Financial Counselor

Overview:

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

 

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

 

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

 

 

The Financial Counselor, under the management of the VP for Patient Financial Services, is responsible for all
customer service and financial counseling-related inquiries for Palisades Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian
Health (HMH).

 

 

Responsibilities:

Essential Job Functions: 
1. Reviews all documentation in the Charity Care applications and approves to ensure compliance with
State Regulations. Charity Care applications are approved or denied within 2 weeks of submission of all
required documents.
2. Responsible for accurately entering data into the State of NJ Presumptive Eligibility (PE) New Jersey
Family Care (NJFC) systems and ensuring that all PE/NJFC confirmations are mailed to patients on a
timely basis. Accurately enter data into the HMH Financial Assistance workflow system, add appropriate
notes to the accounts, and assign an accurate status for timely follow-up.
3. Responsible for reviewing and analyzing the Charity Care claim denials and rebill accounts as warranted.
4. Responsible for submitting voids and corrected claims to the State accessing the billing application (The
Assurance Reimbursement Management System).
5. Responsible for completing PA1C form for Emergency Medicaid Patients on a timely basis according to
State Regulations.
6. Assists in the completion of financial assistance applications and obtaining signatures of patients or
designees either at the bedside, applicable intake office, or through the mail.

7. Open mail, scan documents and enter notes into systems in a timely manner.
8. Analyzes documentation such as bank statements, tax forms, attestations, etc. to ensure compliance
with State regulations.
9. Accurately interpret as needed patient requests, screen for all appropriate insurance plans, if appropriate,
start the application over the phone, and clearly identify what documentation are needed/next steps.

10. Performs timely resolution of patient inquiries/complaints, via telephone, in person, or in writing, utilizing
EPIC, TD Bank Portal, Commerce Bank Portal, Assurance, Navinet, PEAR portal, Expresso, Trust
Commerce Portal, TD Bank Correspondence Portal, Oconco Portal, Accounts Payable System.
11. Once determined patients are over income/assets for charity care, evaluate and approve for the other
available programs: Comp Care II or III. Ensures all documentation is on file to ensure compliance
12. Handles inbound phone calls for all self-pay accounts daily.
13. Reconciles insurers’ payment to the explanation of benefits to determine patients’ responsibility, and
performs a comparison to managed care contracts for accuracy.
14. Provides financing solutions for patients including developing payment plan options, communicating to the
patients, and implementing those plans, in line with pre-established goals.
15. Performs financial screening for uninsured or minimally insured patients to determine the next phase of
customer care.
16. All applications and supporting documentation are scanned into the HMH document imaging system
(OnBase, RASi) in audit-ready order.

17. Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
18. Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
1. High School diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), and/or GED equivalent programs.
2. In-depth knowledge of third-party follow-up, reconciliation, billing, and other key areas of patient financial
services.
3. Exceptional customer care skills include active listening, compassion, critical thinking, verbal and written
communication skills, and exhibit a professional phone voice.
4. Strong time management and decision-making skills.
5. Experience in analysis of accounts in a hospital or physician environment.
6. Attention to detail.
7. Must be proficient with workflow/work queue systems, Patient Management systems, document Imaging,
PDF creators, Microsoft Office/Google, and website applications.

 

Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Preferred:
1. Bilingual (Spanish).
2. One or more years of experience with NJ Charity Care regulations, NJFC program and/or other related
financial assistance/counseling programs.

 

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

Not Applicable.

Contacts: Regular contact with patients, insurance companies, third-party intermediaries, the Office of Patient
Experience, Medical Center personnel, outside agencies, and visitors.

Starting Minimum Rate: Minimum rate of $23.46 Hourly Job Posting Disclosure: HMH is committed to pay equity and transparency for our team members. The posted rate of pay in this job posting is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act and does not reflect the full value of our market-competitive total rewards package. The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer. Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate in the offer, depending on the level and nature of the job duties and credentials of the candidate. The base compensation determined at the time of the offer may be different than the posted rate of pay based on a number of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to: Labor Market Data: Compensation is benchmarked against market data to ensure competitiveness. Experience: Years of relevant work experience. Education and Certifications: Level of education attained, including specialized certifications, credentials, completed apprenticeship programs or advanced training. Skills: Demonstrated proficiency in relevant skills and competencies. Geographic Location: Cost of living and market rates for the specific location. Internal Equity: Compensation is determined in a manner consistent with compensation ranges for similar roles within the organization. Budget and Grant Funding: Departmental budgets and any grant funding associated with the job position may impact the pay that can be offered. Some jobs may also be eligible for performance-based incentives, bonuses, or commissions not reflected in the starting rate. Certain positions may also be eligible for shift differentials for work performed on evening, night, or weekend shifts. In addition to our compensation for full-time and part-time (20+ hours/week) job positions, HMH offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits.