Eligibility and Benefits Specialist Per Diem

Kindred Healthcare•Louisville, KY

15d

About The Position

The Eligibility & Benefits Specialist plays a crucial role in ensuring patients can access the care they need by verifying insurance benefits and eligibility before admission. With precision and attention to detail, this role reviews patient insurance policies to confirm active coverage, identify covered services, and understand financial responsibilities such as deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket maximums. Specialists proactively verify eligibility with insurance companies to prevent claim denials, delays, and costly errors. They also review visit limits, restrictions, benefit caps, and coordinate verification for secondary insurance when applicable. By ensuring every detail is correct on the front end, the Eligibility & Benefits Specialist safeguards revenue integrity, reduces administrative barriers, and supports a smooth patient admission process. This role demands accuracy, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to operational excellence. As a key member of the Central Access and Authorizations Team (CAAT), the Eligibility & Benefits Specialist actively contributes to quality improvement, problem solving, and productivity initiatives within an interdisciplinary model.

Requirements

Team player, able to communicate and demonstrate a professional image/attitude
Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
Strong computer skills with both standard and proprietary applications
Data entry with attention to detail
Conducts job responsibilities in accordance with the standards set out in the Company’s Code of Business Conduct, its policies and procedures, the Corporate Compliance Agreement, applicable federal and state laws, and applicable professional standards
Communicates and demonstrates a professional image/attitude for patients, families, clients, coworkers and others
Adheres to policies and practices of ScionHealth
Must read, write, and speak fluent English
Must have good and regular attendance
High School Diploma or GED required, Associates or Bachelors Degree preferred;
Preference towards a healthcare related area of concentration or be a licensed health care provider or equivalent experience.
In lieu of a healthcare related field certificate, 2+ years of experience performing the functions of the role will be accepted
Experience in a healthcare-related area is strongly preferred

Nice To Haves

Certified Benefits Specialist, preferred.
Ideal candidates will be highly detail oriented, have benefits, medical terminology, revenue cycle management, knowledge of post-acute care industry, and long-term acute care hospital experience.

Responsibilities

Serves as key team member of the new Central Access and Authorizations Team (CAAT), focused exclusively on eligibility and benefit verification.
Actively works a queue of patient referrals and references multiple sites to conduct E&B checks, Medicare status and entitlement, citizenship status, and any worker’s compensation details.
Accesses Medicare Common Working files and calculates Medicare days
Accesses other insurance verification portals to determine benefits and eligibility coverage
Verifies patient insurance coverage and eligibility for admission services with primary and secondary payors
May assist in calling hospital (i.e., case management, nursing, etc.) for admissions dates and SNF dates
May assist with the coordination of benefits, including outreach to patient and/or family to obtain and verify benefits information
Obtains revocation letters where needed and appropriate to secure proper funding and reimbursement
Review return to acute patients / interrupted stay patients prior to admission and apply the interrupted stay rules where applicable
Reviews and documents benefit details, including deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximums
Identifies coverage limits, restrictions, benefit caps, and authorization requirements
Confirms policy effective dates, termination dates, and coordination of benefits when applicable
Accurately enters benefits data into the appropriate systems in a timely manner
Communicates benefit details and potential patient responsibility to appropriate team members
Participates in continuing education/ professional development activities
Learns and develops full knowledge of the CAAT Admission Processes and actively seeks to continuously improve them
Learns and has a full understanding of scheduling and pre-register routines in Meditech and any other referral platform utilized by the CAAT team (i.e., Referral Manager)
And ad hoc duties as assigned that fall within scope of the CAAT team