Patient Benefits Specialist

Columbia Basin Health Association; Othello (WA); On-site; USD 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) seeks a Patient Benefits Specialist to promote health coverage options, educate community members, and enroll eligible clients into Medicaid/Medicare, ACP, MarketPlace, or other plans during clinic visits and outreach events.

You will document patient encounters in the management system, support plan switches, and collaborate with the Health Connections team to ensure accurate enrollment data while maintaining confidentiality and a patient‑focused

Qualifications

• Basic written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to learn health care plans (L&I, ACP, Medicaid/Medicare, Marketplace).
• Navigator Certification ability to obtain and maintain.
• Proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Promote and educate patients on health coverage options in clinic and outreach events.
• Inform patients of plan requirements to determine eligibility and enrollment.
• Complete health coverage applications and submit them before the visit ends.
• Process renewal applications and provide monthly outcome reports.
• Document patient encounters in the management system daily.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Customer service

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Patient management system

Job description

Overview

Seeking a Patient Benefits Specialist to be responsible to actively participate in the promotion, education, and enrollment of community members into available benefit plans to help ensure healthy communities.

At Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) we never have to wonder whether the work we do is worthwhile. Each day we see victories and successes, big and small, in the lives of people who count on us.

Partner with Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) for a rewarding career. Your dream to promote health and wellness, work with passionate people, and feel accomplished for doing important work while earning a reasonable paycheck is possible with us. Be a part of a healthcare movement as you grow your career. The size and culture of the organization provides an opportunity to work closely with leadership, lead initiatives, and see the results of your hard work. You ability to make an impact is limited only by your passion and creativity.

Patient Benefits Specialist: $18.55 p/h -$21.80 p/h DOE with ability to go higher for highly experienced candidates.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for Promoting and Educating patients on the various health coverage options available in clinic and during outreach events.
• Informs patients of plan requirements to determine eligibility and enrolling patients in the various insurance options available, such as Labor of Industries, the Affordable Care Plan (ACP), Medicaid/Medicare and The Market Place.
• Completes all required fields of initial health coverage application according to health plan requirements and submits the application prior to the end of the patient’s visit.
• Processes renewal applications as directed by Director of Health Connections and provides monthly report of outcomes.
• Responsible for general patient benefit duties
• Complete appropriate forms to switch Plans and/or Primary Care Provider for patients to ensure assignment to a CBHA provider.
• Documents patient encounters in patient management system daily to ensure data accuracy, track patient activity and enrollment history.
• Answers telephone inquiries pertaining to patient benefits; provides response or researches information and responds back to caller within three (3) hours or next business day.
• Processes weekly self-pay encounter reports to ensure patients are offered appropriate benefit plan options
• Performs audits to catch errors or discrepancies as assigned by Director of Health Connections on ACP applications
• Other duties as assigned.
• Promotes a positive work culture and upholds clinic policies and procedures, including the WE CARE standards of Behavior.
• Must uphold confidentiality at all times in regards to CBHA activities, reports, financials, patient health information and other proprietary information specific to CBHA.

Qualifications

Professional and Technical Knowledge:

• Possesses a basic level of written and verbal communications skills, computational and computer skills and mathematical knowledge typically acquired through completion of a high school program.
• Ability to learn and understand the various health care plans available to patients (i.e., Labor and Industries, Affordable Care Plan (ACP, Medicaid/Medicare and The Market Place).

Licenses & Certification

Ability to obtain and maintain Navigator Certification for the Washington State Healthcare Exchange.

Technical Skills

• Ability to prepare basic documents in Microsoft Word, including creating tables, charts, graphs and other elements.
• Ability to use basic Microsoft Excel functions to create tables and simple displays of information
• Ability to use basic functions in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Communication Skills:

• Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts in a clear effective manner for a general audience.
• Ability to effectively communicate information in written (including electronic) correspondence.
• Ability to provide effective communication of information during informal and formal verbal presentations.
• Ability to effectively interview and gather information from patients.
• Bilingual (read, write, speak) in English and Spanish.