Patient Financial Coordinator

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $60,000-$75,000

Position Summary

As a member of our patient care team, the Patient Financial Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the financial aspects of the patient’s care throughout the course of their treatment. Serving as the patient’s primary contact on financial and insurance matters, the PFC leverages strong communication, relationship management, and organizational skills to create a seamless, high-quality patient experience and ensure timely payment collection. The incumbent will gain exposure to the full array of infertility Patient Financial coordination and collaborate on projects and initiatives to contribute to the continuous improvement of the Patient Financial Services team.

Responsibilities

Patient Financial Coordination

• Serve as the patient’s primary contact on financial matters throughout the course of treatment, including conducting new patient outreach, providing financial consults at each stage of the treatment, securing financial consents, providing requested documentation, and answering patient questions.
• Guide and educate patients on expected and actual fund usage throughout treatment to ensure understanding of coverage and upcoming out-of-pocket payment responsibilities. Escalate complex patient situations requiring special handling as appropriate.
• Ensure that patient demographic and insurance information have been correctly entered into the EMR.
• Review patient insurance coverage, follow up with the insurer to confirm key information, and investigate any discrepancies in information given to the practice and patient.
• Initiate financial clearance processes for treatment.
• Perform pre-certifications and pre-authorizations for services as needed.
• Communicate patient responsibility amounts to patient in advance of related procedure and collect payments as needed.
• Track application of funds throughout treatment process. Proactively resolve any inaccurate fund disbursements in collaboration with billing team.
• Serve as a resource to Patient Account Representatives to answer questions about patients’ accounts.
• Serve as liaison to patient’s care team on financial matters in preparation for and throughout treatment. Communicate patient eligibility criteria for ART care and outstanding funds with patient's primary physician pre-treatment. Serve as a resource to care team regarding potential impact of insurance coverage limitations on care plan. Attend and contribute to care team meetings.
• Proactively maintain knowledge of insurance policies and guidelines for infertility care. • Perform all other duties as assigned within professional scope of practice/training/education.

Third Party Reproduction

• Conduct intake for third party cases from assigned physician. Shadow Senior PFC on third party cases and assist with follow-up as directed. May provide cross-coverage on third party cases as needed.
• Proactively build knowledge of insurance policies and guidelines for third party reproductive care in order to be able to assist on these cases and provide cross-coverage.
• Facilitate transfer of donor cases to Senior Patient Financial Coordinator.

Strategy and Project Management

• Participate in a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities, proposing project ideas, and collaborating on projects and initiatives to meet team goals and improve team processes and procedures. Utilize tools and reporting mechanisms to track progress and ensure timely communication of issues and status. Provide administrative support for projects as needed.
• Conduct research to collect up-to-date information about insurance policies and guidelines for infertility care. Create and update internal resources as assigned and report out to team. Maintain ownership over specific resources as assigned.

People

• Promote staff professionalism and performance by modeling behavior, team accountability and demonstrating best practices/techniques. Participate in a culture of coaching and mentoring to facilitate continuous professional development and maintain an efficient patient-centered environment that fosters accountability, quality patient care, and patient satisfaction.
• Mentor new staff and assist with training as assigned.

Other

• Keep current on all organizational, practice, and patient privacy policies (e.g., HIPAA), goals, initiatives, and required trainings.
• Successfully complete all required university and department trainings.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or combination of education and experience.
• Ability to build rapport with and communicate effectively in both oral and written form with patients, professional staff, and providers.
• Strong customer service orientation, with the ability to deliver consistently exceptional service.
• Excellent relationship management skills including, but not limited to, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, empathy, and ability to handle situations with respect, tact, and sensitivity.
• Ability to stay organized and handle multiple tasks simultaneously in an accurate and timely manner. Ability to work independently and follow through.
• Proficiency in problem assessment and collaborative problem solving in interdisciplinary settings.
• Ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and respectful manner while appreciating the unique contributions of an inclusive workforce that brings together the talents of people across multiple identities.
• Strong commitment to fostering diversity and equity.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) or similar software is required and an ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs.
• Must be a motivated individual with a positive mindset and exceptional work ethic.
• Must successfully complete systems training requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Infertility experience.
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is dedicated to the goal of building a multicultural faculty and staff committed to teaching, working and serving in a diverse community, and strongly encourages applications from candidates of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

We are continuously seeking to recruit individuals who will enhance the diversity of our workplace and the effectiveness of our organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.