PATIENT FINANCIAL COUNSELOR

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Texas; On-site; USD 36,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley seeks a Patient Financial Counselor to guide patients through financial responsibilities, insurance benefits, and available charity programs. You will educate patients on payment options, screen for eligibility, and assist with charity applications.

The role requires strong communication, empathy, and customer service skills, with minimum two years of related experience or equivalent education. Position based in Edinburg, TX in a full-time capacity.

Qualifications

• Two (2) years of related experience, or applicable education can be substituted on a one-on-one basis.
• High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the source of knowledge for all financial assistance related questions.
• Counsels and screens patient on out-of-pocket responsibilities and initiates collections on balances.
• Calculates patients’ charges for office visits and collects payments when necessary.
• Identifies and advises patients on options to resolve bad debt balances.
• Establishes payment plans for covered and non-covered services.
• Provides cost estimates for facility and professional services to patients.
• Reviews patient accounts for accuracy with regard to billing, claims details and collections.
• Advises patients about financial and entitlement programs and screens for eligibility.

Skills

Communication skills

Active listening

Customer service

Empathy

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Job description

Office Location
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
1201 W. University Drive
Human Resources
MASS Building 2 nd Floor
Edinburg, TX 78539

Edinburg: (956)665-665-2451
Brownsville: [phone]
Office hours:
Monday-Friday
8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

Faculty Recruitment:
College of Engineering & Computer Science: [e-mail]

Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship: [e-mail]

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Dear Applicant,
Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following:
*Date of Birth
*Gender
*Ethnicity/Race
Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley reserves the right to discontinue accepting applications prior to the stated close date of this position, after meeting the posting requirement of three (3) calendar days.
If you have any questions, please visit our Careers site at https://careers.utrgv.edu for detailed contact information.

Position Information

Posting Number

Posting Number SRGV9209

Working Title

Working Title PATIENT FINANCIAL COUNSELOR

Number of Vacancies

Number of Vacancies 1

Location

Department

Department School of Medicine / Ambulatory Operations

FTE

FTE 1.0

FLSA

FLSA Non-Exempt

Scope of Job

To provide a positive financial counseling experience to patients to navigate their financial responsibility, understand their insurance benefits, resolve accounts, bad debts, and educate patients on available third-party options to ensure payment for services rendered.

Description of Duties

• Serves as the source of knowledge for all financial assistance related questions.
• Counsels and screens patient on out-of-pocket responsibilities and initiates collections on outstanding balances, deductibles, pre-pays, copays, coinsurances, out of pocket maximums, and other self-pay balances.
• Calculates patients’ charges for office visits and collects payments when necessary.
• Correctly identifies and advises patient on options to resolve bad debt balances.
• Establishes payment and pre-payment plans for covered and non-covered services.
• Provides combined cost estimates for facility and professional services, for both elective and non-elective surgical services, in office visits, in office procedures, imaging, radiology, lab, and other services as required.
• Accurately utilizes cost estimate technology to create estimates for services and communicates estimated costs to patients and other affected parties.
• Responsible for reviewing patient accounts for accuracy with regard to billing, claims details and collections to resolve patient concerns and/or provide education.
• Advises patient about financial and special entitlement programs (such as charity programs, drug assistance programs, and other patient assistance options), and screens patients for potential eligibility.
• Obtains necessary documentation and verifies required patient information needed for charity programs.
• Initiates and completes charity applications and maintains follow-up procedures on pending applications.
• Determines potential reimbursement sources available to patient, directs them to these sources, and assists when needed.
• Follows policies and procedures in regard to financial screening, third-party eligibility, and financial arrangements.
• Obtains patient demographic information not captured during scheduling process, that is necessary for claims processing.
• Displays effective communication skills, active listening skills, empathy and exemplary customer service skills to resolve all outstanding balances and bad debt accounts.
• Adheres to internal controls established for the department.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Supervision Received

General supervision from assigned supervisor.

Supervision Given

Direct supervision of assigned staff.

Required Education

High School Diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education

N/A

Licenses/Certifications

None.

Required Experience

Two (2) years of related experience, or applicable education can be substituted on a one-on-one basis.

Preferred Experience

Equipment

Use of standard office equipment.

Working Conditions

Needs to be able to successfully perform all required duties. Office Environment; some travel and weekend work is required. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. May be exposed to airborne illnesses when coming in contact with patients.

Other

Tact, diplomacy, discretion, and confidentiality of medical information required in all matters.

Physical Capabilities

N/A

Employment Category

Employment Category Full-Time

Minimum Salary

Minimum Salary Commensurate with Experience

Posted Salary Commensurate with Experience

Position Available Date

Position Available Date 11/01/2026

Grant Funded Position

Grant Funded Position No

EEO Statement

It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Dear Applicant,
Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following:
*Date of Birth
*Gender
*Ethnicity/Race
Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley reserves the right to discontinue accepting applications prior to the stated close date of this position, after meeting the posting requirement of three (3) calendar days.
If you have any questions, please visit our Careers site at https://careers.utrgv.edu for detailed contact information.

Additional Information

UTRGV is a distributed location institution and working location is subject to change based on need.
All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check ( CBC ). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Substitutions to the above requirements must have prior approval from the VP of Human Resources.

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• Yes
• No
• * Are you now, or previously, employed by The University of Texas System or any of its institutions?
  • Yes - I currently am employed by the UT System or its institutions
  • Yes - I have previously been employed by the UT System or its institutions
  • No - I have never been employed by the UT System or its institutions
• * Please select your highest level of completed education.
  • 6th grade education
  • 10th grade education
  • High School Diploma or GED
  • Associates Degree, Technical, or Trade School Degree/Certification or 60 Hours of College Hours
  • Bachelors Degree from an accredited university
  • Masters Degree from an accredited university
  • Ph. D. or other terminal degree from an accredited university
  • None of the above
• * Please provide the field of study for your education:

  (Open Ended Question)

• • * Please indicate the number of years of work experience you have directly related to the position in which you are applying for:
    • Less than 1 year
    • 1 year
    • 2 years
    • 3 years
    • 4 years
    • 5 years
    • 6 years
    • 7 years
    • 8 years
    • 9 years
    • 10 years
    • Over 10 years
  • * Do you meet the minimum requirements for this position?
    • Yes
    • No