Customer Service Advocate- Billing

CO39 St. Lukes Hospital; Allentown (Lehigh County); Hybrid; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Luke’s University Health Network in Allentown, PA is hiring a Customer Service Advocate to handle SBO billing inquiries by phone, email and written correspondence.

The role is full-time, days, 40 hours weekly, with on-site training and the possibility of remote or hybrid work after six months at the manager’s discretion for PA and NJ candidates. You will assist patients, educate on reimbursement issues, research and respond to questions, and coordinate with other departments to resolve

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Must be able to speak, read and write English.
• A minimum of one year experience with third party billing in a physician's office/hospital is preferred.
• Prior clerical and PC, other office equipment and typing experience.

Responsibilities

• Answers SBO telephone lines in a timely fashion, and provides callers with a pleasant, courteous and professional reception.
• Informs and educates patients regarding issues identified at the time of reimbursement assessment.
• Performs research or follow-up to address issues, and if necessary, responds back to the caller at a later time.
• Research may typically require obtaining information from multiple departments.
• Leverages knowledge of vendor and technology systems that promote the patient experience to resolve customer concerns more efficiently.
• Updates and/or corrects patient information in the SBO system and/or communicates to appropriate staff members and departments.
• Gives extended customer service by coordinating with other departments to resolve issues beyond the scope of the routine questions and/or issues.
• Maintains excellent understanding of patient accounting billing for hospital and physician services, third party payment methodologies and resulting of out-of-pocket balances to ensure patient concerns or questions are fully answered.
• Maintains thorough understanding of hospital and physician discount and financial assistance policies (both internal and external) to address patient’s inability to pay outstanding balances.

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Job description

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset! Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care.

HOURS

Full Time, Days, 40 hours/week Mon-Fri, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM No nights, holidays, or weekends Home location of St. Luke's Center, Allentown PA with the opportunity to work remote or hybrid remote, after 6 months on site training, at the manager's discretion, for PA and NJ candidates.

The Customer Service Advocate is responsible for handling incoming telephone calls, e-mail, and written correspondence to the Single Business Office (SBO) regarding billing questions and/or concerns for hospital and physician billing self-pay balances.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Answers SBO telephone lines in a timely fashion, and provides callers with a pleasant, courteous and professional reception.
• Informs and educates patients regarding issues identified at the time of reimbursement assessment.
• Performs research or follow-up to address issues, and if necessary, responds back to the caller at a later time.
• Research may typically require obtaining information from multiple departments.
• Leverages knowledge of vendor and technology systems that promote the patient experience to resolve customer concerns more efficiently.
• Updates and/or corrects patient information in the SBO system and/or communicates to appropriate staff members and departments.
• Gives extended customer service by coordinating with other departments to resolve issues beyond the scope of the routine questions and/or issues.
• Maintains excellent understanding of patient accounting billing for hospital and physician services, third party payment methodologies and resulting of out-of-pocket balances to ensure patient concerns or questions are fully answered.
• Maintains thorough understanding of hospital and physician discount and financial assistance policies (both internal and external) to address patient’s inability to pay outstanding balances.
• Follows through on commitments and achieves desired results.
• Exhibits sound judgment, obtains the facts, examines options, gains support, and achieves positive outcomes.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS

• Sitting for up to 8 hours per day, 3 hours at a time.
• Continuously fingering and handling for data entry, typing, etc., and occasional twisting and turning.
• Uses upper extremities for occasional lifting and carrying of up to 15 lbs of files.
• Frequently stoops, bends, or reaches above shoulder level to retrieve files.
• Hearing as it relates to normal conversation and telephones.
• Seeing as it relates to general vision.
• Visual monotony when reading reports and reviewing computer screens.

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Must be able to speak, read and write English.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of one year experience with third party billing in a physician's office/hospital is preferred.
• Prio clerical and PC, other office equipment and typing experience.

Thank you for your interest in St. Luke's!!

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 23,000 employees providing services at 16 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue in excess of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Premier 13 times total and eleven years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. St. Luke’s is the ONLY health care institution in the Lehigh Valley to be named a Top Workplace regionally repeating the exclusive honor for the third year in a row. Also, for the third straight year, St. Luke’s has been a Top Workplaces in the Philadelphia Region by the Philadelphia Inquirer, ranking 9th in the large employer category for 2025 and the only health care system in PA to receive this award. In 2025, St. Luke’s was recognized as a national Top Workplaces by USA Today, three years in a row, including the 3rd best health care system in the nation in 2023 and 2024. Lastly, in 2025, St. Luke’s was named a Top Workplace in New Jersey for the third year in a row.

Learn More Here.