County of Alameda

DESCRIPTION

DEFINITION
Under direction, to determine a client’s source for paying medical expenses and to provide related financial services which require the exercise of considerable initiative and judgment, and to do related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This is the journey-level class in the Patient Services Technician series. Positions in this class perform duties requiring skills significantly beyond those required of the class of Patient Services Technician I, and work independently. The next lower class, Patient Services Technician I, is the training level and incumbents are expected to qualify for promotion to Patient Services Technician II after six months of experience in the lower level position.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

NOTE: The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

1. May act as lead worker; assigns and delegates work; ensures that procedures are followed accurately.
2. May develop and write procedures.
3. Establish working relationships and act as a liaison with other agencies.
4. Counsel clients regarding their responsibility to reimburse the County for medical care; counsel clients and families about utilizing available resources and programs when appropriate; identify problem situations and make referrals to other hospital departments and County agencies.
5. Gather and analyze client information on financial circumstances, residence status, duration and type of care in order to determine the client’s potential eligibility for Federal, State or County programs; complete the necessary documents within time limits specified by the appropriate agency; research and resolve complex problems involving interface of various private and governmental resources to assure appropriate billing and maximum reimbursement to the County.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either l

The equivalent of six months of full-time satisfactory experience in the class of Patient Services Technician I in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II

The equivalent of one-year full-time experience performing work comparable to that performed by Patient Services Technician I.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Hospital/clinic procedures relating to the patient financial assistance operation.
• Provisions of the Medi-Cal, Medi-Care, health insurance and other pertinent legislation in the field of public medical assistance.
• Hospital or clinic organization and policy.
• Elements of supervision.
• Modern office equipment, practices and procedures, including business correspondence and filing.

Ability to:

• Comprehend, interpret and follow complex instructions related to governmental medical assistance programs.
• Obtain appropriate eligibility and financial information from clients.
• Advocate for clients to resolve discrepancies/inconsistencies related to client benefits and/or accounts.
• Keep abreast of changes in Medi-Cal and Medi-Care and other regulations as they relate to financial and program eligibility.
• Perform complex clerical work to link various computer systems.
• Make accurate calculations and computations.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Analyze problem solve and evaluate individual situations, reaching sound conclusions, and making appropriate recommendations.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relations with the public
• Function effectively within a hospital or clinic environment.
• Assume lead responsibilities.
• Work independently without immediate supervision.
• Plan and organize work.
• Exercise decision making and judgment to assess a situation, consider alternatives and choose an appropriate course of action.
• Exercise leadership.
• Exercise interpersonal sensitivity to function with a specialized population, co-workers and others.
• Work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Work independently and adapt to changes.
• Type 40 words per minute.

CLASS SPEC HISTORY

Old doc: Revised 1/79 JFB:sw
Revised 3/84 DW:Lm-h
DF:jc Revised: 8/97
AM:jc Revised 6/98
0191h Newspec: 1497.doc
BG:pf Revised 9/12/00
Csc date: 10/25/00
New document: Jobspecs/1497
ys/12/00
CSC Date: 10/25/00
TE:pf Revise 11/3/05
CSC Date: 12/7/2005

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.