Patient Accounts Representative

Status: Part Time, 20-25 hours a week
Location: Mount Pleasant

Responsibilities

• Patient Account Monitoring:
  • Monitor patient accounts for outstanding balances, overdue payments, credits, and other account discrepancies.
  • Review patient account ledgers to confirm that charges, payments, adjustments, and balances are accurately recorded.
  • Review aging reports, payment reports, credit-balance reports, and other assigned financial reports.
  • Identify accounts requiring follow-up and complete outreach within established timelines.
  • Document all payment activity, family communication, and account follow-up accurately in the appropriate system.
  • Research account questions and coordinate with billing, insurance, intake, scheduling, or clinic leadership when additional review is needed.
  • Escalate unresolved account discrepancies or significant past-due balances according to clinic policy.
• Payments And Credit Cards On File:
  • Contact parents and guardians to obtain or update a valid credit or debit card on file in accordance with clinic policy.
  • Clearly explain payment expectations, outstanding balances, and available payment options including payment plans.
  • Accept and process payments by phone, in person, or through approved electronic payment systems.
  • Issue payment receipts and accurately document transactions.
  • Establish approved payment arrangements according to clinic guidelines.
  • Monitor declined or unsuccessful payments and contact families to obtain updated payment information.
  • Protect payment-card information and follow all applicable privacy, security, and payment-processing requirements.
• Family Communication:
  • Provide families with courteous and timely assistance regarding account balances, payment history, statements, and clinic financial policies.
  • Contact families through approved phone, email, text, portal, or mailed communication methods.
  • Use discretion and empathy when discussing financial matters, recognizing that families may be managing ongoing therapy needs and medical expenses.
  • Explain and understand benefits and assist parents with questions and advocacy.
  • Respond to questions accurately and refer families to the appropriate team member when a matter involves insurance processing, clinical services, financial assistance, or an exception to clinic policy.
  • Maintain a calm, professional approach during sensitive or difficult account conversations.
• Reporting And Reconciliation:
  • Review assigned reports and ledgers for accuracy and completeness.
  • Track account follow-up activity and provide updates to leadership.
  • Assist with reconciling payment transactions, deposits, account adjustments, and credit balances.
  • Identify account trends, recurring errors, or workflow concerns and communicate them to the appropriate supervisor.
  • Help ensure patient-account information remains current across applicable systems.
  • Assist with month-end reporting and account cleanup as assigned.
• Compliance And Confidentiality:
  • Maintain confidentiality of patient, family, financial, and organizational information.
  • Follow HIPAA requirements, clinic privacy policies, and payment-card security standards.
  • Verify the identity and authority of individuals before discussing account information.
  • Follow established procedures for accepting payments, issuing refunds, adjusting balances, and documenting account activity.
  • Participate in required training and maintain knowledge of clinic financial policies and procedures.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Previous experience in patient accounts, medical billing, collections, payment processing, customer service, or a medical office preferred.
• Experience reviewing account ledgers, aging reports, or financial reports preferred.
• Experience in a pediatric therapy, rehabilitation, or healthcare setting is helpful.
• Basic knowledge of health insurance, patient responsibility, copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and account balances preferred.
• Comfortable discussing balances and requesting payment in a professional and respectful manner.
• Proficiency with electronic health records, practice-management systems, payment-processing systems, and Microsoft Office applications preferred.