What are the responsibilities and job description for the Financial Counselor position at St. Josephs Medical Center?
Job Description
Job Description
POSITION SUMMARY :
Under the supervision of the Insurance Verification Supervisor, the Financial Counselor is responsible for the daily review, contract interpretation, pre[1]cert / authorization compliance, and upfront collection for all in-house accounts. The Financial Counselor is an active participant in facility Net revenue and / or Discharge Planning meetings. The Financial Counselor facilitates the Coordination of account follow up with the case Management team. Other duties as assigned.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES :
- Consistently supports and communicates the Mission, Vision, and Values of St. Joseph Medical Center
- Follows the St. Joseph Medical Center Guidelines related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), designed to prevent or detect unauthorized disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI)
- Upholds the Standards of Conduct and Corporate Compliance Consistently follows facility guidelines and procedures in performance
- Counsels patients about unpaid bills
- Greets all patients, families and hospital visitor and maintain a positive attitude at all times
- Works closely with Case Management (U / R) on a daily basis in regards to patient status changes, insurance notification or insurance coverage
- Creates and maintains detailed notes of activities in the system to reflect all actions performed on a patient account
- Assists in registering patients or admitting patients when needed
- Contacts worker compensation company to obtain any missing information and update patient account effectively to avoid claim delay or rejection
- Attends IDT meeting during scheduled period
- Attends monthly financial counselor meeting with management
- Notifies case management of any patient that remains admitted in observation status for more than 3 days
- Supports insurance verification in all daily functions including visiting patient room to obtain insurance information, identification card or any needed information required to conduct a smooth admission notification process
- Performs pre-registration, insurance verification, pre[1]certification / authorization, deposit calculation, and telephone collection within 24 hours of receipts of reservation / notification for scheduled services and 48 hours prior to the date / time of the patient's appointment (when scheduled with 72 hours of appointment)
- Completes annual education requirements
- Promotes a culture of patient safety which results in the identification and reduction of unsafe practices
- Maintains and updates all patient in-house visits and phone communication on designated log to allow effective follow-up Enhances patient experience by fostering a positive relationship with customers
- Contributes to improving patient satisfaction results
- Promotes stewardship of hospital resources while ensuring quality patient care
- Reviews payer contract to ensure accurate calculation of patient portion and point of service collection or payment arrangement in accordance with upfront collection policy and procedure
- Discusses outstanding balances with patients attempting to receive future services
- Visits all in-house self-pay / insurance patients daily to discuss financial responsibility and collect before discharge
- Reviews A / R system and collect outstanding balances on previous accounts
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS :
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS : Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities / Women / Veterans / Disabled
PREFERED :
Houston's oldest hospital is GROWING!
Welcome to St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC), Houston's first and only downtown hospital delivering world-class care for the last 137 years and looking forward to the next century of exceptional care to Houstonians when they need us most.
Whether it's for a scheduled surgery, the birth of a baby, an unexpected emergency, or an outpatient visit, we have staff available around the clock to provide you access to immediate, quality health care. SJMC has been providing health care services to Greater Houston residents for over 130 years, which should give you great comfort in knowing that we have a great tradition of caring for our community. We strive to meet our patients' expectations and encourage our patients to provide us with feedback on how we can help them have the best experience possible while they're in our care.
Over the last years we have expanded our services to include the Advanced Wound Care Center, Comprehensive Cardiac and Vascular Services, the Women's Center, the St. Joseph Maternal Fetal Medicine Center, and a Weight Loss Surgery Program, just to name a few. As you work with our physicians, nurses, case managers, educators, and other staff, you will be guided through your health care journey, from diagnosis to treatment, with compassion every step of the way.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the foundation of the care St Joseph Medical Center provides to our community we are privileged to support in all of our employment practices. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression or any other non-job-related characteristic.
