Financial Counselor

Lifepoint Health®; Youngstown (OH); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health, operated jointly with Lifepoint Health, seeks a Financial Counselor to guide patients through financial responsibilities and insurance benefits.

You will verify benefits, calculate out-of-pocket costs, collect payments, and coordinate payment arrangements while supporting access to care. This role supports compassionate, patient-centered financial services within a hospital setting.

Qualifications

• Experience in healthcare collections or related field preferred.
• Knowledge of HMO, PPO, Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurance reimbursement rates and criteria.
• Ability to verify benefits accurately and determine patient liability.
• Experience calculating out-of-pocket charges and arranging payment plans.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate account and billing information to required departments within timelines.
• Implement collection measures for uncollected co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance.
• Serve as a point of contact regarding benefit determination within departmental timelines.
• Maintain front-end collections log and ensure daily account work and proper documentation.
• Follow up on all patient accounts to collect co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance at the time of services rendered.
• Verify admitted patient accounts within 24 hours of admission and ensure accuracy.
• Identify charity-eligible candidates and submit requests with documentation.
• Refer uninsured patients for Medicaid eligibility as appropriate.
• Report system problems or billing/verification/collection issues to supervisor.

Skills

Financial counseling

Insurance verification

Accounts receivable

Negotiation

Patient communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Your Experience Matters

Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is operated jointly with Lifepoint Health and Mercy Health. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others.

Your Experience Matters

Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is operated jointly with Lifepoint Health and Mercy Health. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others.

How You'll Contribute

The Financial Counselor provides guidance to patients in all aspects of their financial responsibilities that result from acceptance of the facility's services. Counselor assesses patients' financial ability, determines ability to pay, advises patients on insurance benefits, explains financial liability, collects payment, negotiates payment arrangement, secures financing, identifies funding sources and resolves any confusion the patient may have about their financial obligations to the facility. Counselor is responsible for the accurate and timely verification of insurance benefits, to include: contacting patients and/or guardians to obtain additional insurance information, researching and maintaining an ongoing collective knowledge of HMO, PPO, Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurance reimbursement rates and criteria, evaluating plans to calculate and estimate of the patient's out of pocket charges, collecting any co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, etc. and exploring patient's financial circumstances to ensure fair and reasonable repayment terms.

• Provides accurate account and billing information to required departments within timelines specified
• Ensures the effective implementation of collection measures for uncollected co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance
• Serves as additional point of contact regarding benefit determination within departmental timelines.
• Maintains self-pay/ self-pay after insurance work list and ensures accounts are worked daily and documents appropriately within the software system.
• Provides required follow-up on all patient accounts with the goal of collecting any patient co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance at the time of services rendered.
• Ensures that all admitted patient accounts have been verified, corrected, and completed within 24 hours of admission.
• Gathers and collects all pertinent financial information in order to accurately assess the patient's information
• Identifies candidates eligible for charity and submits charity requests with the appropriate financial documentation.
• Works with uninsured patients to identify potential Medicaid eligibility and makes the appropriate referrals to internal or external agencies
• Maintains Medicaid Pending Log daily and reports any change in Medicaid status to the Central Billing Office
• Maintains front-end collections log daily.
• Reports any system problems or billing/ verification/ collection issues to supervisor.
• Maintains the patient's account with all appropriate documentation in a timely manner
• Knowledgeable of specific billing/ verification requirements of various carriers
• Identifies patient refunds/balance transfers and documents the amounts
• Processes all insurance requests from other departments and physician billing offices in a timely manner
• Informs billing/ collections staff of any pertinent information needed to submit a "clean" claim when/ if charges occur during/ after visit
  

Why Join Us

We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers:

• Comprehensive Benefits:Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time andpart-time employees.
• Financial Protection & PTO:Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.
• Financial & Career Growth:Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
• Employee Well-being:Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
• Professional Development:Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.

What We Are Looking For

Education: High school diploma or equivalent required

Experience: Previous experience in healthcare collections or a related field, or any combination of education, training, or experience in health care business office setting preferred.

More About Mercy Youngstown

Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is a 72-bed behavioral health hospital located in the Youngstown, OH area. We provide high-quality compassionate care for those facing mental health and addiction challenges. Programs include 24/7 crisis care and assessment, inpatient mental health and addiction treatment, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for adults age 18+.

EEOC Statement

Mercy Youngstown Behavioral Health is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of color, race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, gender identity, sexual orientation, veterans' status or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier. Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.