Roslindale
Prior Authorization Specialist I - remote
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts, us, 02298
Prior Authorization Specialist I - Remote
Job ID: 37362Full TimePOSITION SUMMARY:Responsible for screening prior-authorization and coordination of specialized services requests in the medical care management program, including a broad range of requests for inpatient, outpatient, and ancillary services. Adheres to policies and procedures in order to comply with performance and compliance standards and to ensure cost-effective and appropriate healthcare delivery. Maintains current knowledge of network resources for referral and linkage to member’s and provider’s needs. Authorizes certain specified services, under the supervision of the manager, according to departmental guidelines. Per standard workflows, forwards specified requests to the clinician for review and processing. Answers ACD line calls from providers and other departments and redirects as needed.The Prior Authorization Specialist role belongs to the Revenue Cycle Patient Access team and is responsible for coordinating all financial clearance activities by navigating all pre-registration (to include acquiring or validating patient demographic, insurance, and other required elements along with insurance verification activities), obtaining referral authorization, or precertification number(s). The role ensures timely access to care while maximizing BMC hospital reimbursement. This role requires adherence to quality assurance guidelines as well as established productivity standards to support the work unit’s performance expectations. This position reports to the Patient Access Supervisor and requires interaction and collaboration with important stakeholders in the financial clearance process including but not limited to insurance company representatives, patients, physicians, Boston Medical Center (BMC) practice staff, case management, and Patient Financial Counseling.ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:Prioritizes incoming Prior Authorization requests.Processes incoming requests, including authorizing specified services, as outlined in departmental policies, procedures, and workflow guidelines.Refers authorization requests that require clinical judgment to Prior Authorization Clinician, Manager, or Medical Director.Meets or exceeds position metrics and Turn-Around Timeframes while maintaining a full caseload.Answers ACD line calls, verifies member eligibility, and enters into CCMS or Facets the information necessary to complete the caller’s request.Identifies and informs callers of network providers, services, and available member benefits.Informs provider of decision per department procedure.Coordinates resolution of escalated member or provider inquiries as related to Prior Authorization.Works with members, providers, and key departments to promote an understanding of Prior Authorization requirements and processes.Maintains general understanding of applicable sections of member handbooks and evidence of coverage.Monitors accounts routed to registration and prior authorization work queues and clears work queues by obtaining all necessary patient and/or payer-specific financial clearance elements in accordance with established management guidelines.Maintains knowledge of and complies with insurance companies’ requirements for obtaining prior authorizations/referrals and completes other activities to facilitate all aspects of financial clearance.Acts as subject matter expert in navigating both the BMC and payer policies to get the appropriate approvals (authorizations, pre-certs, referrals, for example) for the scheduled care to proceed.Uses appropriate strategies to underscore the most efficient process to obtaining insurance verification, authorizations, and referrals, including online databases, electronic correspondence, faxes, and phone calls.Obtains and clearly documents all referral/prior authorizations for scheduled services prior to admission within the Epic environment.Works collaboratively with primary care practices, specialty practices, referring physicians, primary care physicians, insurance carriers, patients, and any other parties to ensure that required managed care referrals and prior authorizations for specified specialty visits and other services are obtained and appropriately recorded in the relevant practice management systems.Collaborates with patients, providers, and departments to obtain all necessary information and payer permissions prior to patients’ scheduled services.Liaison between physician and payer for peer-to-peer review when needed.Escalates accounts that have been denied or will not be financially cleared as outlined by department policy.Interview patients, families, or referring physicians via telephone in advance of the patient’s appointment/visit whenever possible, to obtain all necessary information, including but not limited to, financial and demographic information required for reimbursement and compliance for services rendered.Ensure that all updated demographic and insurance information is accurately recorded in the appropriate registration systems for primary, secondary, and tertiary insurances.Review all registration and insurance information in systems and reconcile with information available from insurance carriers.For self-pay patients or patients with unresolved insurance, refer patients to Patient Financial Counseling.Maintains confidentiality of patient’s financial and medical records; adheres to the State and Federal laws regulating collection in healthcare.Participates in educational offerings sponsored