Patient Services Representative, Pulmonology, FT, Days

Prisma Health•Richland, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for aspects of front office management and operation as assigned. This role involves complete and accurate patient registration, pre-certification, charge capture, and accurately coding diagnoses given by physicians. It also includes posting all payments, balancing computer reports at day end, and requires a high level of public contact and excellent interpersonal skills. The representative arranges for patient pre-payments and enforces financial agreements prior to service. They gather charge information, code, enter into the database, complete the billing process, and distribute billing information. This role also involves filing insurance claims, assisting patients with insurance forms, and processing unpaid accounts by contacting patients and third-party payers. The Patient Services Representative acts as a liaison between patients and medical support staff, greets patients and visitors courteously, checks in patients, verifies and updates insurance information, and obtains necessary signatures. They assist patients with ambulatory difficulties, maintain the appointment book, provide front office phone support, screen visitors, and respond to routine information requests. The role is responsible for gathering, accurately coding, and posting outpatient charges, processing vouchers and private payments, and researching address verification. They assist with mail return statements and outgoing statements, acquire billing information for all doctors for all patients, and perform cashiering functions including monitoring and balancing the cash drawer daily, preparing daily cash deposits, and receiving payments from patients. The representative codes and posts payments, maintains required records, reports, and files, and works with patients to secure prepayment sources or financial agreements. They participate with other staff to achieve account resolution, assist with outpatient coding and error resolution, and process edits and Customer Service and Collection Requests within specified time frames. Identifying trends and communicating problems to management, updating the patient account database, and maintaining current physician schedules are also key responsibilities. Scheduling surgeries, ancillary services, and follow-up appointments, answering questions regarding appointments and testing, assembling patient charts, updating patient profiles, and overseeing the waiting area are also part of the role. The representative assists patients with questions on insurance claims, disability benefits, home health care, medical equipment, and surgical care. They process benefit correspondence, signatures, and insurance forms to expedite payment of outstanding claims and assist patients in completing forms for hospitalization or surgical pre-certification. Following up with insurance companies to ensure coverage approval, posting all actions, and maintaining permanent records of patient accounts are crucial. Answering patient questions regarding their accounts, confirming workers’ compensation claims, preparing disability claims, and following up with insurance companies for claim payments are also required. Maintaining files with referral slips, medical authorizations, and insurance slips, researching information for outpatient billing, coding procedures and diagnoses, and keying charge information into the on-line entry program are essential. Processing and distributing billings, pulling charts for scheduled appointments, delivering, transporting, sorting, and filing returned charts, and picking up lab reports, dictations, X-rays, and correspondence are part of the daily tasks. The role involves checking for misfiled charts, refiling, maintaining orderly files, filing medical reports, purging obsolete records, destroying outdated records, making new patient charts, repairing damaged charts, and assisting in locating and filing records. Working with medical assistants and other staff to route patient charts and following medical records policies and procedures are also required. Collecting payments at the time of service, reviewing accounts for timely payments, performing collection actions, evaluating patient financial status, establishing payment plans, and recommending accounts for collection agencies are key duties. Identifying and resolving patient billing complaints, and following up on accounts until zero balance or turned over for collection are also part of the role. Participation in educational activities, gathering and verifying superbills, entering charge and payment information, verifying accuracy of coding, charging, and insurance status, printing and balancing daily reports, and backing up and closing computer files are daily tasks. Registering new patients, updating financial information, maintaining strict confidentiality, and performing related work as required are also expected. As a representative of Prisma Health Clinical Department, maintaining a neat and professional appearance, demonstrating commitment to serve, and upholding office manual guidelines are expected. Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent OR Post-high school diploma.
No previous experience required.
Basic understanding of ICD-9 and CPT coding preferred.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in technical specialty program of 18 months minimum in length preferred
Multi-specialty group practice setting experience preferred

Responsibilities

Responsible for complete and accurate patient registration, pre-certification, charge capture and accurately coding diagnoses given by physicians.
Responsible for posting all payments and balancing with the computer reports at day end.
Arranges for patient pre-payments and enforces financial agreements prior to providing service.
Gathers charge information, codes, enters into database, completes billing process, distributes billing information.
Files insurance claims and assists patients in completing insurance forms.
Processes unpaid accounts by contacting patients and third-party payers.
Greets patients and visitors in a prompt, courteous, and helpful manner.
Checks in patients, verifies and updates necessary insurance information in the patient accounting system.
Obtains signatures on all forms and documents as required.
Assists patients with ambulatory difficulties.
Maintains appointment book and follows office scheduling policies.
Provides front office phone support as needed and outlined through cross training program.
Screens visitors and responds to routine requests for information.
Responsible for gathering, accurately coding and posting outpatient charges.
Processes vouchers and private payments, to include updating registration screens based on information on checks.
Research address verification as needed.
Helps to process mail return statements and outgoing statements.
Acquires billing information for all doctors for all patients seen in practice.
Performs cashiering functions including monitoring and balancing cash drawer daily.
Prepares daily cash deposits.
Receives payments from patients and issues receipts.
Codes and posts payments and maintains required records, reports and files.
Works with patients in securing prepayment sources or financial agreements prior to providing service.
Participates with other staff to achieve account resolution.
Assists with outpatient coding and error resolution.
Processes edits and Customer Service and Collection Request for resolution within specified time frames.
Identify trends and communicates problems to management.
Updates patient account database.
Maintains and updates current information on physician’s schedules.
Schedules surgeries, ancillary services and follow-up outpatient appointments and admissions as requested.
Answers questions regarding patient appointments and testing.
Assembles patients’ charts for next day visit.
Updates profiles on all patients, ensuring completeness and accuracy.
Oversees waiting area, coordinates patient movement, reports problems or irregularities.
Assists patients with questions on insurance claims, obtaining disability insurance benefits, home health care, medical equipment, surgical care, etc.
Processes benefit correspondence, signature, and insurance forms to expedite payment of outstanding claims.
Assists patients in completing all necessary forms to obtain hospitalization or Surgical pre-certification from insurance companies.
Follows-up with insurance companies ensuring that coverage is approved.
Posts all actions and maintains permanent record of patient accounts.
Answers patient questions and inquiries regarding their accounts.
Confirms all workers’ compensation claims with employees.
Prepares disability claims in a timely manner.
Follows-up with insurance companies ensuring that claims are paid as directed.
Maintains files with referral slips, medical authorizations, and insurance slips.
Researches all information needed to complete outpatient billing process including getting charge information from physicians.
Codes information about procedures performed and diagnosis on charge.
Keys charge information into on-line entry program.
Processes and distributes copies of billings according to clinic policies.
Assists with outpatient coding and error resolution.
Pulls charts for scheduled appointments in advance.
Delivers, transports, sorts and files returned charts.
Picks up lab reports, dictations, X-rays, and correspondence.
Continually checks for misfiled charts and refiles according to filing system.
Maintains orderly files.
Files all medical reports.
Purges obsolete records and files in storage.
Destroys outdated records following established procedures for retention and destruction.
Makes up new patient charts.
Repairs damaged charts.
Assists in locating and filing records.
Works with medical assistants and other staff to route patient charts to proper location.
Follows medical records policies and procedures.
Collects payments at time of service for daily outpatient visit services.
Reviews each account via computer to ensure patient’s account(s) are being paid on a timely basis.
Performs collection actions including contacting patients by telephone and resubmitting claims to third party reimburses.
Evaluates patient financial status and establishes budget payment plans.
Reviews accounts for possible assignment to collection agency, makes recommendation to Clinical Dept. Practice Manager.
Identifies and resolves patient billing complaints.
Participates with other staff to follow up on accounts until zero balance or turned over for collection.
Participates in educational activities.
Gathers and verifies superbills for specified practice on a daily basis.
Enters all charge and same day payment information for patient visits and hospital patients, verifying accuracy of coding, charging and patient insurance status.
Prints daily reports, verifying charge entry balancing at day end.
Backs up and closes computer files on a daily basis, logging as appropriate (i.e. closing all batches in accordance with policy).
Registers new patients after verifying patient status on computer inquiry.
Updates financial information as indicated.
Maintains strictest confidentiality.
Performs related work as required.
As representative of Prisma Health Clinical Department, is expected to maintain neat and professional appearance, demonstrate commitment to serve at all times and uphold guidelines set forth in office manual.
Performs other duties as assigned.