Financial Advocate, 9a-5p - Admitting

Financial Advocate

Job Summary: The Financial Advocate serves as the primary contact for patients regarding financial liability issues in accordance with established financial and credit policies. Individual must maintain and promote an attitude of professionalism as reflected by courteous actions, maintenance of confidentiality and appropriate presentation of self; consistently demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills; possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide interactive communications appropriate to the age of the patient being served; interact appropriately with third party payers, peers and other departments; and have the ability to relate well to people of a broad socio-economic mix. Position has frequent contact with patient financial services and patient access departments. The financial advocate is the contact person to serve as a liaison to explain hospital charges, financial assistance programs and providing various financial assistance forms. Responsible for screening self-pay patients at hospital bedside for eligibility in various governmental and non-governmental programs. Responsible for identifying all sources of potential payors including auto insurance, workers' compensation, commercial insurance, private insurance, TPL, etc. and assisting patients in the process of applying for any benefits for which they may be eligible. Position is responsible for validating inpatient insurance eligibility, inpatient insurance benefits and emphasis with collecting patient financial liabilities. Strong organizational skills and a commitment to teamwork are essential. Individual must have ability to work closely in a clinical setting involving some stressful situations.

Education: Required: High School Diploma or equivalent Preferred: Associate's Degree in business administration or healthcare related field.

Experience: Required: 2 years in a healthcare related field; knowledge of basic registration and third party payer experience. Previous scheduling, registration, or call center experience. Should be familiar with statutes and regulations that impact collection of past due accounts and a broad knowledge of government assistance programs, guidelines and application procedures. Demonstrated ability to read, write, arithmetic, multiplication/division including fractions and decimals. Strong computer skills, excellent customer service skills and interpersonal communication and telephone etiquette are required. Demonstrate ability to multitask and manage high volumes. Computer, fax machine, copier, multiline telephone. Individual is a self-starter and demonstrated ability prioritize work and manage multiple task in a sometimes stressful environment. Medical terminology, and basic knowledge base of CPT and ICD-9 codes, insurance coding and billing knowledge.

Preferred: Bilingual, prior work experience in bank industry, commercial or governmental insurance agency.

License/Certification/Registration Required: Preferred: Certified Healthcare Access Associate from NAHAM

Position Summary Essential Functions:

• Use a financial sequencing hierarchy to screen uninsured and underinsured patients for payment potential.
• Review patient prior bad debt to ensure all financial assistance and payment arrangements are secured.
• Communicate with patients to resolve current and prior patient liability prior to service.
• Assist patients with completing financial assistance applications prior to service.
• Financially clear patients prior to service by collecting current patient liability, establishing payment arrangements, resolving prior bad debt accounts, making Medicaid referrals, and initiating financial assistance applications prior to service.
• Work with facility Registration Staff and Financial Advocates to ensure hand-offs occur from Pre-Access to the Point of Service.