PATIENT ADVOCATE

PATIENT ADVOCATE - Revenue Cycle/Clinic  Full-Time: Monday through Friday  

Monday -Thursday 8-5 Friday 8-4

  Department: Revenue Cycle/Clinic Location: Sharonville 
Responsible To: Clinic Manager 

Position Summary:
Provides financial counseling to all patients concerning anticipated patient balances for scheduled procedures at Clinic and/or ASC.  Reviews patients accounts.
Position Responsibilities/Standards:   General

• Attend department, clinic or company meetings as required
• Demonstrate sound judgment by taking appropriate actions regarding questionable findings or concerns
• Consistently work in a positive and cooperative manner with fellow staff members.
• Consistently demonstrate ability to respond to changing situations in a flexible manner in order to meet current needs, such as reprioritizing work as necessary.
• Attend required annual in-service programs.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of all company policies and procedures. Adheres to established facility safety requirements and procedures to ensure a safe working environment. Identifies potentially unsafe situations and notifies supervisor

  Specific Duties

• Patient Financial Counseling
  • Provide patient with counseling to help them understand their financial responsibility prior to and/or post procedure.  Provide them with payment options to help them meet their financial obligations.   Assist patients with account questions.
  • Support for Billing Call Center, Patient Account Reps
  • Inform patient of their payment options including budget plan, care credit, credit card, cash, check etc. that best fits the patient’s need.
  • Setup new budget/payment plans.
  • Review and process patient hardship applications
• Pre-Collect
  • Prepare estimates for all procedures, notify patient of financial responsibility, and collect payment prior to procedure.
• Resolve Patient Credit balance / Unapplied payments:
  • Review patient credit balance, distribute unapplied pre-collect to corresponding encounters and initiate request for patient refunds
• Appointment Prep
  • Self-Pay
  • Large balance (ASC and Clinic)
  • Delinquent Budgets
• Bad Debt Review for overdue/delinquent patient balance
  • Review past due patient balance to determine accounts that need forward to external collection agency.
  • Review delinquent budget plan and reach out to patient to resolve issues. 
• Act as liaison between billing personnel, physician, and patients.

  Additional Duties

• Maintains patient confidentiality standards for both medical and financial information.
• Communicates patient information to assure confidentiality (includes proper documentation, discussing patient information with other staff in an appropriate environment and documents patient’s or family’s response to teaching interventions)
• Interacts with all patients, families, visitors and fellow employees in a mature, responsible manner to ensure a positive and professional facility environment (maintains confidentiality, fosters positive and professional environment, diffuses/resolves conflicts through communication, accepts constructive criticism and gives suggestions in a professional manner, considers age specific needs in communication.)
• Effective communication (internally and externally) to ensure proper handling of the patient’s account.  Excellent communication skills are required when dealing with the patient or patient’s family
• Ability to review all patient account information in systems and explain to patient in a concise manner
• Keeps job related skills current through facility and other training programs.
• Participates in any facility compliance program.
• Participates in loss prevention by protecting company assets and maintaining a safe environment.
• Adheres to established facility safety requirements and procedures to ensure a safe working environment. Identifies potentially unsafe situations and notifies supervisor.
• Adheres to facility standards of business conduct.

Education/Experience Required:

• High school diploma or equivalent. 
• Medical office financial counseling, collections, or billing experience
• Must be self-directed and able to work with minimal direction.
• Must be detail oriented with good organization skills and able to