Home Medical Equipment Customer Service Coordinator

Advocate Aurora Health; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare system in California seeks a full-time specialist to manage HME referrals for patient transitions from hospital to home. The position requires strong customer service skills, experience in healthcare, and the ability to navigate insurance processes. Join a dedicated team that values patient advocacy and operational excellence.

Benefits

Paid Time Off programs

Health and welfare benefits

Educational Assistance Program

Qualifications

• Typically requires 5 years of experience in medical entry or healthcare customer service.
• Knowledge of HME/RT equipment and third-party payors.
• Ability to interface with representatives of third-party payers.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate HME referral and service orders to ensure safe and timely transitions for patients.
• Provide quality customer service and ensure proper documentation for insurance authorization.
• Monitor insurance verification reports for assigned products.

Skills

Customer Service

Insurance Verification

Data Entry

Communication

Education

High School Graduate

Job description

Department:

39116 RT/HME: Elmhurst - Sleep and Respiratory Services

Status:

Full time

Benefits Eligible:

Yes

Hou rs Per Week:

40

Schedule Details/Additional Information:

Hours for the position are Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm.

Mostly work from home; however ability to travel to 3 sites in Midwest (WI and IL) is required on as needed basis; not anticipated to be frequent but rather to establish and maintain relationships supporting sleep coaches/patients.

Major Responsibilities:

• Evaluates HME referral and service order requests to ensure smooth and timely transition for patient from hospital to home while ensuring the patient is supported safely and insurance benefits are optimized. Advocates for patient serving as a liaison to explain prescription order, hospital transition and home start of care process, and insurance benefits. Access service requests in relation to organization acceptance criteria and evaluates medical documentation to ensure payer coverage criteria are satisfied. Verifies patient insurance benefits and eligibility and contacts insurance plan to obtain service prior authorization as needs and determines patient co-insurance. Provides direction to physicians on how to resolve documentation or medical management gaps when documentation does not support medical necessity or payer coverage criteria. Identifies risk issues and collaborates with patient, physician, hospital staff and other care providers to ensures resolution and patient safety. Coordinates timely provision of service with distribution operations and the patient.
• Provides quality customer service for all customers, including patients, physicians, referral sources, and coworkers within Advocate Aurora Healthcare and external customers. This requires the team member to respond courteously and professionally to client requests and concern and follows through to appropriate resolution. Be diligent in regards to making sure that there is current, correct authorizations for all managed care clients in order to assure that the client's needs are met and to assist other Advocate Aurora departments in being more efficient. Adheres to the processes that have been established to insure quality customer service to all customers, such as Electronic referrals, HME coding, Pickups and faxing. Also, having flexibility to take on additional responsibilities as to assist in resolution of customer concerns as well as other business needs.
• Be proficient in the use of the computerized resources and data entry programs involving proper processing and qualifying of patients with HME business line needs. Monitor and work all necessary insurance verification reports for assigned products lines and assigned payors. Runs, collects and tabulates data and submits to management selected and assigned reports.
• Identify, investigate and verify sources of reimbursement and make recommendations based on the information obtained. The team member will obtain and document payor eligibility information for each new referral, addition to service and re-admission and determine if payor's coverage requirements are met for services or equipment. They will also assess potential third-party liability cases to determine who is the primary payor and relay the appropriate billing requirements to the patients accounts staff and operations. Other requirements include checking with referral sources for any intermittent services that might be need by the patient and suggest companion items for the equipment ordered to better service our patient.
• Provide pricing information to explain the financial responsibility to patients. This requires the team member to assess the patients ability to pay and negotiate payment plans and determine their financial risk at the time of referral. If necessary also, recommend appropriate action and notify patient and/or family of the expected financial responsibility at the start of care.
• Participates in performance improvement and patient satisfaction initiatives. Serve as a member of department division or system performance or process improvement group as appropriate. Work with management to implement change and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Continuously updates knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, HMO and managed care of the complex and ever evolving coverage requirements and guidelines.

Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required:

• None Required.

Education Required:

• High School Graduate.

Experience Required:

• Typically requires 5 years of experience in medical entry, claims processing, HME business line, home care, insurance verification, home care customer service or other healthcare related position. Knowledge of HME/RT equipment. Understanding of third party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Regularly interfaces with representatives of third party payers
• Wide range of contacts with hospitals, long term care facilities, rehab and therapy facilities, physician’s offices, case managers, utilization review managers, patients and their families. Communication is both verbal and written.
• Determine acceptance of patient with low financial risk, high risk cases and appropriately search out the resources.
• Prioritization of insurance verification and prior authorization to ensure department goals and objectives are obtained.
• Monitor all managed care patients' supply orders and re-orders to insure that adequate and current authorization is in the data base so as to enhance quick reimbursement.
• Troubleshoot equipment problems appropriately seek out further assistance if needed.
• Handle confidential information on every client.
• Function under tight time constraints to verify insurance benefits before delivery of equipment, of data entry of referral information necessary for delivery ticket with proper
• qualifying diagnoses for each piece of ordered equipment.
• Heavy volume of daily incoming and outgoing phone calls and documents must be processed timely and accurately. Very fast paced. Strong data entry and phone skills.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Exposed to an office environment.
• Must be able to sit, stand and walk for long periods of time. Must have the physical agility to move about in confined spaces, including bending, kneeling, squatting and occasionally reaching one or both arms over head.
• Must be capable of typing, writing and data entry for prolonged periods of time.
• Will occasionally lift 10 lbs.
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.

Pay Range

$22.50 - $33.75

Our CommitmenttoYou:

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including:

Compensation

• Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance

Benefits and more

• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, andShort- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.