Patient Access Lead - Greenbrae, CA - Optum : Job Details

$2,000 SIGN ON BONUS FOR EXTERNAL APPLICANTS

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

Employing excellent customer service skills, the Patient Registration Lead is responsible for ensuring a positive patient experience throughout the financial clearance process. Primary duties include financially clearing patients prior to discharge, counseling patients about their financial liability, verifying payer sources, assessing and referring patients to alternative payment sources, including the Payment Assistance Program and government and non-government-based payment assistance programs.

The Patient Registration Lead is able to work in all registration areas as needed. Working under the supervision of the Registration Leadership, this position is responsible for assisting the Registration Management Team with training, quality assurance review and reporting, and developing and maintaining the staff schedules.

The Patient Registration Lead ensures timely, accurate and complete capture of all demographic and insurance information to ensure appropriate reimbursement for services rendered. In addition, the Patient Registration Lead determines and collects the patient's financial liability and/or arranges payment plans for patients in need of them.

The Patient Registration Lead is an information source for patients and families by explaining hospital policies, patient financial obligations, alternative payer sources, and Patient Rights and Responsibilities.

This position is full-time (40 hours/week) Monday – Friday, with hours of 8:30am to 5:00pm. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime. Our office is located at 250 Bon Air Rd., Greenbrae, CA.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Interviews patients to obtain, clarify, and verify all demographic and insurance information not previously gathered
• Identifies and corrects any errors found in the registration information
• Reviews insurance verification information and account notes entered by the Patient Registration Representative and/or Registration. Ensures any missing information is captured. As necessary, verifies patient's insurance coverage, determines benefit levels, reviews level of services, and calculates patient's financial liability
• Explains the Payment and Billing Assistance Program to all patients regardless of financial concerns or limitations
• Identifies outstanding balances from patient's previous visits and attempts to collect any amount due
• Provides referral to external agencies and/or third-party vendors which may provide financial assistance, including state and government-based programs
• Assists patient with the completion of payment assistance program applications
• Assesses a patient's ability to meet their financial liability and assists with arranging payment plans as needed
• Thoroughly and accurately documents conversations with patients regarding agreement to payment plans. Obtains necessary signatures
• Meets CMS billing requirements for the completion of the MSP, issuance of the Important Message from Medicare, issuance of the Observation Notice, and other requirements as applicable and documenting completion within the hospital's information system for regulatory compliance and audit purposes
• For patients who qualify, offers a flat rate discount based on estimated charges and/or percent reimbursement, or following facility specific policy and procedures
• Ensures that insurance verification and benefit information is completed and documented on all urgent/emergent admits within 24 hours of service (or next business day)
• Interviews self-pay inpatients within 24-hours to identify potential eligibility for government aid and/or other payer sources. Gathers applicable documents for the application process and follows appropriate policy when referring to eligibility vendors
• Assesses self-pay patients for Medi-Cal/Medicaid presumptive eligibility and when appropriate, initiates the process
• Provides financial clearance services to self-pay patients prior to discharge or within 24-business hours of discharge
• Provides on-site customer service for walk-in patients with billing-related questions
• Provides information to hospital personnel who are seeking answers to financial concerns on their patient's behalf
• Works closely with Case Management, Health Information Services, Social Work Services and physician offices to ensure appropriate and HIPAA compliant information sharing regarding insurance coverage and financial assistance options
• Understands and follows the facility's Delay/Defer policy and procedure escalating accounts that do not meet financial clearance requirements appropriately and timely
• Responds timely to requests for assistance from Patient Registration areas, Case Management, clinical areas, etc.
• Maintains up-to-date working knowledge and oversight of all registration areas to provide coverage as needed
• Understands the department's Key Performance Indicators and performs quality review of registration data accuracy, POS collections, productivity, absenteeism and other metrics
• Assists with generating KPI reporting for review with the Registration Management team
• Assists the Registration Leadership with developing the staff schedule following department and union (where appropriate) policy and procedure
• Assists Registration Leadership with ensuring all shifts are adequately covered in the event of vacation, unscheduled sick, medical leave of absence and other time off occurrences
• If applicable to specific facility, assumes on-call responsibility and duties for evenings, weekends and holidays
• Daily management of shift cash drawers and deposits

What are the reasons to consider working for UnitedHealth Group? Put it all together - competitive base pay, a full and comprehensive benefit program, performance rewards, and a management team who demonstrates their commitment to your success. Some of our offerings include:

• Paid Time Off which you start to accrue with your first pay period plus 8 Paid Holidays
• Medical Plan options along with participation in a Health Spending Account or a Health Saving account
• Dental, Vision, Life& AD&D Insurance along with Short-term disability and Long-Term Disability coverage
• 401(k) Savings Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Education Reimbursement
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Bonus Program
• Voluntary Benefits (pet insurance, legal insurance, LTC Insurance, etc.)
• More information can be downloaded at:

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma/GED (or higher)
• 2+ years of experience in customer service, preferably in a healthcare environment
• Ability to work onsite at 250 Bon Air Rd, Greenbrae, CA
• Ability to work full-time (40 hours/week) Monday - Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime

Preferred Qualifications:

• Thorough understanding of insurance policies and procedures
• Thorough understanding of charity care programs as well as the various government and non-government payment assistance programs
• Working knowledge of facility pricing structure and cost estimates
• Basic knowledge of ICD-9 (10) and CPT terminology
• Working knowledge of medical terminology
• Able to perform basic mathematics for payment calculation
• Experience in requesting and processing financial payments
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills
• Associate's Degree

**PLEASE NOTE** The sign-on bonus is only available to external candidates. Candidates who are currently working for UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare or a related entity in a full time, part time or per diem basis ( Internal Candidates ) are not eligible to receive a sign on bonus.

California Residents Only: The hourly range for California residents is $19.47 to $38.08 per hour. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable