The Patient Access Department has a Financial Counselor who identifies and assists patients who are unable to pay their estimated liability prior to treatments or who have large outstanding balances. This assistance includes linking patients to available funding sources such as State Medical Assistance programs or by assisting with the Financial Assistance program.
An account is created for every visit, which starts the billing process. All demographic information is verified and updated at bedside, all consent forms and documentation is completed, and a quick verification for health insurance eligibility is performed. Any co-payment for the visit is collected upon discharge.
The Patient Access Department also has a Data Quality Coordinator who is responsible for resolving issues on the Previous Days Files, trending errors with insurance, Data Quality Audits, and Quality Assurance Audits.