Job Description
The Financial Counselor is an advanced-level position responsible for performing comprehensive patient access and admissions functions while demonstrating elevated proficiency across all departmental workflows. This role is expected to maintain competency to provide interim coverage within any admissions area with minimal refresher training. The Financial Counselor facilitates patient access to Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital (CSMH) services by securing accurate demographic and financial information through registration and pre-registration activities, insurance verification, Third Party Liability (TPL) screening, Medi-Cal and Medicare eligibility verification, Workers' Compensation eligibility review, and collection of required patient payments, including co-payments, deductibles, and deposits. The position serves as a key resource for patients, families, and staff by clearly explaining financial information, addressing questions, and supporting a positive patient experience while maintaining compliance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
Principal Responsibilities:
- Performs admissions activities for pre-admit and face-to-face patient registration across inpatient, outpatient, and procedural areas, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely processing.
- Obtains financial clearance by verifying insurance coverage through electronic systems, payer portals, and direct payer communication, and determines the patient’s appropriate financial classification.
- Conducts thorough system searches to confirm or assign medical record numbers, ensuring data integrity and preventing duplicate records.
- Reviews physician selection and identifies privileging or suspension concerns, coordinating resolution with appropriate departments as needed.
- Demonstrates strong patient interviewing and customer service skills, interacting with patients and families with sensitivity to diverse populations and healthcare needs.
- Independently manages routine and complex inquiries from patients, representatives, physicians, and payers, escalating concerns appropriately when necessary.
- Explains financial obligations, including deductibles, co-payments, and estimated charges, and demonstrates effective point-of-service collection practices while meeting established collection goals.
- Screens uninsured or underinsured patients for eligibility for government programs and financial assistance and assists with application completion and submission in a timely and accurate manner.
- Educates patients regarding payment options, financial policies, good faith estimates, and available support resources to promote informed decision-making.
- Collaborates with physicians, clinical departments, case management, billing, and other operational teams to ensure accurate intake information, resolve financial concerns, and support continuity of care.
- Maintains proficiency in hospital information systems and related software applications used for registration, insurance verification, and financial documentation, with competency sufficient to support department operations.
- Compiles reports and retrieves data from available systems as requested to support operational needs and departmental decision-making.
- Manages assigned worklists daily, prioritizes tasks effectively, and assists team members as needed to maintain workflow efficiency.
- Demonstrates flexibility and competency across all functional areas within the registration/admissions department, supporting departmental coverage needs as required.
- Adheres to all applicable hospital policies and state, federal, and regulatory requirements related to patient access, financial practices, privacy, and compliance, and performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education:
- High School Diploma/GED, High School diploma/General Equivalency Diploma (GED) (Minimum)
- Bachelor's Degree, Hospital Administration or equivalent (Preferred)
Work Experience:
- 3 years Healthcare Revenue Cycle Experience (Preferred)
Licenses and Certifications:
- Certified Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA) Certification issued by the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM) (Preferred)
Our compensation philosophy
We offer competitive total compensation that includes pay, benefits, and other recognition programs for our employees. The base pay range shown above takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including knowledge/skills; relevant experience and training; education/certifications/licensure; and other business and organizational factors. This base pay range does not include our comprehensive benefits package and any incentive payments that may be applicable to this role. Pay Transparency Non Discrimination Provision (PDF) (opens in new window)
Diversity and Inclusion at Cedars-Sinai
We are caretakers and innovators committed to the pursuit of equitable healthcare. But health equity is not possible without representation. Our commitment to diversity goes beyond demographics or checking boxes. Our people must reflect the diverse identities, experiences and geographies of the communities and patients we serve – because that’s what our patients, colleagues and communities deserve. Quality Care and Research—For All, By All (opens in new window).
Cedars-Sinai is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Cedars-Sinai does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of the race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics or any genetic information), marital status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age (40 or older), military and/or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal or state law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at Applicant_Accommodation@cshs.org and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.
Cedars-Sinai will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, in accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
At Cedars-Sinai, we are dedicated to the safety, health and wellbeing of our patients and employees. This includes protecting our patients from communicable diseases, such as influenza (flu) and COVID-19. For this reason, we require that all new employees receive a flu vaccine based on the seasonal availability of flu vaccine (typically during September through April each year) as a condition of employment, and annually thereafter as a condition of continued employment, subject to medical exemption or religious accommodation. For the same reason, you may also be required to receive other vaccines such as COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Cedars-Sinai reserves the right to make modifications to its required list of vaccines as required by law and/or policy. Cedars-Sinai’s AA Policy Statement (PDF) (opens in new window)