Patient Financial Counselor, pre-access Referral Management

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Job description

Department/Skill highlights: Patient Financial Counselor, Pre-Access Referral Management, Rockford, Days, 80HRS/2WKS Location: Mercyhealth - Rockton Ave Experience a rewarding and fulfilling career with Mercyhealth. Mercyhealth is committed to offering our partners a best place to work. Our unique workplace Culture of Excellence is built upon: Employee engagement, empowerment and growth Teamwork toward our common goal # providing exceptional health care services with a passion for making lives better An atmosphere of caring and quality that cascades throughout the organization Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Follow and administer all Mercyhealth financial policies and guidelines. Meet with patients face to face or via telephone to counsel patients/customers on billing concerns, account balances, services costs/estimates and various insurance resources. Communicate with physicians, patient care staff and hospital/clinic reception regarding out of network insurance status and other patient billing/ insurance issues. Navigate the billing system and review patient accounts for accuracy. Initiates appropriate follow-up with patient, billing department, coding department, and insurance companies to ensure payment for services. Maintain a knowledge base of programs offered through the government, the insurance marketplace, and the Mercy Community Care program. Screens self-pay patients for presumptive eligibility for Medicaid and performs necessary follow-up to ensure coverage is in place. Initiates appropriate follow-up with patients, insurance companies or billing department to ensure payment for services. Establish payment plans with patients and follow up on broken payment arrangements Educate patients and other Mercy partners on payment guidelines and resources. Monitor patient Work queues and resolve outstanding balance issues. Contacts patients with self-pay balances to collect payment and/or set payment arrangements Responsible for meeting Patient Access department guidelines for daily patient contact, collection goals, and department benchmarks. Research denied claims through review of system/account/process to reconcile information. Performs insurance verification and pre-certification activities for procedures when necessary. Records and maintains thorough documentation of activities performed and patientconversations on the patients. Works closely with ER/Urgent Care staff to facilitate patient care during periods of EPIC Downtime. Works with nursing staff to provide taxi vouchers and payment for taxi services for patients. Responsible for maintaining an accurate cash drawer. Responsible for closing and balancing cash drawer at the end of each shift. Works workqueues to resolve registration errors thus allowing patient bills to process in a timely manner. Responds to all incoming correspondence and telephone inquiries. Escorts patients/visitors to the correct area. Must be able to push patient in a wheelchair. Education and Experience: Graduate of high school or equivalent One year customer service and/or collections experience required Knowledge of reimbursement practices for commercial and government payers preferred Medical terminology preferred Special Physical Demands: The Special Physical Demands are considered Essential Job Functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit and work at a computer for long periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to stand. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must have good manual dexterity to operate keyboard and telephone; repetitive finger/wrist movement associated with use of keyboard; prolonged sitting. The employee must be able to lift or move office related objects. #

Department/Skill highlights:

* Patient Financial Counselor, Pre-Access Referral Management, Rockford, Days, 80HRS/2WKS
* Location: Mercyhealth - Rockton Ave

Experience a rewarding and fulfilling career with Mercyhealth. Mercyhealth is committed to offering our partners a best place to work. Our unique workplace Culture of Excellence is built upon:

* Employee engagement, empowerment and growth
* Teamwork toward our common goal - providing exceptional health care services with a passion for making lives better
* An atmosphere of caring and quality that cascades throughout the organization

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

* Follow and administer all Mercyhealth financial policies and guidelines.
* Meet with patients face to face or via telephone to counsel patients/customers on billing concerns, account balances, services costs/estimates and various insurance resources.
* Communicate with physicians, patient care staff and hospital/clinic reception regarding out of network insurance status and other patient billing/ insurance issues.
* Navigate the billing system and review patient accounts for accuracy. Initiates appropriate follow-up with patient, billing department, coding department, and insurance companies to ensure payment for services.
* Maintain a knowledge base of programs offered through the government, the insurance marketplace, and the Mercy Community Care program. Screens self-pay patients for presumptive eligibility for Medicaid and performs necessary follow-up to ensure coverage is in place.
* Initiates appropriate follow-up with patients, insurance companies or billing department to ensure payment for services.
* Establish payment plans with patients and follow up on broken payment arrangements
* Educate patients and other Mercy partners on payment guidelines and resources.
* Monitor patient Work queues and resolve outstanding balance issues. Contacts patients with self-pay balances to collect payment and/or set payment arrangements
* Responsible for meeting Patient Access department guidelines for daily patient contact, collection goals, and department benchmarks.
* Research denied claims through review of system/account/process to reconcile information.
* Performs insurance verification and pre-certification activities for procedures when necessary.
* Records and maintains thorough documentation of activities performed and patientconversations on the patients.
* Works closely with ER/Urgent Care staff to facilitate patient care during periods of EPIC Downtime.
* Works with nursing staff to provide taxi vouchers and payment for taxi services for patients.
* Responsible for maintaining an accurate cash drawer.
* Responsible for closing and balancing cash drawer at the end of each shift.
* Works workqueues to resolve registration errors thus allowing patient bills to process in a timely manner.
* Responds to all incoming correspondence and telephone inquiries.
* Escorts patients/visitors to the correct area.
* Must be able to push patient in a wheelchair.

Education and Experience:

* Graduate of high school or equivalent
* One year customer service and/or collections experience required
* Knowledge of reimbursement practices for commercial and government payers preferred
* Medical terminology preferred

Special Physical Demands:

The Special Physical Demands are considered Essential Job Functions of the position with or without

reasonable accommodations.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands to finger,

handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or

hear. The employee is frequently required to sit and work at a computer for long periods of time. The

employee is occasionally required to stand. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close

vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee must have good manual dexterity to operate

keyboard and telephone; repetitive finger/wrist movement associated with use of keyboard; prolonged

sitting. The employee must be able to lift or move office related objects.