Financial Counselor

Job Description

Your experience matters

At Columbus Springs-East, we are committed to empowering and supporting a diverse and determined workforce who can drive quality, scalability, and significant impact across our hospitals and communities. In your role, you'll support those that are in our facilities who are interfacing and providing care to our patients and community members. We believe that our collective efforts will shape a healthier future for the communities we serve.

What we offer

Fundamental to providing great care is supporting and rewarding our team. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, plus flexible-spending and health- savings accounts
• Competitive paid time off and extended illness bank package for full-time employees
• Income-protection programs, such as life, accident, critical-injury insurance, short- and long-term disability, and identity theft coverage
• Tuition reimbursement, loan assistance, and 401(k) matching
• Employee assistance program including mental, physical, and financial wellness
• Professional development and growth opportunities

How you'll contribute
A Financial Counselor maintains, and processes all assigned patient accounts and counsels patients regarding the admitting and discharging processes and payment alternatives. Work is of a confidential nature.

Qualifications and requirements

High school diploma required; advanced education preferred.
Proficient in use of software programs.
Excellent customer service and telephone skills a must.
Minimum of one year of business or related experience including bookkeeping with use of calculating equipment and collection of monies is required.
Hospital or medical business office experience preferred.
Medical terminology preferred.

Essential Functions:

• Counsels patients (or responsible parties) to establish payment method.
• Contacts patients, in advance of admission, to obtain missing information, particularly patient's signature for accepting obligation to pay.
• Estimates and informs patient of portion of bill which must be paid directly.
• Establishes a payment for patients unable to pay the estimated portion of bill upon discharge. Identifies and reports to manager patients with whom payment difficulties arose in the past.
• Ensures completeness of pre-admission and admission information, following through as needed, to obtain and document missing information/signatures prior to patient's admission date.
• Checks for, and identifies patients with histories of payment problems, and informs supervisor of any found, prior to patient's admission date.
• Accurately interprets insurance policy provisions and calculates self-pay portion of patient's bill based on expected length of stay and services rendered, so that final accounting of self-pay amount is within a reasonable variance from estimate.
• Patiently, clearly, and accurately advises patient of self-pay obligations and estimate and ensures that patient signs acceptance of such obligation on the designated forms.
• Collects self-pay monies in advance, upon entry, or at discharge according to circumstances. In cases where patient is unable to pay self-pay portion due upon discharge, ensures that a mutually agreed upon payment agreement is documented and signed by all parties, in compliance with established guidelines and procedures.
• Selects and applies appropriate communications based on the age of the patient/customer.
• Maintains knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements related to state and federal agencies such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, Veterans
• Administration and other demonstrates this knowledge by the accurately obtaining information and updating records to remain in compliance.
• Collects and Controls cash receipts.
• Collects patient deductible, co-pays and non-covered patient charge amounts.
• Maintains and balances cash drawer.
• Prepares daily cash report and submits to Cashier with collected monies and copies of Relay
• Account Report/Daily Deposit Reconciliation.
• Determines the appropriate amount due from the patient through eligibility and insurance verification, by evidence of the insurance card, or in the event of no insurance, follow Self-pay processes/policies.
• Maintains control over cash payments, so that receipts balance to cash drawer.
• Accurately prepares deposit documentation and delivers deposits.
• Operates and maintains assigned equipment and maintains work area.
• Ensures that no damage or undue wear and tear occurs to assigned equipment due to failure to operate or maintain it in accordance with specifications.
• Has demonstrated adequate knowledge and proficiency in using the patient financial services accounts receivables system (Paragon) and other supporting software.
• Keeps assigned work areas neatly organized on a continuous basis.
• Participates in hospital and departmental support activities requiring stand-by and re-call at times.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manage the work of others, including planning, assigning, scheduling and reviewing work, ensures quality standards. Responsible for hiring, terminating, training and developing, reviewing performance and administering corrective action for staff.

About Us
Columbus Springs - East is a 72 bed hospital located in Columbus, OH, and is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network committed to making communities healthier® with acute care, rehabilitation, and behavioral health facilities from coast to coast. From your first day to your next career milestone-your experience matters

EEOC Statement

Columbus Springs - East is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of color, race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, gender identity, sexual orientation, veterans' status or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

About Us

Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier. Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.

About the Team

We employ and provide care to people from all walks of life. We are committed to promoting healing, providing hope, preserving dignity and producing value with an inclusive workforce in which diversity is leveraged, respected, and reflective of the patients, family members, customers and team members we serve.