Patient Financial Advocate

Job Title: Patient Financial Advocate

Compensation is based experience: $15.00 - 19.00 an hour

Position Summary:  This position is to assist patients in all financial related areas including insurance billing, insurance coverage, payment responsibility and overall financial coordination.  The Financial Advocate will be navigating patients through highly sensitive and emotional topics regarding ability to pay and utilizing assistance programs when available. They will serve as the primary point of contact for the patient regarding all financial matters during their care with West Cancer Center. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintains a professional approach respecting the dignity and confidentiality of patients and employees. 
• Interacts successfully with patient in-person, via telephone, via email and via written letter as its primary patient contact with respect to patient's financial needs 
• Perform follow up duties on past due patient accounts and reach out to patients over the phone to resolve accounts. 
• Monitor payment plan compliance and follow up with non-complaint patients as needed to re-establish new payment plan terms or take action to get current on existing payment plan. 
• Assists patients with financial assistance applications as needed and completes charity processing for assigned patients. 
• Recognizes patients in needs of financial assistance and provides charity applications or referrals as needed. 
• Utilizes and develops community resources to provide information, referrals, linkages and advocacy for other identified patient needs.
• Co-ordinates patient needs with other departments including care support, first source, nurse navigator, patient assistance and treatment team as needed. 
• Works directly with other West Clinic Departments to improve the revenue cycle.
• Meets or exceeds all collections and productivity benchmarks. 
• Performs all other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years relevant experience, including knowledge of insurance billing, medical terminology, and requirements for referrals and authorization/pre-certification used by third party payers, Medicare, and secondary payer rules.
• High level of interpersonal skills. Ability to deal with difficult customer service situations.
• Demonstrated analytical ability to collect and interpret insurance and contract information.
• Strong attention to detail and critical thinking skills.
• Experience with a computerized healthcare information system required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills face-to-face and over the phone.
• Ability to effectively collect on patient accounts while being empathetic and courteous to the patients. 

Work Environment/Physical Demands/Travel:

• Typical clinical environment with moderate noise level.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, reach, climb or balance, stoop or crouch, hand/wrist use, talk, see, and hear for extended periods of time.
• Ability to read and understand documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, correspondence. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak and present information in small groups of customers, suppliers, or employees of the company.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, and percentages.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions given in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
• Some travel may be required.