by BMC or other development opportunities as assigned/available.Demonstrates knowledge & skills necessary to provide level of customer experience as aligned with BMC management expectations.Demonstrates the ability to recognize situations that require escalation to the Supervisor.Consistently meets productivity and quality expectations to align performance with assigned roles and responsibilities.Handle ACD telephone calls and emails in a timely fashion, following applicable scripting and customer service standards.Regularly undergo Quality Audits to achieve the required standard.Contact the Help Desk in the BMC Information Technology Department to report faulty systems or hardware.Communicate with all internal and external customers effectively and courteously.Attend all necessary hospital and department training as required.Assists in the orientation of new personnel under the direction of a manager or Supervisor.Perform other related duties as assigned or required.JOB REQUIREMENTSEDUCATION :High school diploma or GED required. Associate’s Degree or higher preferred.EXPERIENCE :3-5 years of office experience, specifically in either a high volume data entry office, customer service call center, or healthcare office or hospital administration is required.Experience using Insurance payer websites (i.e., Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, etc.)Customer service experience preferred.Experience with insurance verification, prior authorization, pre-certification, and financial clearance process, or related experience.Ability to process high volume of requests with a 95% or greater accuracy rate. Strong oral and written communication skills. Thorough knowledge of financial clearance process is a must. Familiarity with insurances, referral authorizations, and third-party billing procedures is essential. Knowledge of basic medical terminology and ICD-9/CPT coding is helpful. Excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships with managers, colleagues, and third-party payers. Must be self-directed and highly organized with the ability to multitask, manage complex processes, and maintain a fair sense of urgency. Requires ability to make independent decisions under pressure. Requires excellent judgment, diplomacy, collaboration, partnering, teamwork, and customer service skills. Ability to maintain confidentiality of all personal/health sensitive information. Must be comfortable with ambiguity, exhibit good decision-making and judgment capabilities, attention to detail. Knowledge of and experience within Epic is preferred. Basic computer proficiency inclusive of ability to access, enter and interpret computerized data/information including proficiency in Microsoft Suite applications, specifically Excel, Word, Outlook, and Zoom.Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans
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Job ID: 37362Full TimePOSITION SUMMARY:Responsible for screening prior-authorization and coordination of specialized services requests in the medical care management program, including a broad range of requests for inpatient, outpatient, and ancillary services. Adheres to policies and procedures in order to comply with performance and compliance standards and to ensure cost-effective and appropriate healthcare delivery. Maintains current knowledge of network resources for referral and linkage to member’s and provider’s needs. Authorizes certain specified services, under the supervision of the manager, according to departmental guidelines. Per standard workflows, forwards specified requests to the clinician for review and processing. Answers ACD line calls from providers and other departments and redirects as needed.The Prior Authorization Specialist role belongs to the Revenue Cycle Patient Access team and is responsible for coordinating all financial clearance activities by navigating all pre-registration (to include acquiring or validating patient demographic, insurance, and other required elements along with insurance verification activities), obtaining referral authorization, or precertification number(s). The role ensures timely access to care while maximizing BMC hospital reimbursement. This role requires adherence to quality assurance guidelines as well as established productivity standards to support the work unit’s performance expectations. This position reports to the Patient Access Supervisor and requires interaction and collaboration with important stakeholders in the financial clearance process including but not limited to insurance company representatives, patients, physicians, Boston Medical Center (BMC) practice staff, case management, and Patient Financial Counseling.ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:Prioritizes incoming Prior Authorization requests.Processes incoming requests, including authorizing specified services, as outlined in departmental policies, procedures, and workflow guidelines.Refers authorization requests that require clinical judgment to Prior Authorization Clinician, Manager, or Medical Director.Meets or exceeds position metrics and Turn-Around Timeframes while maintaining a full caseload.Answers ACD line calls, verifies member eligibility, and enters into CCMS or Facets the information necessary to complete the caller’s request.Identifies and informs callers of network providers, services, and available member benefits.Informs provider of decision per department procedure.Coordinates resolution of escalated member or provider inquiries as related to Prior Authorization.Works with members, providers, and key departments to promote an understanding