Northwestern Medicine · 5 hours ago
Financial Counselor (Hybrid)
Lake Forest, IL
Full-time
Hybrid
Entry, Mid Level
2+ years expNorthwestern Medicine is a leader in the healthcare industry, committed to providing a patient-first approach. The Financial Counselor plays a crucial role in assisting patients with financial concerns, ensuring they are informed about payment options and financial assistance programs, while adhering to compliance and confidentiality standards.
Emergency MedicineHealth CareHospitalMedicalNutritionRehabilitation
Responsibilities
Consistently practices Patients First philosophy and adheres to high standards of customer service. This includes setting an example to peers, coworkers, etc. by fostering a team atmosphere
Responds to questions and concerns
Forwards, directs and notifies Team Lead or Operations Coordinator of extraordinary issues as necessary
Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations
Provides exceptional customer service to consumers which establish a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine
Exceed all consumer requests and alert management of issues or concerns that require escalation
Identifies and works to minimize potential financial risk of patient accounts through financial reports, systems information or direct contact
Identifies and counsels financially unsecured patients regarding payment options or financial assistance programs based on department policies and procedures
Assists patients with completing financial assessment applications, makes eligibility determinations, and promptly notifies patients of outcome
Requests and collects patient deposits for self-pay patients receiving future services
Works closely with Facility MANG Representatives, Insurance Verification Team, Case Management, Central Scheduling, Ambulatory Registration, Admitting and Registration Departments, and Physician Practices to expedite prompt and appropriate resolution of patient accounts
Identifies patients with potential insurance coverage issues, including but not limited to limited coverage, and lack of in-network status
Follows department policies and procedures in regards to soliciting financial deposits, identification of in-network providers for out-of-network patients, and communication back to clinical team(s) and/or patient
Provides walk-in availability for patients with financial concerns, facilitates payment arrangements including those for Package programs, and accepts payments as necessary
Handles phone calls pertaining to aforementioned scope and provides price estimates as appropriate for the type of service requested
Adheres to all financial counseling and collection guidelines as established by Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
May conduct in-person interviews of patients receiving care while the patient is on-site
Performs telephone follow-up with unsecured patients who were not interviewed during their visit
Upon identification, Financial Counselor communicates with unsecured patients with identified patient liabilities
Complies with and meets all provisions of 501R Regulations, Fair Billing Act, and Hospital Uninsured Discount Program
Other duties as assigned
Communication and Collaboration:
Reports on activities, issues, and any action items to management and staff
Ensures responses to patient and customer inquiries, and assistance to others are performed completely, accurately, and within the time frames defined within division standards, objectives, and goals
Works collectively to meet established Dept. goals
Technology:
Documents all patient interactions in Billing System
Efficiency, Process Improvement, and Business Growth:
Meets and/or exceeds departmental, divisional, and institutional goals
Adheres to NM, divisional and departmental quality standards. Identifies opportunities for and participates in process improvement activities
Creates work that is consistently accurate and reliable
Identifies barriers to processes and performs corrective action in order to reduce or eliminate errors
Shows attention to detail, uses reasoning skills and is sufficiently organized to produce quality work
Qualification
Required
High School Diploma or equivalent
2-3 years customer service or medical office experience
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
Proficiency in computer data-entry/typing
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English
Basic Computer Skills
Ability to type 40 wpm
Ability to multi-task
Customer service oriented
Excellent organizational, time management, analytical, and problem solving skills
Preferred
Bachelor's Degree
Additional language skills
Healthcare finance and/or healthcare insurance experience
Knowledge and experience in a healthcare setting, especially patient scheduling and/or registration
Benefits
Tuition reimbursement
Loan forgiveness
401(k) matching
Lifecycle benefits
Company
Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of health care.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Northwestern Medicine has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (75)
2024 (66)
2023 (70)
2022 (78)
2021 (35)
2020 (39)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$25M2018-06-26Grant· $25M
Leadership Team
Howard Chrisman, MD
President and CEO
John A. Orsini, CPA
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2026-01-13
Near North Health
2025-12-01
Company data provided by crunchbase