Customer Service Representative 1 (Hybrid)

Renown Health•Reno, NV

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Customer Service Representative 1 (CSR1) is the front door of the organization for patients seeking guidance with their patient financial journey. The CSR1 acts primarily as a patient advocate and liaison among Renown, patient payer sources, self-pay discounts, financial assistance programs, and patient financing options. The role processes patient requests, complaints, and concerns; provides education about organizational resources and services; and aims to resolve issues at first contact. The CSR1 uses collection experience to re-engage patients and resolve outstanding self-pay balances, while identifying operational issues that may affect customer retention and satisfaction. The representative serves as the voice of the customer and works with peers, office staff, and leaders to resolve or escalate questions and concerns. The CSR1 collects targeted amounts on assigned accounts to support recovery of self-pay accounts. The role requires courtesy, diplomacy, respect for patient confidentiality, and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced, high-volume environment while multitasking across telephone, chat, messaging, in-person, and email channels. CSR1s use call center systems and related technology, maintain concise and accurate documentation, and handle complex or difficult conversations professionally. They assess ability to pay versus willingness to pay and route accounts appropriately. The CSR1 does not make medical necessity decisions or provide patient care. CSR1s work scheduled shifts and must be available for the entire shift. Remote work must take place in a quiet, private location that upholds HIPAA standards; staff may need to commute onsite in the event of technical issues or power outages. Some positions may include evening and holiday hours. Onsite staff support walk-in patients and guarantors and perform other office duties. Calls are recorded for quality and safety purposes.

Requirements

Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English sufficiently to perform job duties safely and effectively.
High school diploma required.
Strong customer service skills required.
At least 1 year of experience in a position involving customer service, hospital or medical billing, healthcare, or health insurance is required.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and Word.
Ability to use a computer for online learning, job-specific competencies, online forms and policies, and benefits enrollment.
Ability to work scheduled shifts for their entirety and in a private, HIPAA-compliant setting when remote.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment, multitask, learn systems and technology, and handle potentially difficult conversations professionally.

Nice To Haves

College degree or equivalent experience.
2 or more years of experience in customer service, hospital or medical billing, healthcare, or health insurance.
Ability to speak Spanish.
Experience in a call center environment.
Experience with electronic medical record systems.

Responsibilities

Provide professional service using basic knowledge of services supported by Renown Health.
Manage multiple priorities and meet call and collection activity goals.
Follow established policies and procedures, address customer needs, and pursue first-contact resolution.
Answer and route high volumes of inbound and outbound interactions through multiple channels and computer systems.
Communicate with customers and resolve inquiries using available platforms.
Coordinate patient self-pay balance inquiries received by telephone, mail, email, MyChart billing messages, in person, statement vendor feedback, and other patient or guarantor communications.
Negotiate payments and payment plans, including short-term and long-term options.
Work with professionals across the health system, including clinical leadership and teams, revenue cycle subject matter experts, insurance companies, and other third parties.
Identify accounts eligible for transfer to outside bad-debt collection agencies, applying relevant state regulations and guidelines for bad-debt collection and allocation.
Organize and collect patient financial information accurately.
Handle inquiries related to compliance and regulatory auditing.
Advocate for patients by identifying and escalating priority issues, de-escalating when appropriate, and working to meet customer needs.
Document interactions concisely and accurately in systems of record using correct grammar and complete sentences.
Support walk-in patients and guarantors and perform other office duties when working onsite.