Financial Counselor - Patient Financial Services - 24 hrs/wk, 1st shift Job Listing at Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay, OH (Job ID 16427)

Description

PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION

The Financial Counselor is responsible for performing the financial counseling for the patients, including but not limited to, verifying insurance eligibility and benefits, pre-screening and enrolling self-pay (uninsured and underinsured) patients for external and internal assistance programs, including Medicaid. This individual is also responsible for assisting patients in the process of completing financial assistance applications, educating them about their financial responsibilities, and helping them identify a path toward resolving their balances. This role involves communicating with patients both in person and over the phone and requires a higher level of customer service.

JOB DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Duty 1. Prescreens uninsured and underinsured patients to identify potential financial assistance, government programs, or marketplace insurance program qualifications. If patient potentially qualifies, assists in the enrollment of these programs. Follows up with all self-pay patients admitted as inpatient or observation who have not been financially cleared.
• Duty 2. Educates patients on their insurance coverage, such as by providing explanations of common terms (E.G., copayments); their billing statements to prevent confusion; and other questions patients may have about their financial responsibilities. Then Helps patients develop a plan to resolve their liabilities, including setting patients up on payment plans according to Blanchard Valley Health System's guidelines.
• Duty 3. Completes daily administrative tasks as necessary, such as filing, processing paperwork, and documenting interviews with patients.
• Duty 4. Completes electronic medical records system processes for government programs and financial assistance programs.
• Duty 5. Responds to telephone and other communication traffic promptly with a courteous manner. Relaying accurate information to the appropriate parties for A/R reduction and patient satisfaction.
• Duty 6. Responsible for having knowledge of all Business office functions including, but not limited to estates, bankruptcy, adjustments, cash posting, credit balances, and transmitting of bad debt.
• Duty 7. Collaborates with other departments and any third-party vendors to identify resolution of patient requests.
• Duty 8. Monitors, completes, and maintains appropriate productivity levels of assigned tasks in accordance with team standards.
• Duty 9. The above duties reflect the general duties considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified and should not be considered a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent to the position.
• Duty 10. Remains current on collection laws, Medicare/Medicaid laws, HCAP regulations and guidelines, third party funding requirements, and adheres to all requirements for compliancy.
• Duty 11.  Maintains a thorough understanding and education of federal and state regulations and payer specific policies and requirements to promote compliant credit and collection practices. Adheres to HIPAA related privacy, security and transaction & code set regulations in compliance with the federal guidelines. Accurately documents all account activity. Regularly attends and actively participates in staff meetings, in-service, and continuing education programs as offered. This provides needed educational updates for compliancy and organizational changes in the healthcare industry.
• Duty 12. Regularly attends and actively participates in staff meetings, training and continuing education that aligns with recognized improvement opportunities, payer policies and procedures and ensures to maintain up to date certifications. This could be remote and/or onsite as requested. Assists in other duties and projects as needed assigned by the supervisor and/or manager.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or GED
• Certified patient financial services specialist certificate to be completed within 12 months of hire date.
• Certified Marketplace Counselor completed within 6 months of hire date.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with positive oriented interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of Federal, State and county eligibility programs such as HCAP, 501-R, and Medicaid
• Positive service-oriented interpersonal and communication skills required.
• Knowledge and experience with Microsoft office products and Window PC functionality
• Individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patient served on his/her assigned unit/department.  The individual must demonstrate the knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.  Possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirement relative to their age-specific needs and to provide the care needed as describe in the area's policies and procedures.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 3 years of appropriate work experience would indicate a high level of communication skills and organizational ability.
• Financial counseling, eligibility screening, and/or Medicaid application processing strongly desired.
• College degree in healthcare administration, or related field, or related work experience. 
• Prior experience performing community outreach.
• Broad knowledge of government assistance programs, guidelines, and application procedures.
• Medical Terminology
• ICD 10 coding knowledge

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires a full range of body motion with intermittent bending, squatting, kneeling, and twisting. The associate must be able to sit for three hours, walk for one hour and stand for two hours per day. The associate must be able to lift 20 pounds. The individual must have excellent eye/hand coordination to operate the machines. This position requires corrected vision and hearing in the normal range.