Financial Specialist

Financial Specialist

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:

The Financial Specialist provides financial screening and patient account management to Sea Mar clients in the mental health, homeless, domestic violence and substance use disorder programs. This person participates actively as a team member in the delivery of client services. This job description does not suggest or imply that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. Minor variations in duties will vary depending to what department the Financial Specialist is assigned. The person in this position will be required to follow other instructions and to perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Duties and Responsibilities As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered, culturally aware services. Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an excellent client experience by:

• Understanding and empathizing with client needs
• Surpassing client expectations
• Demonstrating a high level of integrity
• Exhibiting compassion and commitment
• Advocating for social justice
• Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team
• Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to communicate financial information appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Conducts systematic financial screenings to determine current pay source and needs in a variety of areas.
• Performs financial screenings on all patients to determine pay source (Private Pay, Medical Coupon, Disability Life Line, Insurance or Homeless) and accurately enter information into Allscripts PM.
• Assists type-A clients (Low income/indigent) in determining eligibility for entitlement Program.
• Makes sure all medical coupons are current by checking provider one and assessing for 3rd party insurances. Specifies which are TANF, DCFS, etc. Completes all of the invoices for the contract for the sites. Invoices the County or in counties where there is more than one site, coordinates with the Financial Specialist that has been assigned to complete the invoice. Sends copy of the invoice to Sea Mar Accounting on a monthly basis.
• Makes financial referrals based on identified need, to appropriate agencies/services or provide information and assist clients in self-referral.
• Assists clients in accomplishing necessary tasks in accessing services such as filling out appropriate forms, obtaining necessary documentation or authorization and finding transportation.
• Monitors medical coupon eligibility from month to month and keeps Allscripts PM updated to reflect current status.
• Compares daily activities with Counselors' encounters. Enter Admissions, Discharges, Change of Circumstances, Pay sources into DBHR computer in a timely manner.
• Performs financial screening before clients begin their treatment program. Set charges based upon the length of treatment and income eligibility. At the time of financial, verifies income, as well as assess if the client has insurance, medical coupons, or is homeless.
• Collects payments and posts all charges and payments into ledgers after the contract nvoice has been sent. Financial Specialists will meet regularly with clients to collect any outstanding balances. Posts urinalysis charges into the ledger as soon as the Front Desk Receptionist records the counselor has performed the UA testing.
• Hands out delinquency lists of both Mental Health and Substance Abuse clients to counselors and Front Desk Receptionist to make sure that all clients keep their balances current. A county client needs to have his/her bill paid by the end of the month.
• Sends reports to Accounting in Seattle at the end of each month. Totals all money received, breakdown for MH & SA. At the end of the month tallies all the money that has been deposited for that month and sends all deposit slips and copies of receipts to Seattle Accounting.
• Prepares BHO reports, as appropriate to your county.
• Handles data information and enters the data into the databases associated with the region.
• Maintains updated records for all Substance Abuse patients for financial eligibility on a monthly basis.
• Ensures that billing department receives all necessary paper work for private insurance, Title XIX services.
• Provides current and regular financial documentation to the counselors for the client's chart. Be able to run appropriate financial reports.

Other duties assigned by supervisor.

Conditions of Employment

• This person must sign an oath of permanent confidentiality covering all patient relate information.
• This person must receive a background check from the Washington State Patrol.
• This person must comply with all ethical standards of Sea Mar.
• The person in this position shall have no history or evidence of alcohol or other drug misuse for a period of three (3) years immediately prior to the date of employment at the facility, and no misuse of alcohol or other drugs while employed at this center.
• This person must complete an annual competency test as a financial specialist.
• The Program Manager shall sign and date the job description to affirm the validity of the information herein.

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The person in this position must be of good character and able to maintain the understanding, physical health, emotional stability and personality suited to meet the needs of the population served.

This person must have the capacity to work with difficult clients while maintaining courtesy towards them.

Must have good organizational and communication skills. 10 key by touch, and the ability to do repetitive data entry rapidly and accurately for extended periods of time are required.

Demonstrate professionalism and appropriate boundaries in all interactions.

Ability to work in a team. Disposition to receive and give constructive criticism.

Language Skills

Bilingual: Fluent in Spanish and English, proficient in reading and writing in both languages.

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.

Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Education and Experience, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening

Education and Experience

Must hold an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or Office Management, or related field, and two years of closely related work experience. Appropriate work experience may be substituted for the degree.

It is preferred that the Financial Specialist be bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural. This person must demonstrate respect and appreciation for diversity and have an understanding of the community.

Must have demonstrated experience with and the ability to form and maintain effective relationships with clients, team members, and community providers.

Work Environment

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.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the