Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to workplace diversity.

Residence Requirements:

THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION.  There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

Examples of Duties:

A Patient Access Financial Counselor assists self-pay patients in obtaining assistance from New York State Medicaid or making payment arrangements through self-pay contracts for medical treatment received at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; 

Verifies patient demographic information;

Verifies insurance, determines insurance co-payments, collects co-payments and issues receipts;

Identifies and interviews uninsured/under-insured patients to assess qualifications for government or charity care programs;

Reviews and processes hardship requests/inability to pay;

Negotiates contractual payment plans and inputs information into computer system;

Assists patients in completing New York State Medicaid/Family Health Plus applications in an effort to obtain medical coverage;

Completes Financial Assistance Program applications to assess the patient’s need for charity care;

Refers patients to the on-site Medicaid Satellite Office for review and processing of completed New York State Medicaid/Family Health plus applications;

Performs other related patient access services duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one (1) year of clerical experience* in collections, billing, third party insurance claims processing, financial counseling, medical billing including New York State Medicaid, insurance verification, patient registration, or patient scheduling.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Successful completion of Certified Application Counselor (CAC) certification training as administered by the NY State of Health Marketplace within sixty (60) days of initial appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment

Notes:

1.  *Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree may be substituted for the required qualifying experience.

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the full-time experience requirements.

3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Educating and interacting with the public

These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.

Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

Arithmetic computation with calculator

These questions test for the ability to use a calculator to do basic computations. Questions will involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You may also be asked to calculate averages, to use percents, and to round an answer to the nearest whole number. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

Interviewing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.