Patient Advocate

The Patient Advocate serves as the patient’s champion and works on their behalf to provide individualized support while navigating the medical DME space. This role oversees continuum of care, facilitates change of insurance, rental reauthorization and other processes specific to those with Medicare as a form of primary insurance. A successful Patient Advocate carries themselves with empathy and understanding, has excellent written and verbal communication skills, and has the ability to apply critical thinking to nuanced patient situations.

Responsibilities

• Respond to inbound patient inquiries via phone, chat, text and email
• Initiate outbound patient contact, part of the rental reauthorization process, to obtain information for continued authorization of Tactile products in an active rental cycle
• Support patient continuum of care from Tactile Medical’s basic pump (Entre) to the Flexitouch in alignment with payer policy requirements
• Initiate outbound patient contact to determine treatment response and satisfaction with use of our medical device(s)
• Explain reimbursement processes, gather thorough and detailed medical information to advance prior authorization, appeal or self-pay
• For patients whose insurance has changed throughout the order process or billing cycle, will initiate outbound contact to advise patients of cost impacts and other considerations
• Document patient contact in an accurate, timely and concise manner for use by other internal departments
• Provide prompt and professional response to patients that report product or service dissatisfaction that requires additional review, evaluation or investigation
• Evaluate patient contact via inbound contact, experience reports and/or file reviews in response to patient need
• Complete documentation audits to verify complete files for shipment and billing
• Facilitate shipment and/or billing for products
• Monitor work queue and prioritize/complete patient-related tasks
• Effectively communicate patient concerns and grievances through the internal reporting system
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• 3 – 5 years of customer service, call center, or healthcare experience  

Preferred:

• Experience with medical billing, insurance, authorization and/or reauthorization, or collections

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage emotional or challenging situations effectively
• Application of de-escalation techniques when necessary
• Ability to complete multiple tasks concurrently with effective time management
• Leverages critical-thinking skills, within defined work processes and policies, in response to nuanced situations
• Exceptional written documentation skills – clear, complete, and concise
• High attention-to-detail and accuracy
• Thrive in a fast-paced, continuously changing environment

• Problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and seek support to resolve issues quickly and accurately
• Proficiency using MS Word, Excel and Outlook
• Delight customers with empathy, active listening, and timely response