Author Archives: Zach Kohlmeier

5 Healthcare Industry Trends Happening in 2017

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Following trends in the healthcare industry will help you better understand the political, medical, economical, and technological changes being used to support patient care and help cut operation costs.

The healthcare industry is continuing to become more stable and self-sufficient as the years go on. Inter-related industries such as banking, insurance, and healthcare vendors and suppliers will gain positive benefits from a lot of trends, but it’s the consumers who will benefit most from them. This is especially true when it comes to technology which will allow patients to easily lead better, healthier lives by use of their phones or tablets for online video consultations without ever leaving home.

  1. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)

Payers and physicians believe MACRA will dramatically change the way providers will receive payments in America. Some concerns of MACRA include:

  • Providers not being aware of MACRA.
  • It’s challenging to extend the programs to rural and small practices.
  • The implementation of MACRA is difficult due to it being a 2400 page long comprehensive document.

  1. Affordable Care Act (ACA)

One of President Donald Trump’s top priorities is repealing and replacing Obamacare, although complete repeal of ACA may not be the best choice for many reasons such as not knowing:

  • What will happen to provisions such as being able to wave the pre-existing conditions clause?
  • Will children be covered under their parents insurance?
  • How many people will become insured or lose insurance?

  1. Costs

Medical cost growth is estimated to be 6.5% with prices continuing to be major drivers of healthcare costs according to PwC. An increase in the US economy is gaining greater inflation rates, affecting the labor-intensive health sector, increasing wages, and medical prices. Employers are looking at new cost containment strategies such as working with providers to help lower healthcare prices beyond increasing costs through high deductible plans.

  1. Biosimilars

Biosimilars are alternative drugs generated from living organisms, which can cause tiny differences each time batches of the medicine are made. Unlike generic drugs which are made by using the same formula to create a copy of another drug, the biological medicine people take may not be the same every time they take it. With drug prices continuing to rise, the adoption of biosimilars in the United States can open up the door for lower healthcare costs and better patient access.

  1. Empowerment with Wearable Technology

Often, patients are more likely to take over control of their health management when they are more aware of their conditions, allowing for better outcomes and lower cost of care. Combining a person’s data from a lifetime of medical records and putting their information into wearable devices by way of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as having experienced doctors and nurses, allows patients to receive information such as simple reminders, encouragement, or warnings over social media or through their smartphone apps.

Data Entry Representative

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The primary purpose of this position is to enter data from different documents into the computer system for purposes such as storage, processing, and data management. A data entry representative will need to focus on things such as speed, accuracy, and attention to detail. You will be responsible for duties related to enrolling, dis-enrolling, and maintaining membership records.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Prepares, gathers, and arranges data to be entered in to the computer
  • Checks documents for accuracy
  • Addresses and makes necessary corrections to files as needed
  • Scans documents into databases
  • Maintains agendas of records for activities and tasks
  • Transcribes information into electronic format as required
  • Keeps sensitive customer and company information confidential

Education and Qualifications

  • High school diploma
  • 1+ years of data management experience
  • Healthcare experience strongly preferred

Apply Today

Candidates interested in this position will need to have strong critical thinking skills, as you will be entering enrollment data and will need to make corrections to files when necessary. If a data entry representative role seems right for you, let us connect you with one of our professional recruiting consultants at HealthCare Support Staffing (HSS) to help get you placed in one of the many healthcare facilities throughout the United States. HSS can assure talented healthcare professionals will receive fast access to excellent career opportunities.

Authorizations Specialist

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The person in this position monitors incoming patient orders and gathers information needed to complete the pre-authorization and scheduling of an order. You will evaluate portions to be paid by the customer as well as perform all insurance related assignments as instructed. You must complete functions of this role in a timely and accurate manor, as a patient’s treatment and satisfaction, as well as the collection of account balances, are impacted.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Handles the verification of insurance benefits for customers
  • Notifies customers of deductibles and co-insurance due
  • Contacts primary care physicians in regards to referrals
  • Regularly calls insurance companies to follow up
  • Explores other payment options with customer when needed
  • Keeps sensitive customer and company information confidential
  • Contacts customer when needing to obtain information

Education and Qualifications

  • High school diploma
  • 1+ years of insurance verification
  • Familiar with medical terminology
  • Professional telephone courtesy

We’re here to Help

If you have important qualities such as integrity, strong interpersonal, organizational, and writing skills, you could be a perfect candidate for an authorizations specialist role. At HealthCare Support Staffing (HSS), we partner you with a recruiting specialist that gets to know you and your career goals. From there, HSS matches your talents to compatible job opportunities. Use our website to search open jobs and sign up for emails containing job alerts. No matter what your career goal is, HSS is here to help.

