The Patient Advocate is fair, objective, and caring within the scope of their professional responsibilities. Patient advocates have an obligation to inform patients of their rights and responsibilities and advocate on their behalf.

Hours: 830-5pm w/ a 30 min lunch or 8-5 w/ a 1hr lunch.

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

• They are responsible for all aspects of follow-up and collections of Self Pay & overdue Patient Balance accounts, including making telephone calls, arranging payment options, and accessing payer websites to identify possible coverage.
• Identify issues or trending and provide suggestions for resolution.
• Review the account information and necessary system applications to determine the next appropriate work activity.
• Answers the phone while maintaining a polite, consistent phone manner using proper telephone etiquette and within 3 rings.
• Respond to all voicemail messages within the same business day, calls after 4:00 pm will be returned the following business day.
• Contact all Self Pay patients/clients prior to their appointments to discuss sliding fee scale and/or payment plan options for addressing out-of-pocket responsibilities.
• Schedule patients for either in-person or telehealth visits to assist with sliding fee scale, NH EASY, or Marketplace options.
• Follow up on all applications within 5 business days.
• Process sliding fee scale applications as outlined in the policy/procedure.
• Work with patients/clients to arrange payment plans as needed.
• Work the Self Pay report monthly, review accounts for possible insurance coverage, and/or reach out to the patient/client to assist with making payment arrangements.
• Assist patients with accessing NHEASY and creating accounts for filing insurance coverage, and logging community/worked hours for the GAP.
• Initiate telephone or letter contact with patients to obtain additional information as needed.
• Back-up insurance verifications as needed.
• Works with billing team to identify insurance-related issues that result in non-payment or claim rejections.
• Coordinate and support events outlined annually.
• Provide enabling services; support patients with identifying community resources to help remove barriers, ie food insecurity, housing, child care, and transportation.
• Verifies address, phone number, and insurance information at each interaction.
• Verifies patient consents are up to date and have patient complete new forms when necessary.
• Provide backup support for the Check-In desk as requested by the Manager/Supervisor
• Meets with the Patient Services team monthly and attends weekly supervision with the team supervisor.
• Maintains CAC on an annual basis.
• Other duties as assigned.

Needs to have flexibility to travel between office locations and work evenings and weekends to support events.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• High school diploma or graduation equivalency degree (GED)
• Minimum of 2 years experience in a healthcare setting, with a focus on insurance benefits and/or billing.
• Proficient in customer service and in navigating computer systems.
• Critical thinking skills while performing multiple functions and prioritizing duties.
• Knowledge of medical terminology is desired.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:

• Telephone etiquette
• Customer service
• Basic word and excel programs
• Time management
• Multi-tasking
• Organizational
• Clear, and effective communication
• Able to prioritize.