Financial Counselor

If you care about the opportunity to grow, to make a difference, to build a future and a life, then we just might have the career for you. Care to talk?


Bayhealth Medical Center is Central and Southern Delaware's healthcare leader with hospitals in Dover and Milford, as well as stand-alone Emergency Department in Smyrna and a hybrid Emergency Department and Urgent Care in Milton. We offer various practice settings throughout Kent and Sussex Counties. Bayhealth Medical Center Kent Campus is 90 minutes from Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Baltimore. Our Sussex Campus is 30 minutes to the Delaware beaches and relaxation in the sand!


Bayhealth Medical Center offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package (for eligible positions) including:

• Generous Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• Matching 401(k)/403(b) Plans
• Excellent Health, Dental, and Vision
• Disability and Life Insurance options
• On Site Child Care
• Educational Reimbursement
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flex Spending Accounts
• Plus, an array of Voluntary Benefits to include Critical Care Coverage and more!

Location: Kent Campus Hospital

Status: Full Time 80 Hours

Shift: Days

SALARY RANGE: 19.66 - 29.49 HOURLY

General Summary:

The Financial Counselor is responsible for all aspects related to the financial assistance programs at Bayhealth. Highly developed communication skills are required and the Counselor must be able to work independently, be on time, organized and detail oriented. Specific responsibilities include: interviewing patients without insurance to understand their financial status to determine payment sources and payment arrangements ensure final resolution of hospital bills; explaining Medicare and Medicaid benefits and coverage limitations to patients/families; overseeing the financial assistance application process and compliance with State and Federal guidelines and making determinations based on completed applications. The Counselor is also responsible for the Presumptive Charity program and completing those approvals within three days of receipt.

Responsibilities:

1. Screen patients for financial assistance programs; use available tools to identify and visit all uninsured inpatients (while in house). Assist patients/families in initiating applications for other financial assistance programs.
2. Initiate and follow-up on Charity Care applications through completion. Actively manages application status documenting activity and status in Hospital Information System for tracking. Advises patient and collections agency of financial decisions and requests collection agency to close and return the account for approval decisions or to continue pursuing the debt for a denial.
3. Reviews financial applications and makes correct financial assistance determinations based on information provided compared to the Bayhealth Uncompensated Care Schedule.
4. 990 Form Compliance; uses appropriate standard note codes and/or action codes to enable the necessary form 990 reporting by Finance.
5. ACA Compliance; Communicates with collection agencies to place accounts in a collection hold status when a patient is applying for financial assistance for a balance aged between 120 - 240 days from first statement date.
6. Visits in house patients to obtain their approval signature for the use of Medicare Life Time Reserve Days. Explains Medicare benefits exhaustion and the Life Time Reserve Day benefit to the patient/family member/patient advocate. This notice needs to be signed by the patient while in house to be valid.
7. Processes presumptive charity approvals received from our vendor within the inpatient bill hold time frame (3 days) to prevent statements from generating and ensure our employed physician partners receive a copy of the determination in a timely manner. Reviews patient account history to ensure the patient does not have insurance who should be billed. Performs presumptive charity adjustment for those without insurance and registers insurance on the accounts and requests a rebill when insurance is identified documenting presumptive approval in account notes for any balance after insurance considerations.
8. Enters approval dates into the Hospital Information System as appropriate based on the program (application vs. presumptive.
9. For patients not eligible for financial assistance, Collect patient liabilities and/or establish payment plans according to policy and productivity requirements. Sets up payment plans at the highest payment level and shortest duration to facilitate timely resolution of outstanding balances. Post payments and adjustments to patient accounts, accepts and processes credit card payments, cash and checks for both Epic and legacy accounts receivable.
10. Complete daily workflow requirements in various system work queues; maintains all queues within departmental targets for volume and/or age. Uses appropriate Actions, Standard Notes, etc., to enable accounts to continue through the life cycle timely and facilitate reporting needs. Complete electronic logs to provide related quality improvement records.
11. Audit and reconciliation of cash drawer, post payments to patient accounts, accepts and processes credit card payments, cash and checks.
12. For Milford; cover the cashier window when the respective Billing Support representative or specialist is absent or at lunch.
13. All other duties as assigned within the scope and range of job responsibilities

Required Education, Credential(s) and Experience:

• Education: High School Diploma or GED
  ;
• Credential(s): None Required
  ;
• Experience:
  Required: Three years of experience in hospital billing and collections. Preferred: Four years of hospital billing or collection experience. Knowledge required of patient accounting principles, state and federal Uninsured, Charity Care and Poverty guidelines and requirements.

Preferred Education, Credential(s) and Experience:

• Education: Associate Degree
• Credential(s): Certified Revenue Cycle Specialist
• Experience:

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