Patient Financial Engagement Specialist

Position Overview:

As a Patient Financial Engagement Specialist at Recovery Centers of America, you will occupy an essential role by interfacing directly with patients, their families, and various stakeholders to formulate feasible payment arrangements consistent with our financial guidelines. This role demands outstanding negotiation and communication skills, a thorough knowledge of financial planning, and a profound capacity for empathy with patients who are contending with both personal and financial difficulties. The objective of this position is to ensure that such challenges do not impede anyone's access to necessary care.

This position also entails a variety of customer service functions, including clarifying the details of benefits, processing refund requests, addressing inquiries concerning current payment plans, and supporting admission and revenue cycle management processes.

Specific Responsibilities:

Handle incoming and outgoing calls with potential patients and stakeholders. Inform and educate about insurance eligibility, details of benefits, and clarify insurance coverage including out-of-pocket expenses. Negotiate and obtain down payments or full settlements to cover all patient financial obligations, including deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, among others. Develop and finalize payment agreement terms, ensuring clarity, mutual agreement, and digital signatures prior to admission. Work closely with onsite Finance Counselors and other pertinent parties to ensure prompt follow-up and completion of payment plans initiated before care begins, documenting all agreements effectively. Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of account activities. Adhere to strict confidentiality standards; comply with all HIPAA guidelines and regulations.

Education and Experience:

Proven background in finance, collections, or a related field. Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills, particularly in sensitive or emotionally charged situations. Outstanding verbal and written communication capabilities. Exceptional problem-solving abilities. Proficient in mathematics and financial calculations. High level of empathetic understanding and the ability to maintain professionalism under pressure. Keen attention to detail and accuracy. Strong capacity to build rapport and treat others with respect and dignity. Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.

Competencies:

Leadership: Effective at building support and promoting success in a team-centered environment which functions using a shared vision.

Customer Service: Demonstrates concern for meeting internal and external customers' needs in a manner that provides satisfaction for the customer within the resources that can be made available.

Job Knowledge: Understands duties and responsibilities, has necessary job knowledge, has necessary technical skills, understands company mission/values, keeps job knowledge current, and is in command of critical issues.

Integrity: Upholds personal and professional ethics and values, considering the values of the organization and respecting the culture, beliefs, and abilities of individuals.

Ability to deal with difficult people: The ability to respond to difficult customer behavior with diplomacy and tact, including diffusing anger, creating rapport and influencing behavior.

Resilience: Must be able to cope with stressful and adverse situations, rebound quickly, and then learn from experience.

Work Environment: Works in a professional office setting and is sitting most of the day. Ability to work along, independently, and within a team.

Physical Demands: The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Travel: None to minimal travel.