of Prior Authorization requirements and processes.Maintains general understanding of applicable sections of member handbooks and evidence of coverage.Monitors accounts routed to registration and prior authorization work queues and clears work queues by obtaining all necessary patient and/or payer-specific financial clearance elements in accordance with established management guidelines.Maintains knowledge of and complies with insurance companies’ requirements for obtaining prior authorizations/referrals and completes other activities to facilitate all aspects of financial clearance.Acts as subject matter expert in navigating both the BMC and payer policies to get the appropriate approvals (authorizations, pre-certs, referrals, for example) for the scheduled care to proceed.Uses appropriate strategies to underscore the most efficient process to obtaining insurance verification, authorizations, and referrals, including online databases, electronic correspondence, faxes, and phone calls.Obtains and clearly documents all referral/prior authorizations for scheduled services prior to admission within the Epic environment.Works collaboratively with primary care practices, specialty practices, referring physicians, primary care physicians, insurance carriers, patients, and any other parties to ensure that required managed care referrals and prior authorizations for specified specialty visits and other services are obtained and appropriately recorded in the relevant practice management systems.Collaborates with patients, providers, and departments to obtain all necessary information and payer permissions prior to patients’ scheduled services.Liaison between physician and payer for peer-to-peer review when needed.Escalates accounts that have been denied or will not be financially cleared as outlined by department policy.Interview patients, families, or referring physicians via telephone in advance of the patient’s appointment/visit whenever possible, to obtain all necessary information, including but not limited to, financial and demographic information required for reimbursement and compliance for services rendered.Ensure that all updated demographic and insurance information is accurately recorded in the appropriate registration systems for primary, secondary, and tertiary insurances.Review all registration and insurance information in systems and reconcile with information available from insurance carriers.For self-pay patients or patients with unresolved insurance, refer patients to Patient Financial Counseling.Maintains confidentiality of patient’s financial and medical records; adheres to the State and Federal laws regulating collection in healthcare.Participates in educational offerings sponsored by BMC or other development opportunities as assigned/available.Demonstrates knowledge & skills necessary to provide level of customer experience as aligned with BMC management expectations.Demonstrates the ability to recognize situations that require escalation to the Supervisor.Consistently meets productivity and quality expectations to align performance with assigned roles and responsibilities.Handle ACD telephone calls and emails in a timely fashion, following applicable scripting and customer service standards.Regularly undergo Quality Audits to achieve the required standard.Contact the Help Desk in the BMC Information Technology Department to report faulty systems or hardware.Communicate with all internal and external customers effectively and courteously.Attend all necessary hospital and department training as required.Assists in the orientation of new personnel under the direction of a manager or Supervisor.Perform other related duties as assigned or required.JOB REQUIREMENTSEDUCATION :High school diploma or GED required. Associate’s Degree or higher preferred.EXPERIENCE :3-5 years of office experience, specifically in either a high volume data entry office, customer service call center, or healthcare office or hospital administration is required.Experience using Insurance payer websites (i.e., Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, etc.)Customer service experience preferred.Experience with insurance verification, prior authorization, pre-certification, and financial clearance process, or related experience.Ability to process high volume of requests with a 95% or greater accuracy rate. Strong oral and written communication skills. Thorough knowledge of financial clearance process is a must. Familiarity with insurances, referral authorizations, and third-party billing procedures is essential. Knowledge of basic medical terminology and ICD-9/CPT coding is helpful. Excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships with managers, colleagues, and third-party payers. Must be self-directed and highly organized with the ability to multitask, manage complex processes, and maintain a fair sense of urgency. Requires ability to make independent decisions under pressure. Requires excellent judgment, diplomacy, collaboration, partnering, teamwork, and customer service skills. Ability to maintain confidentiality of all personal/health sensitive information. Must be comfortable with ambiguity, exhibit good decision-making and judgment capabilities, attention to detail. Knowledge of and experience within Epic is preferred. Basic computer proficiency inclusive of ability to access, enter and interpret computerized data/information including proficiency in Microsoft Suite applications, specifically Excel, Word, Outlook, and Zoom.Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans
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