Financial Counselor III (VC)

Stanford Health Care•Livermore, CA

3d•$35 - $40•Onsite

About The Position

The VC Financial Counselor III screens uninsured and under insured patients at bedside and prior to or post services to identify government or charity programs to cover medical expenses. Information is gathered through a patient financial interview which includes a review of hospital charges, the patient's insurance status and financial resources. It may include the completion of appropriate applications and diligent follow up for approval. This individual must possess the ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, to a variety of individuals including: patients, case workers, social workers, hospital directors and executives while maintaining utmost professionalism. Must be multi-task orientated with excellent critical thinking skills and possess the ability to appropriately handle complexity and stress within the changing needs of the patients, families and the health system. Individuals at this level will acquire the necessary job skills, knowledge, team leadership and other qualifications through on-the-job and/or formal training in order to advance to the VC Financial Counselor Lead Level.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent required.
3+ years to 5 years responsible experience in a hospital, clinic financial counseling role, closely related field, or combination of experience and equivalent education, knowledge of pre-authorizations and reimbursement regulations pertaining to Medicare, Medi-Cal, and children’s health programs with previous experience working in a metrics powered environment driven by financial counseling goals (such as screening rates and collection goals).
Language: Bilingual preferred (English and Spanish)
Technology & Applications: Demonstrates proficiency as applicable with Epic, insurance websites, POS payment systems, web-based screening tools
Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Industry Knowledge: Strong knowledge of eligibility and enrollment requirements for Medicare, Medi-Cal, Workers’ Comp, Managed Care (HMO, PPO, POS, etc. ), Children's Health Programs (CCS, GHPP, Healthy Families, etc. )
Experience resolving issues in financial reimbursement billing, utilization management and government programs
Skills/Abilities: Prior experience calculating, communicating and educating patient’s on their financial responsibilities
Must be able to function in a dynamic environment with excellent critical thinking skills and possess the ability to appropriately handle complexity and stress within the changing needs of the patients, families and the health system. Demonstrated communication, customer relations, and organizational skills
Ability to multi-task with attention to detail
Ability to complete work efficiently and problem solve independently
Ability to work well in a team environment
HFMA - Certified Rev Cycle Rep (CRCR) required within 1 Year

Responsibilities

Finds solutions to help address patient financial needs in accordance with Stanford Health Care - ValleyCare policies and procedures.
Determines financial clearance for a patient's visit or referral (pre-service or at time of service). Checks eligibility and benefits, determines authorization requirements have been met.
Assesses "risk" of cases that have not been financially cleared/secured prior to service. Clears low risk cases, escalates high-risk cases to coordinator or manager. Contacts patient regarding steps required to clear their appointment for services including collecting a deposit for the patient’s financially responsible portion.
Expert at estimating a patient's out of pocket costs, including new services. Prepares documents to present to the patient for payment. Assures secure handling and accurate recording of payments collected from patients.
Applies strong problem solving skills to help address the concerns and needs of the patients that the Financial Counselors serve. Applies experience to assist other team members to address exception or challenging case problems.
Identifies opportunities to use problem cases for ongoing team training; prepares "case study" materials and proposes content edits/additions to Financial Counseling reference binder.
Effectively communicates, both orally and written, to a variety of individuals including: patients, case workers, social workers, hospital directors and executives while maintaining utmost professionalism.
Maintains professional communication with various PFC and PAS staff, medical center staff, physicians, guests, and patients regarding the services rendered at Stanford Health Care - ValleyCare. Communication may consist of telephone correspondence or in person contact.
Must be multi-task orientated with excellent critical thinking skills and possess the ability to appropriately handle complexity and stress within the changing needs of the patients, families and the health system.
Must be actively participating in cross-training and knowledgeable in more than four area of operations.
Assists in providing support and coaching/training for Financial Counseling I & II as needed by direction of Team Manager.
Meets weekly individual productivity goals and standards while following planned priorities as set by the Team Manager/Lead(s).
Assists the VC Financial Counselor Lead in performing on-the-job training for new hires.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the unit team manager or other FC management personnel.
Performs the complete registration and admitting process from start to finish.