Patient Account Specialist

Sidney Regional Medical Center; Sidney, Northern (NE, KY); Hybrid; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Education reimbursement

401(k) match

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Sidney Regional Medical Center in Sidney, Nebraska, is seeking a patient account specialist to join our Patient Financial Services team. You will handle billing inquiries, payment options, and account collection processes while ensuring compassionate, accurate service for our patients.

Responsibilities include documenting estimates, processing refunds, and assisting with charity care and payment plans. Join a close-knit team dedicated to high-quality patient care and financial integrity.

Qualifications

• High school graduate or GED.
• Healthcare billing experience is a plus but not required.
• Willingness to grow within the healthcare revenue cycle.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent customer service to patients with billing questions.
• Review account balances and ensure patient responsibility before contacting for payments.
• Explain billing statements, charges, and insurance payments to patients clearly and accurately.
• Post payments and reconcile daily balances.
• Submit accounts to collections following established guidelines and timelines.
• Assist with charity care applications and payment plans as needed.
• Maintain current knowledge of billing regulations and compliance.

Skills

Attention to detail

Customer service

Communication

Problem solving

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Billing software

Microsoft Excel

EHR systems

Job description

Description

Patient Account Specialist

Join our caring community at Sidney Regional Medical Center in Sidney, Nebraska! We are currently pursuing a diligent and friendly full-time Patient Account Specialist to join our Patient Financial Services team.

At SRMC, our patients are our number one priority. We aim to provide extraordinary care every single day by ensuring that our patients’ well-being comes first, but amazing patient care starts with YOU. Your patience and knowledge will greatly improve their experience!

Loan Repayment: SRMC is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program! We provide employees with free assistance navigating the PSLF program to submit their federal student loans for forgiveness.

Why Us:

• Panhandle Hospitality: Bring your warmth and kindness to our patients with a smile.
• Close-Knit Team: Small community, big heart – where every team member makes a difference.
• Meaningful Impact: Your dedication transforms lives and creates a supportive, caring environment.

This individual will help patients with questions regarding billing and insurance payments, assist patients with payment options and plans, contact patients to collect patient due balances, prepare patients financially for services by providing estimates and payment options, prepare and review accounts to be submitted to collection agencies, processes estate, bankruptcy, and small balance accounts, follow up on all legal accounts, prepare and processes refunds, ensure bad debt is returned and processed based on statute guidelines, and process charity care application adjustments.

Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service.
• Read, understand, and research account balances to ensure they have been appropriately posted and that the balances are patient responsibility prior to contacting patient with payment options.
• Contact patients to advise of payment options on delinquent accounts to advise of additional options to bring accounts current and/or discuss full collection process.
• Assist patients with billing inquiries regarding statements, account charges, insurance payments, coverage, and patient responsibility promptly, consistently, and accurately.
• Consistently work tickler to process accounts according to tickler guidelines and rules, ensuring Collection Tickler is worked and current through the current week.
• Assure accounts are receiving statements, properly going through the aging process according to established guidelines and processes.
• Process and review financial applications, including charity care and extended terms applications.
• Prepare patients financially for services by educating them of estimated cost of services and projected payments based on patient’s insurance policy and providing estimates and payment options prior to services.
• Post all payments collected and reconcile at end of day.
• Review, prepare, and process accounts to be submitted to collection agencies.
• Review that accounts have received the appropriate number of statements and phone call attempts before processing accounts to collections.
• Review that the account balance is patient responsibility.
• Review accounts for possible charity care prior to sending to collections.
• Research and respond to requests from collection agencies.
• Ensure bad debt is returned and processed based on statute guidelines.
• Review credits from the ATB report and consistently work credits on the collections tickler. Prepare and processes all refunds.
• Process all estate, bankruptcy, and small balance accounts.
• Process and follow up on all legal accounts.
• Assist accounting with the reconciliation of outstanding refunds checks.
• Remain current on billing regulations and compliance issues.
• Identify patient refunds and small balances for processing.
• Send legal notices in a timely manner, be informed on the legal aspects of Demand of Notice, and Statement of Claims.
• Obtain correct insurance coverage from patients, adding coverage to accounts, collecting viable information, and relaying to ICR team members.
• Assist patients with setting up calls between patient, payer, and ICR team members.
• Post payments to corporate accounts.
• Identify when duplicate guarantors exist, research creation, and correct or send to department for correction.
• Other duties as assigned by management.

Benefits:

• Generous paid time off.
• Education reimbursement opportunities.
• Growing 401(k) retirement program up to 5% company match.
• Comprehensive dental, vision, disability, and accident insurance.
• Insurance for critical illness, health, and life.

Sidney Regional Medical Center is an EEO Employer/Vet/Disabled.

Requirements

• High school graduate or GED.
• Healthcare billing experience is a plus but not required.
• We welcome motivated candidates with a strong work ethic and attention to detail who are interested in growing within the healthcare revenue cycle.