Lead Patient Financial Counselor

Title: Lead Patient Financial Counselor

Location: Onsite, Phoenix, AZ 85016

Time: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm

Duration: 6-Month Contract-to-hire

Position Summary

A local Children’s Hospital is seeking a Lead Financial Counselor with strong healthcare revenue cycle, payer, Medicaid/AHCCCS, and customer service experience. This individual will provide leadership, training, and day-to-day support to Family Financial Counselors while also working directly with patients and families to help them understand insurance benefits, financial responsibility, payment options, and available financial assistance programs.

The Lead Financial Counselor will serve as a subject matter resource for payer requirements and coverage options, including Medicaid/AHCCCS, Medicare, managed care, commercial insurance, and other third-party payer programs. The ideal candidate will bring a strong healthcare finance background, excellent customer service skills, and at least one year of leadership experience.

Required Experience

• 4+ years of experience in a healthcare revenue cycle, patient financial services, financial counseling, registration, billing, or related healthcare finance environment.
• 1+ year of leadership, lead, or supervisory experience.
• Strong Medicaid/AHCCCS payer experience.
• Experience working with HMOs and other third-party payers.
• Knowledge of Federal and State programs available to uninsured patients.
• Experience with healthcare billing and registration processes.
• Knowledge of HIPAA privacy requirements.
• Strong customer service and patient-facing communication skills.
• Ability to train, coach, and support financial counseling staff.
• Associate degree in healthcare, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must be able to work onsite Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM-5:00 PM at the Phoenix location.

Preferred Skills

• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• AMPFM platform experience.
• Allscripts/Misys platform experience.
• Workday experience.
• Experience with healthcare financial counseling dashboards.
• Knowledge of full-disclosure laws, credit analysis, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
• Experience working with both domestic and international payer arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, guide, and train Family Financial Counselors on policies, procedures, and job expectations.
• Perform quality assurance reviews to ensure consistent and accurate financial counseling services.
• Educate patients and families on insurance benefits, out-of-pocket costs, payment options, and financial assistance programs.
• Assist patients in identifying third-party coverage through government and commercial programs.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of AHCCCS/Medicaid, Medicare, Managed Care, Federal Marketplace programs, and third-party payer requirements.
• Understand payer authorization, registration, and billing requirements.
• Serve as backup coverage for Financial Counselors during PTO, vacancies, or high-volume periods.
• Resolve issues involving patients, guarantors, insurance companies, government agencies, clinical teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Provide feedback regarding employee performance to the appropriate supervisor.
• Partner effectively with clinical teams to provide a coordinated and customer-focused patient experience.
• Serve as a financial resource for international patients seeking healthcare services.
• Participate in ongoing department and hospital education programs.
• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned.