Senior Consultant - Finance and Operations

Health Management Associates•Berwyn, IL

2d•$120,000 - $170,000

About The Position

This role focuses on providing expert support in hospital finance with an emphasis on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, cost reporting, and supplemental payment programs such as DSH, IME, and GME. Responsibilities include delivering technical analysis, developing and validating financial models, performing advanced data analytics, collaborating with cross-functional teams, supporting client communications and project management, and contributing to business development efforts. The position requires at least 7 years of relevant experience, deep knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, strong Excel and analytical skills, and the ability to clearly translate complex regulatory and financial concepts. Success is measured by the accuracy and quality of reimbursement analyses, client satisfaction, effective collaboration, and meaningful contributions to financial reporting, compliance, and practice growth. Working with clients, the Senior Consultant provides expertise to help organizations through healthcare-related research, technical assistance, grant writing, policy analysis, strategic planning, procurements, program development, quality improvement, financial and reimbursement strategies, operational support, evaluation, product development and a range of other tasks. As an experienced expert within the firm, the Senior Consultant is responsible for client services, project management, and supporting the firm’s efforts to develop business through participation in the competitive and/or non-competitive proposal development process. This addendum defines the specific expertise, experience, and responsibilities required for success as a Senior Consultant within the Finance & Operations practice, supporting Hospital Finance engagements. It supplements the core Senior Consultant Job Description and is used for hiring, development, and performance management. This specialization focuses on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, hospital cost reporting, and financial analytics in support of hospital systems, state agencies, and other healthcare organizations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Public Health, or a related discipline is required. Equivalent work experience in lieu of a bachelor’s degree, although not desired, may be determined as acceptable. A Master’s degree in a related discipline is strongly preferred.
At least 5 years of progressively increasing prior experience in work involving publicly-funded healthcare including, but not limited to policy, administration, operations, compliance, research, consulting, or evaluation.
Strong project management skills.
Solid time management skills.
Excellent attention to detail.
Ability to multi-task and adhere to strict deadlines.
Capable of handling confidential information in a discreet manner.
Ability to work extended hours when deadlines are approaching.
Excellent internal and excellent professional networking skills.
Excellent critical thinking skills.
Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
Superior interpersonal skills, including leadership, contribution to culture, and acceptance of accountability.
Demonstrated thought leadership and deep expertise in more than one critical healthcare area.
Ability to maintain an approach to stay current in trends in areas of subject matter expertise.
This role requires frequent travel to client sites and HMA offices.
Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in hospital finance, healthcare reimbursement, consulting, auditing, or a related field.
Detailed knowledge of Medicare reimbursement methodologies, including cost reporting and related add-on payment programs.
Demonstrated experience working with Medicare cost reports and supporting documentation/workpapers.
Strong understanding of Medicaid programs and Medicaid supplemental payment structures.
Advanced data analytics and Excel skills, including financial modeling, complex formulas, and data validation techniques.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to clients and internal teams.

Nice To Haves

Prior consulting or audit experience with a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) is strongly preferred.
Ability to work effectively both independently and in collaborative team environments.

Responsibilities

Client management
Meets with clients and colleagues to understand requirements.
Gathers and organizes information about the issue to be solved or the procedure to be improved.
Analyzes data to identify and understand issues to be addressed.
Presents findings to internal colleagues, and clients.
Provides advice, implementation plans, and/or suggestions for improvement, according to project objectives.
Evaluates client needs, as warranted, and adjusts as appropriate.
Ensures that all deliverables are high-quality in all aspects (content, grammar, presentation, etc.).
Serves as a subject matter expert on projects.
Project management
Undertakes internal and external short-term and/or long-term project management to address identified issues and needs.
Develops and documents tools, analysis, frameworks, tracking tools, road maps, dashboards, and/or other approaches to manage a variety of large and small projects.
Business development
Supports firm business development activities to expand funded work from existing clients and/or new clients.
Develops and maintains a pipeline of future work
Participates in competitive and/or non-competitive proposal development and submission.
Leadership
Leads and manages teams, provides developmental feedback, and advances internal initiatives.
Serves as a mentor for other staff members, as requested.
Performance metrics
Ensures performance meets or exceeds HMA expectations in the following areas:
Billable hour target attainment.
Manages to budget/project caps established at the outset or assists in negotiating additional fees.
Meets quality and operational standards.
Participates in internal activities related to business strategies, forecasts, adoption of new technologies/platforms/approaches, and other process improvements.
Completes administrative requirements of the role in a punctual manner, including training, reporting, timesheets, expense reports, forecasting, and all other time-sensitive administrative duties.
All other duties as assigned.
Serve as a subject matter expert on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement methodologies, supporting hospital clients with complex financial and regulatory requirements.
Provide technical support and analysis related to Medicare cost reporting, including preparation, review, and interpretation of cost reports and related work papers.
Support projects involving Medicare add-on payments, such as Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH), Indirect Medical Education (IME), Graduate Medical Education (GME), and other supplemental or special payment programs.
Apply working knowledge of Medicaid programs, including state-specific payment methodologies and Medicaid supplemental payment programs, to support client financial strategy and compliance.
Develop, review, and validate financial models and analytic tools used to assess hospital reimbursement, financial performance, and policy impacts.
Perform detailed data analysis using Excel and other analytic tools to support reimbursement studies, financial projections, and client deliverables.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to translate complex reimbursement rules and financial data into actionable insights and client recommendations.
Support client communications by preparing clear, accurate, and professional presentations, reports, and technical documentation.
Contribute to project management activities, including meeting deadlines, managing workplans, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.
Participate in business development efforts by supporting proposal development and identifying opportunities related to hospital finance and reimbursement work.