Cash Application Lead HB - Southeast

Full-time, benefits-eligible position (40 hours per week).

About the role

Responsible for the accurate and efficient posting of payments, adjustments, and non-cash vouchers to patient accounts within multiple AR systems across multiple entities. This role ensures that all incoming payments from insurance companies and patients are applied correctly and in a timely manner, contributing to the reduction of unapplied and undistributed cash. In addition to core posting responsibilities, this position serves as a departmental resource for complex issues, provides training and support to team members, and partners with leadership to track and trend posting issues and payer behavior. Must attend and articulate issues during payer calls to improve information sent from payers. The position ensures compliance with all Advocate Health policies and internal audit standards related to payment and adjustment applications, maintaining the integrity and accuracy of financial data within the revenue cycle.

Responsibilities

• Act as an expert resource for the department, assist team with more complex issues, work with team members to resolve problems, address complex issues, and provide necessary training to team members.
• Monitor and audit work quality and analyze daily statistics to identify trends, reporting findings to management.
• Distribute and monitor daily work, assist management with employee guidance, and provide ongoing feedback on performance.
• Accurately post high volumes of payments, denials, and adjustments from ERAs, paper EOBs, and patient payments.
• Ensure timely and accurate posting of bank lockbox payments, 835 files, credit card and check payments, and Accounting GL transfers.
• Post electronic and manual account adjustments, including reviewing adjustment requests and reports for reconciliation accuracy.
• Apply non-cash vouchers to appropriate patient accounts with precision and timeliness.
• Monitor and resolve unapplied cash daily, ensuring prompt reconciliation and resolution of accounts.
• Reduce undistributed cash from both clearing and patient account perspectives.
• Reconcile posted payments with bank deposits and remittance files to ensure financial accuracy.
• Accurately post all denials and route them to the appropriate departments for follow-up.
• Investigate and resolve payment inquiries from other Revenue Cycle departments.
• Identify trends in payment posting issues and recommend process improvements to reduce recurring errors.
• Research and investigate missing payments to ensure complete and accurate account posting.
• Prepare remittances for application and resolve discrepancies between expected and actual reimbursements.
• Prepare summaries of cash applied for daily cash balancing and ensure batch totals match deposited amounts.
• Forward appropriate documentation to the Reconciliation team for final review.
• Maintain expert-level proficiency in integrated systems and applications.
• Perform administrative tasks such as filing, photocopying, and PDF processing of related documents.
• Demonstrate strong organizational and time management skills to meet daily operational goals.
• Apply advanced accounting and accounts receivable (AR) management skills to support financial integrity.
• Attend and articulate issues during payer calls to improve information sent from payers.

Requirements

• Associate degree or equivalent experience.
• 6 years of experience in Project Management or Cash Operations related fields.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to read and understand EOBs.
• Initiative and team collaboration.
• Good organizational ability and communication skills.
• Basic bookkeeping and strong mathematics aptitude.
• Consistently exercise logic and reasoning to assess and resolve problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or 5 years of revenue cycle experience.
• Experience in Project Management or Cash Operations related fields.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Lifting 10 pounds or more for mailing.
• Sitting for extended periods of time.

Pay

Pay range: $24.10 - $36.15 per hour.

Benefits

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards, including:

• Competitive base compensation within the listed pay range, based on qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training.
• Premium pay such as shift differential, on-call pay, and more based on the role.
• Incentive pay for select positions.
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
• Paid Time Off programs.
• Health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.

Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.).