications

Education:

• High school diploma or GED preferred

Experience:

• Three years appropriate work experience that would indicate a high level of communication skills and organizational ability.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Requires critical thinking skills, decisive judgement and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Must be able to work in a stressful, high paced environment and can take the appropriate action.
• Broad knowledge of government assistance programs, guidelines, and application procedures
• Able to communicate and respond to inquiries; requires effective interpersonal skills and ability to interact with patients to explain payment policies and persuade patients to settle account balances
• Must be intermediate computer typing and literacy.
• Reading and writing skills, organizing and filing, professional phone etiquette, and strong customer service skills.
• Must have advanced knowledge of phone, computer, fax and copy machine skills.
• In compliance with patient safety standards, must be able to effectively communicate in English; Bilingual abilities preferred.
• Demonstrates organizational and communication/customer service skills.

Certifications/Licensure:

• N/A

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, stand, sit, and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Normal office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate while in the office.
• Occasional travel to various health system locations.

Essential Functions

1. Provide consistently exceptional care at all times.
2. Demonstrate excellent customer services skills.
3. Meets with patients you present as self-pay to obtain valid insurance coverage, if applicable, and/or review prior account information to obtain insurance coverage information; notifies the appropriate department of information and enters account notes into the patient accounting system.
4. Meets with patients on a one on one basis to discuss cost of hospital services and patients current financial situation, obtaining all pertinent demographic and financial data to ensure resolution of account.
5. Educates, screens, and assists patients without valid insurance coverage with enrollment in programs including, but not limited to, Medicare, Medicaid, other state-based assistance programs, etc.
6. Assists patient in completing all applications required to receive external financial assistance and/or hospital charity care, and follows up with potential sources of aid until financial assistance is either received or denied.
7. Educates patients on applicable policies, such as point of service collections, payment plans, and financial assistance during the interview process.
8. Establishes longer-term payment arrangements for patients per established Barton policy when applicable.
9. Initiates credit scoring to determine each patient’s eligibility for Medicaid, hospital-sponsored charity care, and other programs through a comprehensive patient interview.
10. Continues to stay informed of any statutes and regulations that could affect the collection of receivables (i.e., insurance company changes, collection regulations, etc.)
11. Follows up with all patients who have not been financially cleared prior to discharge.
12. Answer phones, routes callers, takes messages, provides routine information to callers, and returns calls promptly.
13. Exercise judgment as to the urgency and nature of calls and ensures that all messages are relayed to the appropriate staff promptly.
14. Communicate problems as they arise through proper channels.
15. Perform assigned clerical duties in an accurate and timely manner such as faxing, photocopying, typing, computer data entry and retrieval.
16. Effectively gathers and enters all patient demographics for accurate registration and pre-registration.
17. Verify coverages through appropriate insurance applications.
18. Verify medical necessity of Medicare patients using current online software.
19. Effectively explains cost estimates, insurance benefits, and advanced beneficiary notices to patients.
20. Collect copays, point of service payments, any outstanding payments, and effectively posts all payments in cash drawer.
21. Transcribe all faxed orders into Epic and works with doctors offices on order corrections.
22. Coordinate multiple appointments in order to offer consecutively scheduled services.
23. Effectively corrects all errors in assigned work ques.
24. Proficient in the use of the all hospital associated software used to complete tasks.
25. Coordinate agenda and schedule for Monthly Community Care meetings.
26. Responds to the needs of the department by performing other duties, as necessary.