Director, Financial Counseling

Beth Israel Lahey Health

23h•$140,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Financial Counseling reports to the Vice President of Patient Access and is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational performance, and regulatory compliance of the Financial Counseling and Financial Assistance programs across Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH). This role oversees managers, BILH staff and vendor staff responsible for patient financial counseling, financial assistance eligibility, insurance education, government program enrollment, and price transparency support. The Director establishes the vision, policies, and operational strategies that ensure patients receive clear and compassionate financial guidance while supporting the organization’s revenue cycle objectives. The Director works collaboratively with Patient Access, Revenue Cycle leadership, Hospital and Professional Billing, Case Management, Compliance, and clinical departments to ensure financial access to care and the accurate application of Financial Assistance programs. This role is responsible for monitoring departmental key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring regulatory compliance with federal and state financial assistance requirements, and implementing operational improvements that enhance both patient experience and financial outcomes. The Director provides leadership across multiple sites and care settings and ensures consistent implementation of financial counseling services throughout the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
7–10 years of progressive experience in Patient Access, Financial Counseling, Revenue Cycle, or healthcare financial services.
3–5 years of leadership experience managing supervisors or managers in a healthcare setting.
Strong knowledge of Hospital and professional billing processes.
Strong knowledge of Financial Assistance and charity care programs.
Strong knowledge of Government benefit programs (Medicaid/MassHealth).
Strong knowledge of Insurance coverage and managed care operations.
Strong knowledge of Patient financial engagement strategies.
Strong leadership and strategic planning capabilities.
Ability to translate organizational goals into operational initiatives.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with experience using data to drive decision-making.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives in a healthcare environment.
Commitment to patient-centered financial services and access to care.
Expertise in patient access workflows, eligibility verification, authorization management, and point-of-service collections.
All staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in business, health administration, or other relevant field preferred.
Certified Application Counselor (CAC) certification preferred.
Revenue Cycle or healthcare finance certification (HFMA, CRCR, or similar) preferred.
Experience working with Epic or other healthcare financial systems preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership for Financial Counseling and Financial Assistance services across the health system.
Develops and implements operational strategies that align financial counseling services with the organization’s Patient Access and Revenue Cycle goals.
Establishes departmental priorities, performance standards, and key performance indicators (KPIs) related to productivity, accuracy, patient satisfaction, and financial outcomes.
Partners with the Vice President of Patient Access and Revenue Cycle leadership to improve financial access to care and optimize front-end revenue cycle performance.
Participates in system-level revenue cycle initiatives and transformation projects.
Identifies opportunities to improve financial counseling services and patient financial engagement.
Oversees managers and staff responsible for: Financial Assistance (Charity Care) eligibility screening and approvals; Patient financial counseling; Insurance education and coverage coordination; Medicaid/MassHealth enrollment assistance; Price transparency and service estimates.
Ensures consistent financial counseling services across inpatient, outpatient, and procedural settings.
Oversees coordination between Financial Counseling, Patient Access, Customer Service, and Hospital and Professional Billing departments.
Establishes operational standards for patient engagement related to financial responsibility prior to services when possible.
Ensures appropriate collection of patient financial responsibility in accordance with organizational policies.
Responsible for vendor relationship which supports the workflows.
Provides leadership and oversight for Financial Counseling managers and their respective teams.
Ensures managers effectively supervise staff and maintain departmental productivity, quality, and patient satisfaction standards.
Promotes a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Develops succession planning strategies to ensure leadership continuity within the department.
Oversees the administration of the organization’s Financial Assistance Policy and related programs.
Ensures Financial Assistance determinations are made accurately and in accordance with federal, state, and organizational guidelines.
Maintains oversight of programs supporting uninsured and underinsured patients, including Medicaid/MassHealth enrollment assistance.
Ensures compliance with state hospital financial assistance regulations and reporting requirements.
Provides guidance on complex patient financial cases and escalations.
Establishes and monitors departmental KPIs including: Financial Assistance application processing timeliness; Staff productivity; Patient satisfaction; Financial counseling encounter volume; Insurance enrollment success rates; Disproportionate Hospital Days.
Compiles data and narrative for Community Benefits reporting.
Uses operational and financial data to identify trends and guide departmental improvements.
Ensures consistent use of analytics to measure department effectiveness and patient financial engagement.
Identifies and implements operational improvements to increase efficiency, accuracy, and patient satisfaction.
Evaluates emerging technologies and tools that support patient financial navigation, coverage discovery, and price transparency.
Collaborates with Patient Access and Revenue Cycle leaders to streamline workflows across registration, financial counseling, and billing operations.
Ensures compliance with all federal, state, and organizational regulations related to financial counseling and financial assistance programs.
Ensures departmental compliance, including signage compliance with: CMS price transparency regulations; Hospital Financial Assistance requirements; Revenue cycle compliance standards.
Collaborates with Compliance and Legal departments regarding regulatory updates and program requirements.
Partners with leaders across Patient Access, Case Management, Revenue Cycle, Compliance, and Clinical departments to support patient financial access initiatives.
Serves as a key resource for physicians and clinical leadership regarding patient financial assistance and coverage issues.
Participates in hospital and system committees addressing patient access, patient experience, and revenue cycle performance.
Engages with external agencies and community organizations supporting government benefit enrollment and patient financial assistance.
Leads or participates in special projects assigned by the Vice President of Patient Access.
Supports revenue cycle modernization initiatives and patient financial engagement strategies.
Assists in developing new programs to support uninsured and underinsured patients.