Patient Advocate

Curae; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Curae Finance, LLC is seeking a Patient Advocate to actively engage with patients onsite at the hospital, helping them explore insurance coverage and financial assistance options. The role emphasizes compassionate, face-to-face conversations, data-driven performance, and collaboration with hospital partners to improve patient financial experience.

The ideal candidate will manage enrollment processes, navigate Medicaid/ACA/CHIP options, and ensure compliance with HIPAA within a 8:00 a.m.–4:30

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate's or bachelor's degree in public health, Social Work, Healthcare Administration, Human Services, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Engage directly with patients in person throughout the hospital.
• Conduct compassionate, professional face-to-face conversations about insurance status and financial needs.
• Identify uninsured and underinsured patients from census data and referrals.
• Meet patients throughout their healthcare journey from admission to discharge planning.
• Explain complex coverage information clearly and simply.
• Obtain consent and information to evaluate eligibility for programs.

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate's or bachelor's degree in public health

Tools

Power BI

EHR systems

CRM software

Job description

Curae Finance, LLC reduces the risk of uncompensated care and lost revenue for providers while making care more affordable for patients, improving the overall patient financial experience, and increasing net promoter scores.

As the national leader in non-recourse healthcare financing for consumers, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Curae's Patient Financial Access platform reduces unpaid balances across all patient coverage scenarios, decreasing patient bad debt by 20% or more and delivering game-changing revenue. With over $100MM in funding delivered to providers to date and rapid growth to serve healthcare systems nationwide, Fortune Magazine has recognized our parent company as one of Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies for three consecutive years: #1 in 2021, #4 in 2022, and #28 in 2023.

Position Summary

This position requires local residency. We will consider only candidates currently living in the Charleston, SC area. Relocation assistance is not available.

The Patient Advocate proactively identifies uninsured and underinsured patients and engages eligible patients in meaningful conversations about their healthcare coverage and financial options. The role requires the Advocate to meet with patients face-to-face, explain complex information in simple terms, answer questions, obtain required information and documentation, and assist patients throughout the enrollment or assistance process.

This is a highly patient-facing role. The Patient Advocate will interact with patients at various stages of their healthcare journey, including those newly admitted, currently receiving care, preparing for discharge, returning for follow-up care, or navigating ongoing treatment. Approaching patients with compassion, professionalism, and confidence is essential.

The Patient Advocate is a full-time, hospital-based position requiring an on-site schedule of Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Patient Advocate will be physically present at the assigned hospital each workday and will spend a significant portion of the day engaging directly with patients in person.

This position combines compassion, communication skills, analytical thinking, organization, and a data-driven approach to performance management. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in a hospital environment, interacting with patients throughout the day, utilizing reporting tools, monitoring key performance indicators, and collaborating with hospital partners to deliver an exceptional patient experience.

Work Schedule & Location

• Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Work Location: 100% onsite at the assigned hospital
• Work Environment: Hospital-based, patient-facing environment
• Patient Interaction: Frequent, direct, face-to-face interaction with patients throughout each workday
• Travel: Occasional travel may be required for training, team meetings, or other business needs

This is not a remote or primarily office-based position. The Patient Advocate is expected to be present onsite at the assigned hospital during scheduled work hours and actively engage with patients and hospital staff throughout the day.

The Patient Advocate reports directly to the designated Regional Education & Enablement Manager supporting the assigned hospital system.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage directly with patients in person throughout the hospital, including patients at various stages of care and treatment.
• Conduct compassionate, professional face-to-face conversations with patients regarding their insurance status, healthcare coverage, financial needs, and available assistance programs.
• Proactively approach and engage uninsured and underinsured patients identified through census reports, referrals, encounter data, and other hospital resources.
• Meet with patients throughout their healthcare journey, including admission, active treatment, discharge planning, follow-up care, or other appropriate points of engagement.
• Establish trust and rapport with patients who may be experiencing financial stress, uncertainty, or difficulty navigating the healthcare system.
• Explain complex healthcare coverage and financial assistance information clearly, simply, and in a patient-friendly way.
• Listen to patient concerns, identify barriers to coverage or payment, and help determine appropriate next steps.
• Obtain patient consent and required information to evaluate eligibility for available programs.

Patient Identification & Enrollment

• Perform comprehensive daily reviews of assigned inpatient census populations to ensure all eligible patients are evaluated for sponsorship opportunities, and no qualifying referrals are missed.
• Manage the patient engagement process from initial identification through completed enrollment, maintaining accountability for overall referral conversion performance.
• Educate patients on available healthcare coverage and financial assistance options, including Medicaid, ACA Marketplace plans, CHIP, charity care, sponsorship programs, and other available resources.
• Help patients complete applications, gather supporting documentation, and navigate enrollment and renewal processes.
• Follow up with patients as needed to obtain outstanding information, complete applications, and support successful enrollment.
• Evaluate patient eligibility for available programs and elevate complex cases when appropriate.
• Serve as a visible and trusted Curae representative within the assigned hospital.
• Maintain a professional presence and represent Curae's mission and values while working within the hospital environment.

Compliance & Patient-Centered Service

• Maintain strict confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA and all organizational, hospital, and regulatory requirements.
• Follow all hospital policies and procedures applicable to onsite Curae staff.
• Maintain professional boundaries and appropriate communication when interacting with patients, families, caregivers, and hospital staff.
• Advocate for patient access to care by delivering empathetic, patient-centered service while supporting Curae's mission of removing financial barriers to treatment.

Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate's or bachelor's degree in public health, Social Work, Healthcare Administration, Human Services, or a related field preferred.

Experience

• One to three years of experience in patient advocacy, healthcare enrollment, case management, insurance navigation, revenue cycle, medical billing, or a related healthcare setting.
• Working knowledge of Medicaid, ACA Marketplace plans, CHIP, and healthcare financial assistance programs.
• Experience interacting directly with patients in a healthcare, hospital, clinical, social services, or customer-facing environment.
• Experience utilizing data analytics or reporting platforms, with Power BI experience strongly preferred.
• Experience managing patient referrals, case workflows, or conversion-based performance metrics is highly desirable.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the ability to establish trust quickly with patients and hospital staff.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, analytical, and critical-thinking skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information for diverse audiences.
• Comfortable initiating conversations with patients and engaging individuals who may be experiencing stress, financial hardship, or uncertainty about their healthcare.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with hospital and Curae teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, electronic health records (EHR), billing platforms, case management systems, and CRM software.
• Must be willing and able to work onsite at the assigned hospital Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Must be comfortable spending a significant portion of the workday engaging directly with patients in person.

Candidates must be willing and able to obtain Certified Application Counselor (CAC) certification for the assigned client's state within 30 days of hire.

Why Join Curae?

At Curae, you’ll be part of a fast-growing organization that is changing the way patients access healthcare. We foster a collaborative, innovative, and mission-driven culture where employees are empowered to make a real difference in the lives of patients and healthcare partners every day.

As a Patient Advocate, you’ll play a critical role in ensuring every eligible patient has access to the financial resources they need to receive care, while directly contributing to improved outcomes for both patients and provider partners.