Patient Advocate

About the role

This position requires local residency. We will consider only candidates currently living in the Atlanta, GA area. Relocation assistance is not available. The Patient Advocate proactively identifies uninsured and underinsured patients and engages eligible patients in meaningful conversations about their healthcare coverage and financial options. The role requires the Advocate to meet with patients face-to-face, explain complex information in simple terms, answer questions, obtain required information and documentation, and assist patients throughout the enrollment or assistance process. This is a highly patient-facing role. The Patient Advocate will interact with patients at various stages of their healthcare journey, including those newly admitted, currently receiving care, preparing for discharge, returning for follow-up care, or navigating ongoing treatment. Approaching patients with compassion, professionalism, and confidence is essential. The Patient Advocate is a full-time, hospital-based position requiring an on-site schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Patient Advocate will be physically present at the assigned hospital each workday and will spend a significant portion of the day engaging directly with patients in person. This position combines compassion, communication skills, analytical thinking, organization, and a data-driven approach to performance management. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in a hospital environment, interacting with patients throughout the day, utilizing reporting tools, monitoring key performance indicators, and collaborating with hospital partners to deliver an exceptional patient experience.

Responsibilities

• Engage directly with patients in person throughout the hospital, including patients at various stages of care and treatment.
• Conduct compassionate, professional face-to-face conversations with patients regarding their insurance status, healthcare coverage, financial needs, and available assistance programs.
• Proactively approach and engage uninsured and underinsured patients identified through census reports, referrals, encounter data, and other hospital resources.
• Meet with patients throughout their healthcare journey, including admission, active treatment, discharge planning, follow-up care, or other appropriate points of engagement.
• Establish trust and rapport with patients who may be experiencing financial stress, uncertainty, or difficulty navigating the healthcare system.
• Explain complex healthcare coverage and financial assistance information clearly, simply, and in a patient-friendly way.
• Listen to patient concerns, identify barriers to coverage or payment, and help determine appropriate next steps.
• Obtain patient consent and required information to evaluate eligibility for available programs.
• Perform comprehensive daily reviews of assigned inpatient census populations to ensure all eligible patients are evaluated for sponsorship opportunities, and no qualifying referrals are missed.
• Manage the patient engagement process from initial identification through completed enrollment, maintaining accountability for overall referral conversion performance.
• Educate patients on available healthcare coverage and financial assistance options, including Medicaid, ACA Marketplace plans, CHIP, charity care, sponsorship programs, and other available resources.
• Help patients complete applications, gather supporting documentation, and navigate enrollment and renewal processes.