Financial Clearance & Insurance Authorization Sp I - 141751

University of California - San Diego Medical Centers; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

UC San Diego Health is seeking a Financial Clearance and Insurance Authorization Specialist I in the Admissions department. This role secures revenue by verifying insurance eligibility and benefits, obtaining pre-certification/authorization, and communicating coverage status to patients and providers.

The specialist also provides estimated patient liability amounts and supports scheduling changes to ensure timely care and accurate billing for hospital and professional services.

Qualifications

• Hospital and/or professional services pre-access or billing experience.
• 3+ years in hospital/professional services pre-access or billing in a complex setting.
• Experience with insurance eligibility and benefits verification, pre-certification/authorization.
• Experience with insurance/benefits verification portals and Epic or similar systems.
• Excellent communication, detail-orientation, and problem resolution in healthcare.
• Understanding of deductibles, coinsurance, and patient responsibility estimates.

Responsibilities

• Verify insurance eligibility and benefits coverage for scheduled and unscheduled services.
• Obtain pre-certification and/or authorization for inpatient/outpatient services.
• Communicate coverage status with patients and providers; coordinate rescheduling as needed.
• Provide and collect estimated patient liability amounts.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Attention to detail

Problem resolution

Microsoft Office

Education

College degree

Tools

Epic

Job description

This is an internal posting open only to employees within the UC San Diego Health - Admissions department

UC San Diego Health's Revenue Cycle department supports the organization's mission to deliver outstanding patient care and to create a healthier world - one life at a time. We are a diverse, patient-focused, high-performing team with a commitment to quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement that enables us to deliver the maximum standard of care to our patients. We offer challenging career opportunities in a fast-paced and innovative environment and we embrace individuals who demonstrate a deep passion for problem-solving and customer service.

The Financial Clearance and Insurance Authorization Specialist I is an experienced revenue cycle professional responsible for financially securing scheduled and unscheduled hospital and professional services by verifying insurance eligibility and benefits coverage, and by securing insurance pre-certification and/or authorization for inpatient and/or outpatient services.

The Specialist communicates the status of coverage/benefits verification and authorization directly with patients and providers, and facilities rescheduling of services as appropriate. The Specialist provides and collects estimated patient liability amounts.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Hospital and/or professional services pre-access or billing experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of hospital and/or professional services pre-access or billing experience in an academic or other complex, multispecialty setting. Including insurance eligibility and benefits coverage verification, obtaining pre-certification and/or authorization for medical services, and providing explanations and/or estimates of patient financial responsibility.
• Will consider less than 3 years of experience for candidates with a college degree.
• Experience must include insurance eligibility and benefits coverage verification, obtaining pre-certification and/or authorization for medical services and providing explanations and/or estimates of patient financial responsibility.
• Must have experience with insurance/benefits verification portals or other applications, and experience with Epic or other similar patient registration, scheduling and/or billing information systems.
• Demonstrated understanding of principles of excellent customer service, customer communications, and/or problem resolution relevant to healthcare settings.
• Demonstrated knowledge eligibility, covered benefits, medical necessity and pre-authorization rules for federal, state, and commercial third-party payers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of medical terminology, CPT, ICD-10, HCPCS, NDC, and modifier codes, including impact on benefits eligibility, authorization, and reimbursements for medical services.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and interpret payer contract terms and insurance verification/benefits eligibility responses.
• Demonstrated understanding of deductibles, coinsurance and non-covered benefits, and ability to derive accurate estimate of patient responsibility.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to pay attention to details and follow through independently, analyze and resolve problems effectively, and communicate professionally and effectively with coworkers, UCSD clinical departments and providers, third-party payers, UCSD revenue cycle departments, and patients to meet financial, clinical care and customer service goals of the organization.
• Demonstrated proficiency in use of Microsoft Office applications (including Outlook, Skype/Lync, Excel and Word).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior authorization experience highly preferred.
• Community college or university courses in medical terminology, medical coding, finance or other relevant subject matter.
• NAHAM Certified Healthcare Access Manager, HFMA Certified Revenue Cycle Representative, and/or Certified Procedural Coder (CPC or CPC-H) certifications.
• A minimum of four (4+) or more years of relevant experience.
• Experience with both hospital and professional services pre-certification and authorization experience.
• Prefer experience with benefits verification and authorization initial and additional inpatient hospital days, inpatient and outpatient procedures, outpatient diagnostic services, provider consultations and other visits, prescription drugs, SNF, rehabilitation services, durable medical equipment, and home health.
• Experience working with Epic registration, scheduling and referral applications.
• Completion of organization-sponsored or professional organization training in principles of customer service, customer communications and/or problem resolution relevant to healthcare settings.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.
• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $64,812 - $85,504 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $31.04 - $40.95

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).