Patient Financial Advocate

Description

Responsible for resolving self-pay accounts while maintaining strong relations with patients, guarantors, and business office departments. Under the direct supervision of the PFS Director/Assistant Office Manager, this individual utilizes medical billing knowledge and excellent customer service skills to effectively collect from and provide financial resources to patients, thereby promoting patient satisfaction.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Demonstrates Competency in the Following Areas:
• Handles all communication (telephone, email, interpersonal) with patients and other departments within the business office.
• Receives, documents, and responds to all patient correspondence in a prompt and courteous manner.
• Provides exceptional customer service that aims to improve patient and/or guarantor relations and contribute to a positive work environment.
• Clearly explains service charges to customers, reports any charge/payment errors to managerial staff, and resolves any errors within Uintah Basin Healthcare computer system.
• Negotiates full payment from patients and helps them set up an agreeable payment plan in accordance to UBH collection policy and/or Access One.
• Maintains all self-pay accounts; updates patient demographics when necessary; scans all accounts for financial assistance, and directs patient's to the appropriate resources (e.g., financial counseling).
• Collects patient payments made over the counter, over the phone, and by mail on a daily basis; properly records all payment types (e.g. cash, check, debit, credit) and transactions into the computer system.
• Responsibly uses the safe to deposit large bills and sums of money from the cash drawer and keeps the minimum allowable amount in drawer at all times.
• Engages in continuous professional development by attending staff meetings, educational seminars, and workshops.
• Provides the business office department and leaders with improvement recommendations, communicating observed trends and issues to supervisor(s).
• Demonstrates knowledge of basic insurance billing practices in order to assist the patient in a professional manner.
• Ensures that services should be provided in accordance with state and federal regulations, organizational policy, and accreditation/compliance requirements through demonstration and leadership.
• Proven working knowledge of; the revenue cycle workflow, IT and/or EHR software systems, hospital and professional billing processes and reimbursement, and statutes and regulations impacting collection of past due accounts.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team.
• Ability to multitask and manage time effectively.

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Collecting experience strongly preferred.
• Insurance Billing preferred.
• Fluent in Spanish a plus, but not a requirement.