Authorization Specialist- Hermitage

UPMC•Hermitage, PA

13d•Onsite

About The Position

UPMC Community Medicine Incorporated is hiring a full-time Authorization Specialist to assist Regional Orthopedics at their Hermitage office. This position will work Monday-Friday, daylight hours. The purpose of this role is to perform authorization activities for inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department patients, including denial management and all revenue functions. The specialist must demonstrate a consistent performance standard of excellence and possess a working knowledge of authorization-related activities such as pre-authorizations, notifications, edits, and denials. The Authorization Specialist shall demonstrate the philosophy and core values of UPMC in the performance of duties.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent with 2 years working experience in a medical environment (such as a hospital, doctor's office, or ambulatory clinic) OR an Associate's degree and 1 year of experience in a medical environment required.
Completion of a medical terminology course (or equivalent) required
Knowledge and interpretation of medical terminology, ICD-9, and CPT codes
Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to analyze data and use independent judgment
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Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree (B.A) preferred
Understanding of authorization processes, insurance guidelines, third party payors, and reimbursement practices
Experience utilizing a web-based computerized system.

Responsibilities

Reviews and interprets medical record documentation for patient history, diagnosis, and previous treatment plans to pre-authorize insurance plan determined procedures to avoid financial penalties to patient, provider and facility.
Utilizes payor-specific approved criteria or state laws and regulations to determine medical necessity or the clinical appropriateness for inpatient admissions, outpatient facility, office services, durable medical equipment, and drugs in terms of type, frequency, extent, site and duration, and considered effective for the patient's illness, injury, or disease.
Ensures accurate coding of the diagnosis, procedure, and services being rendered using ICD-9-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II.
Provides referral/pre-notification/authorization services timely to avoid unnecessary delays in treatment and reduce excessive nonclinical administrative time required of providers.
Submits pertinent demographic and supporting clinical data to payor to request approval for services being rendered.
Maintains compliance with departmental quality standards and productivity measures.
Works collaboratively with internal and external contacts specifically, Physician Services and Hospital Division, across UPMC as well as payors to enhance customer satisfaction and process compliance, ensuring the seamless coordination of work and to avoid a negative financial impact.
Utilizes 18+ UPMC system and insurance payor or contracted provider web sites to perform prior authorization, edit, and denial services.
Utilize authorization resources along with any other applicable reference material to obtain accurate prior authorization.
Resolves basic authorization edits to ensure timely claim filing and elimination of payor rejections and or denials.