Patient Advocate Specialist (Hybrid, bilingual Spanish) - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Patient Funding Alternatives•Atlanta, GA

12d•$55,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Patient Advocate Specialist identifies, educates, and enrolls eligible hospital patients into the Health Insurance Premium Payment (HIPP) program. HIPP helps medically complex Medicaid beneficiaries access employer-sponsored coverage alongside Medicaid, providing broader provider networks and more comprehensive care. This is a full-time hybrid position requiring two days per week on-site at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Arthur Blank and Scottish Rite hospitals. The specialist represents Patient Funding Alternatives (PFA) within the hospital and works independently with patients and families, many of whom did not request assistance and may be experiencing a difficult time. The role combines patient advocacy with active outreach and measurable enrollment goals. Specialists work referral lists, explain an unfamiliar program clearly, respond to concerns, follow up persistently, and manage their own caseload from first contact through enrollment. Performance is reviewed against weekly and monthly activity and outcome targets, including patient contacts, applications, conversion, processing time, accuracy, compliance, and renewal maintenance. The position also involves coordinating employer and plan information, resolving application barriers, maintaining eligibility, helping patients with insurance issues, and handing off completed cases to PFA's State Operations and Benefit & Advocacy teams. Specialists manage patient records in PFA's CRM, securely handle documentation, follow HIPAA and internal compliance standards, and build working relationships with hospital staff and community partners.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Full bilingual proficiency in Spanish.
At least 2 years of experience in a patient-facing or customer-facing role measured on activity or outcomes.
Comfort working independently on-site with limited daily supervision.
Working proficiency with a CRM or case management system.
Working proficiency with an iPad and iPhone.
Ability to pass hospital credentialing, including required vaccinations and drug/alcohol screening.

Nice To Haves

Healthcare experience; healthcare settings are preferred.
3 to 5 years of experience in patient-facing roles in a hospital or health system.
Working knowledge of Medicaid and Medicare eligibility, employer-sponsored coverage, and coordination of benefits.
Direct HIPP or premium assistance experience, or experience with an eligibility and enrollment vendor.
Background in patient access, patient financial services, financial counseling, health plan member services, or benefits enrollment.
Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Healthcare Administration, Public Health, or a related field.
Training in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, or medical billing and coding.
Ability to read and interpret an EOB, benefits summary, or medical bill.
Experience in retention, enrollment, collections, member services, or inside sales.

Responsibilities

Identify and approach eligible patients and families through hospital referrals and daily census review.
Explain the HIPP program clearly and compassionately, adapting communication to each family's circumstances.
Address hesitation, confusion, and mistrust without pressuring patients or families.
Gather authorizations and documentation required to advance applications.
Build trust while maintaining professional boundaries.
Collect complete and accurate application information, including employer details, plan information, premium costs, and dependent information.
Resolve obstacles such as unresponsive employers, missing paperwork, and eligibility questions.
Hand off cases to PFA's State Operations and Benefit & Advocacy teams for application submission, approval, and post-enrollment support.
Manage a caseload from first contact through enrollment.
Explain how employer coverage and Medicaid work together.
Verify and update ongoing eligibility to help families maintain coverage.
Help patients resolve insurance issues.
Manage referrals and patient records in PFA's CRM.
Upload, scan, and securely transmit documentation.
Document every patient interaction in accordance with HIPAA and internal compliance standards.
Use an iPad and iPhone throughout the workday.
Serve as PFA's primary on-site contact for hospital staff.
Build working relationships with case managers, social workers, financial counselors, state agency contacts, and community partners.
Represent PFA professionally within the health system.
Meet weekly and monthly activity and outcome targets, including patient contacts and screenings, applications started and completed, referral-to-enrollment conversion, time to application submission, documentation accuracy and compliance, and eligibility renewals.

Benefits

Employer-subsidized medical coverage.
Supplemental cost-offset benefit to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses at the point of care.
Dental coverage.
Vision coverage.
Company-paid life and disability insurance effective day one.
401(k) retirement program with up to a $2,000 annual match.
Flexible spending accounts.
Employee Assistance Program.
Wellness benefit.
Incentive bonus tied to enrollment performance.