Contact Centre Specialist - Patient Accounts & Insurance

Job Description

Job Title: Contact Centre Specialist-Patient Accounts & Insurance.

Department: Patient Services

Reports to: Contact Centre Team Leader

Date: August 2025

Overall Purpose of Job

The primary purpose of this role is to serve as a key liaison between hospital departments in the coordination and resolution of inbound billing and insurance queries from patients. This position supports a smooth and patient-centered experience by working closely with clinical teams, admissions, finance, and health information management to provide accurate, timely information regarding insurance coverage, claims, and billing statements.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

• Professionally handle all inbound billing and insurance queries from patients in a courteous, empathetic, and efficient manner.
• Liaise effectively with colleagues across multiple hospital departments-including finance, admissions, clinical teams, and health information management-to obtain and provide accurate information.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the private health insurance market in Ireland, including provider policies, coverage details, and common billing procedures.
• Communicate clearly and confidently with patients to explain insurance coverage, billing charges, and claims processes.
• Work proactively to resolve patient queries, ensuring timely follow-up and closure of outstanding issues.
• Manage difficult or sensitive interactions with professionalism, using conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques when required.
• Identify recurring issues or trends in patient queries and escalate them to the appropriate team for review or resolution.
• Ensure all patient interactions and data handling comply with hospital policies, GDPR regulations, and confidentiality standards.
• Support the improvement of internal processes by providing feedback based on patient and departmental interactions.
• Contribute to a collaborative and responsive working environment across departments involved in the billing and insurance process.
• Be knowledgeable of full remit of Patient Accounts & Services' depts processes and their effect hospital-wide.
• Have specific operational knowledge of assigned insurance billing contract, agreements and responsibilities.
• Be competent in the use of the IT structure and processes that support billing.
• Have sufficient knowledge or access to knowledge to provide correct information with regard to fees, excesses or co-payments on individual policies or individual procedures.

Service Quality/Accreditation

• Understand the importance of quality in relation to every day work and participate in quality system measures to ensure that services are rendered at an agreed quality standard.
• Understand the importance of providing an excellent Customer Care Service to all patients, consultants and colleagues to uphold the mission, vision and values of the hospital.
• Participate in performance productivity measures.

Confidentiality

• The dignity of all patients will be respected together with their absolute right to confidentiality.
• Workings of the hospital or its patients will not be discussed with people outside the hospital, save as appropriate in the course of work.
• Documents or property of the hospital will not be removed from the hospital without prior authorisation.
• Upon cessation of employment in the hospital all property of the hospital held by the employee will be surrendered to the Human Resource Department.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• University Degree preferable
• Leaving Certificate.
• Proficiency in MS Excel & Word and other related packages.

Experience

• At least 2 years previous work experience in either a call centre, billing office or hospital environment desirable.
• Specific training will be provided

Job Specific Competencies and Knowledge

• Must possess good decision-making ability, and a capacity for problem-solving.
• Demonstrate an affinity for dealing with figures and accounts.
• A high level of patient relation skills.
• Demonstrate an aptitude to learn Meditech and supporting IT Systems.
• Capable of communicating effectively and courteously with a wide variety of departments and individuals, including insurance companies, hospital consultants, billing agencies, clinical staff and hospital management.
• Strong awareness of the need for confidentiality, discretion, precision, and a methodical approach in all matters.
• Maintain motivation to get things done with attention to detail, within the constraints of a busy department.
• Knowledge of general office business procedures essential.

Personal Competencies

• All posts in Beacon Hospital require a high level of flexibility to ensure the delivery of an effective and efficient service. Therefore, the post holder will be required to demonstrate flexibility as and when required by their manager or hospital management.
• Demonstrate an ability to prioritise work and handle large volumes of activity.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• A good level of English is required.

This job description is intended to be an outline of the areas of responsibility and deliverables at the time of its writing. As the Hospital and the post holder develop, this job description may be subject to review in light of the changing needs of the Hospital.