Customer Service / TPL Representative (Bilingual candidates preferred!)

FLSA Status

Job Role Summary

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Proactively contributes to Eskenazi Health mission: Advocate, Care, Teach and Serve with special emphasis on the vulnerable population of Marion County. Models Eskenazi Health values
• Stays current within profession as well as hospital/unit/department policies
• Complies with hospital policies and regulatory standards, including the Joint Commission, OSHA, Medicare, etc.
• Acts independently to resolve operational concerns, seeking guidance when necessary
• Directly interacts with patients, family members, third party payers, attorneys, other guests and customers in a professional manner and achieves a high level of satisfaction with these individuals relative to address of their needs, concerns, questions, and resolution of account balances.
• Updates system demographics, insurance information, patient issues/comments and responses to ensure a complete audit track within three working days
• Proactively responds to problem solving issues through interdepartmental/external department communications relative to system procedure errors, i.e. coding, registration and accounting issues.
• Ascertains that all accounts for callers and walk-ins are addressed by searching systems for multiple accounts, reviewing them with the customer and providing him or her with status information regarding each unresolved account. Provides management with information and documentation; assists patients with concerns related to registration, collection; documents trends, concerns, and issues.
• Answers phone calls within company guidelines, answers questions regarding patient accounting, and when necessary, routes callers to appropriate destination. Answers the phone in a maximum (3) rings
• Educates self-pay patients with options for account resolution and advises patients of potential bad debt status of account.
• Establishes payment arrangements for patients and communicates agreements; serves as a resource person to clinical departments for debt status of patients.
• Orders re-bills and obtains itemizations for patients and other customers as needed.
• Serves as liaison between medical and support staff regarding billing and collection issues and patients' medical information.
• Researches and reviews data to ensure accuracy of accounts and balances.

• Processes, receives, and balances payments while maintaining integrity of financial data presented for payment
• Initiates liens, amendments, and releases in a timely manner and as indicated for accounts analyzed, so as to properly record hospital liens with the State Recorders' office.
• Follows-up and works liability accounts (lien & LOP accts), by calling attorneys (or patients) and updating notes on accounts, taking the appropriate actions to resolve accounts or to move them along to the next step and resolution.
• Responsible for, or is back-up to:
  • Appropriately recording liens with the State Recorders office on a weekly basis
  • Filing of all lien and bankruptcy related paperwork in a timely manner
  • Process according to established procedures all bankruptcy notices, within 5 business days of receipt of notices
  • Receiving checks for liability settlements and judgments, and for copies of bills, handling according to established procedure
  • Performing all 'cancellations' of bad debt accounts within patient accounting systems according to established procedure
  • Serving as liaison between hospital and each collection agency
  • Analyzing accounts that may involve liability and flag appropriate accounts for follow up to determine if it is a liability case
  • Working weekly accounts with an external cause diagnosis, for potential liability cases
  • Completes special research projects as requested by management
  • Maintains productivity and quality assurance outlined by the department
  • Demonstrates average call times appropriate to department standards.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree preferred, four years 'experience in a health care facility or Patient Financial Services department
• Bilingual skills strongly desired

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills necessary to interact effectively with patients, families and hospital personnel at all levels
• Strong conflict management skills and the ability to appropriately diffuse and deescalate sometimes difficult situations
• Works independently and efficiently
• Researches and collects data for the purpose of investigating patient complaints
• Establishes and maintains rapport with patients and staff
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Strong computer skills, working knowledge of Microsoft Office Software, Windows
• Strong organization and ability to work efficiently in a multi-task environment
• Strong math skills
• Ability to use age appropriate communication skills
• Willingness and ability to assist other team members
• Understanding of health insurance, including government and managed care programs
• Meets the following competencies:
  • production / accuracy
  • deadlines
  • attention to detail and record keeping