Financial Counselor

Job DescriptionMercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is operated jointly with Lifepoint Health and Mercy Health. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others.How you'll contribute:The Financial Counselor provides guidance to patients in all aspects of their financial responsibilities that result from acceptance of the facility's services. Counselor assesses patients' financial ability, determines ability to pay, advises patients on insurance benefits, explains financial liability, collects payment, negotiates payment arrangement, secures financing, identifies funding sources and resolves any confusion the patient may have about their financial obligations to the facility. Counselor is responsible for the accurate and timely verification of insurance benefits, to include: contacting patients and/or guardians to obtain additional insurance information, researching and maintaining an ongoing collective knowledge of HMO, PPO, Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurance reimbursement rates and criteria, evaluating plans to calculate and estimate of the patient's out of pocket charges, collecting any co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, etc. and exploring patient's financial circumstances to ensure fair and reasonable repayment terms.Provides accurate account and billing information to required departments within timelines specifiedEnsures the effective implementation of collection measures for uncollected co-pays, deductibles and coinsuranceServes as additional point of contact regarding benefit determination within departmental timelines.Maintains self-pay/ self-pay after insurance work list and ensures accounts are worked daily and documents appropriately within the software system.Provides required follow-up on all patient accounts with the goal of collecting any patient co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance at the time of services rendered.Ensures that all admitted patient accounts have been verified, corrected, and completed within 24 hours of admission.Gathers and collects all pertinent financial information in order to accurately assess the patient's informationIdentifies candidates eligible for charity and submits charity requests with the appropriate financial documentation.Works with uninsured patients to identify potential Medicaid eligibility and makes the appropriate referrals to internal or external agenciesMaintains Medicaid Pending Log daily and reports any change in Medicaid status to the Central Billing OfficeMaintains front-end collections log daily.Reports any system problems or billing/ verification/ collection issues to supervisor.Maintains the patient's account with all appropriate documentation in a timely mannerKnowledgeable of specific billing/ verification requirements of various carriersIdentifies patient refunds/balance transfers and documents the amountsProcesses all insurance requests from other departments and physician billing offices in a timely mannerInforms billing/ collections staff of any pertinent information needed to submit a "clean" claim when/ if charges occur during/ after visitWhy Join Us:We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers:Comprehensive Benefits : Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time and part-time employees.Financial Protection & PTO : Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.Financial & Career Growth : Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.Employee Well-being : Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).Professional Development : Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.What we are looking for:Education: High school diploma or equivalent requiredExperience: Previous experience in healthcare collections or a related field, or any combination of education, training, or experience in health care business office setting preferred.More about Mercy Youngstown:Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is a 72-bed behavioral health hospital located in the Youngstown, OH area. We provide high-quality compassionate care for those facing mental health and addiction challenges. Programs include 24/7 crisis care and assessment, inpatient mental health and addiction treatment, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for adults age 18+.EEOC Statement:Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health 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.