Patient Billing Coordinator Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

By | September 3, 2023
Patient Billing Coordinator job description, duties, tasks, and responsibilities
Patient Billing Coordinators perform accounting and other payment related duties in a clinic. Image source: Haverstrawpediatrics.com

This post provides detailed information on the job description of a patient billing coordinator, to increase your knowledge of what they do.

What Does a Patient Billing Coordinator Do?

A patient billing coordinator is a person who performs accounting and other payment related duties to balance accounts in a medical establishment.

The major responsibility of patient billing coordinators is to ensure that services rendered in the clinic are properly accounted for by auditing billing systems.

They are responsible for creating invoices and issuing them to patients.

The job description of a patient billing coordinator entails processing patients’ hospital billings, including calculating charges and assigning specific codes obtainable at the clinic.

He/she will ensure that patients’ claims are processed based on the services rendered by the clinic, and submitted to the authorities in due time.

To ensure patients’ claims are paid, he/she will follow up the process, monitoring unpaid claims until they are attended to.

In the event that claims are denied, it is also his/her responsibility to resubmit them.

The role of the patient’s billing coordinator also involves utilizing relevant collection agencies to collect accounts after duly assessing them.

He/she is also responsible to testify in court in support of the patient if the need arises.

The job of a billing coordinator requires a high degree of accuracy. To achieve this, individuals holding the position must be able to maintain full concentration in the course of duty to input figures and digits of transactions accurately, because inaccurate billing information could jeopardize the integrity of the hospital.

Billing coordinators at the hospitals deal with patients directly. They maintain courtesy so that their clients will be comfortable in their presence to cooperate with them in providing the necessary information that they need to prepare billing documents and receipts.

They are usually patient and professional, even with difficult clients who wouldn’t cooperate in giving the needed information about their billing charges.

The coordinator of patients’ billing also play the role of generating revenue for the clinic by processing payments, sorting accounts, and monitoring delinquent accounts.

In a bid to protect patients’ right to privacy, the billing coordinator will ensure that all billing transactions are handled with confidentiality and are kept within the confines of the clinic.

Protecting patients’ privacy also means that the integrity and value of the hospital will be protected. This can win patients’ trust for the hospital.

The patient billing coordinator is expected to maintain clean records in his/her operations by adhering to professional standards, state requirements, and hospital policies.

He/she will ensure that patients are treated following due process without jumping the gun in order to avoid problems in the future.

Patient Billing Coordinator Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Patient billing coordinators perform various tasks, duties and responsibilities as part of their job description.

Here is a job description example, showing the major functions which individuals who work as a billing coordinator in a hospital usually perform.

  • Make use of codes to interpret patient health claims and submit records to insurance companies as requested
  • Assist patients by following up health claims, as well as appealing unpaid claims
  • Create patient invoice by recording services provided to patients, and confirming them with doctors
  • Maintain competence in the job by participating in educational opportunities organized to train practitioners in the field
  • Verify patient information to ensure it is complete and accurate; and update patient information regularly to reflect changes in their demographics
  • Facilitate the resolution of all issues concerning billing by assessing contract with third party payers; explain insurance packages to patients and negotiate settlements
  • Maintain record of services received by patients in the clinic by entering data into the computer system and making them available when needed
  • Ensure that patients’ files are kept safe so as to avoid issues of lost or damaged files.

Patient Billing Coordinator Job Description for Resume

A resume for the position of billing coordinator in a clinic can be produced with information contained in the job description sample above.

You can use this information in creating the job history section of the resume, which shows prospective employers your competence for the job.

Patient Billing Coordinator Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

To be offered employment, most employers will require that individuals vying for the patient billing coordinator position should possess the following attributes:

  • Possess good knowledge of medical insurance practice
  • Proficient in the use of computers in filing and processing of data
  • Strong knowledge of arithmetic to be able to perform simple calculations
  • Possess good analytical reasoning skills for solving problems
  • Possess strong administrative skills for effective coordination of the billing unit
  • Strong ability to process data and provide accurate report to management
  • Possess strong interpersonal skills for developing good relationship with patients and staff effectively.