Patient Services Associate II

PRIMARY FUNCTION

Under the direction of the Supervisor II, Patient Services, the Patient Services Representative performs customer service and accounts receivable duties utilizing their knowledge of third-party billing, collections, hospital systems, procedures, regulations and interdepartmental functions to resolve patient inquiries and outstanding balances in an expeditious manner while providing excellent customer service. This person encounters constant communication and problem solving situations with a variety of external customers as well as internal customers and must have the ability to handle all encounters with consistent, well-developed service skills.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

• Meets all standards of the Patient Satisfaction Initiative Criteria in order to make AMH the hospital of choice for Patients and Employees.
• Receives and initiates patient inquiries promptly, courteously and in accordance with state law regarding Fair Debt and Collection practices.
• Acts as a patient advocate when resolving patient complaints with the collection agencies and serves as a facilitator of communications with patients in order to ensure the highest levels of both reimbursement and customer service.
• Establishes payment schedules in accordance with the guidelines of the department and advises the patient and their representative(s) of other available financial and social resources.
• Reviews accounts with balances due from patients to ensure all necessary information has been conveyed to patient/guarantor and balance amounts are accurate and payment is timely.
• Helps patients to resolve outstanding accounts. Researches problems and recommends appropriate action, updating and correcting account information (e.g., demographic data, charges, insurance data) as appropriate, re-billing third parties when necessary and posting adjustments to accounts requiring an allowance or correction in order to optimize account accuracy.
• Maintains knowledge of all third party insurance carriers and regulatory requirements in order to correctly advise patients, their representatives, attorneys and physicians and properly processes accounts.
• Consistently demonstrates ability to answer the questions professionally and with consideration to patients’ medical conditions.
• Offers financial counseling to the patient according to established departmental and hospital policies, conveying both accurate and appropriate information to patients.

Experience

• Two years experience in third party billing, three to five years preferred.
• Two years experience with computerized billing systems.
• Three years customer service background required.

Education And Training

• High School Diploma or Equivalent required.
• Some college and/or classes/seminars related to Third Party billing preferred.

Licenses, Certifications And Registrations

• N/A

Other Requirements

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Some personal computer (spreadsheet/word processing) skills preferred.
• General clerical, organizational and workload coordination skills.