Medical Records Clerk

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This position includes duties such as compiling, verifying and filing medical records. You will review patient data and complete audits. Attention to detail is critical as the audits reflect regulatory compliance.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Reviews medical records for accuracy
  • Generates invoices for insurance companies and patients
  • Handles forms of payment and enters in to accounting software
  • Ensures compliance with medical billing protocol
  • Timely processing and distribution of documented reports
  • Mails, faxes, and files physicians documentation

Education and Qualifications

  • High school diploma
  • Medical record background in managed care or hospital
  • Familiar with medical terminology
  • Strong analytical skills
  • One year of clerical or secretarial experience

Let Us Connect You

Medical record clerks help serve and protect the hospital community by following professional standards, federal, state, and local requirements as well as policies and procedures of hospitals. If you are looking for a medical records clerk position, let HealthCare Support Staffing (HSS) connect you with open positions in some of the largest and most prestigious healthcare facilities. At HSS, we are have dedicated ourselves to finding you the perfect career match. To help you enhance your job search and application process, or to stay connected, join our talent network today!

Hurricanes: How the Healthcare Industry is helping

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History has been made in the US after having two Atlantic category 4 storms make landfall in the same year according to The Weather Channel. As Texas was still addressing the destruction left behind from Hurricane Harvey in late August, Floridians began scrambling in the beginning of September to prepare for Hurricane Irma’s arrival. Just 16 days after Hurricane Harvey roared into Rockport Texas, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Keys on the morning of September 10, 2017, continuing to destroy Florida into Monday morning, and then making its way to Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.

In Texas, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, the State Department of Health requested medical care be on-site with a 250-bed Federal Medical Station organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Using its emPOWER tool, HHS was able to provide information to local public health officials regarding the needs of people who rely upon electricity dependent medical equipment ranging from electric wheelchairs to dialysis machines. HHS was also committed to supporting state and local agencies in meeting healthcare needs preceding the storm by evacuating hospital patients to facilities away from impacted areas.

According to CNBC, healthcare companies are also assisting with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts by donating money to various organizations to help those who were affected by the storm. Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, announced their $1 million donation to the American Red Cross and will match employee’s donations to the company’s employee assistance nonprofit organization, the HCA Hope Fund, up to $1 million. Aetna Inc., a diversified healthcare benefits company said they would contribute $100,000 to the American Red Cross, $100,000 to the Community Foundation of Greater Houston, and $50,000 to Team Rubicon.

Nurse.org reported that hospitals in the Florida mainland would not be evacuated and hospital staff would remain at the facility, working alpha and bravo shifts during the storm. The alpha team works throughout the storm until the bravo team relieves them once the storm passes. Often, healthcare staff are forced to stay at the facilities they are working because the relief shift cannot make it due to dangerous conditions outside. It isn’t uncommon for staff to sleep on floors and lobby couches and eat while standing up, but they make do with what they have because their first priority is always their patients.

McKesson Corporation, a well-known distributor of medications and medical surgical supplies, made sure they were prepared before, during, and after Hurricane Irma to meet customer and first responder needs. Because of their relationship with pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and doctors, McKesson is exceptionally qualified to quickly meet the needs of healthcare organizations and first-responders during natural disasters.

HealthCare Support (HSS) is also doing their part by fundraising for AmeriCares, a non-profit disaster relief and global health organization that provides immediate response to emergency medical needs for people in the United States and around the world.  In two weeks HSS employees pulled together $1,515 for the charity.  The money will be used to provide medical care and medicine to those who were affected most by Hurricane Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Virgin Islands, Dominica, Barbuda, and many others. For every $10 donation Americares is able to provide $200 in aid.

From medical staff taking care of patients in hospitals to companies taking supportive actions such as waiving preauthorization for new and existing medical pharmacy treatments and allowing early prescription refills, healthcare staff are making sure to do what they can to help prepare for hurricanes and assist those that have been affected by the storms.

6 Questions Often Asked In Interviews for Healthcare Jobs

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After you have submitted your resume with an included cover letter for the healthcare job you want, you get a call back to come in and interview. Congratulations! Make sure you’re prepared to the best of your ability for your meeting by preparing yourself to answer questions often asked in interviews for healthcare jobs. You’ll be ready to deliver your answers with confidence and increase your chances of landing that position.

Why do you want to work in this industry?

Don’t tell a potential future employer that you just like to work in the healthcare industry. Focus on your job history within the particular industry and then tie in a success story, if possible. An example would be what you have done in a previous job to help improve the practice. Maybe you worked with upper management to help increase patient satisfaction rates in your clinic by 30% and feel gratified because you work in an industry you feel passionate about.

How do you handle stressful situations?

Working in healthcare can be stressful, so it is important to make it known that you can handle these situations as they arise. Avoid sharing a story about how you were stressed because you waited too long to finish a school project. Instead, explain a time at work when you were given a difficult task or multiple assignments that needed a lot of attention, and not only did you complete the tasks, but you finished them before they were due.

What is your greatest weakness?

This is one of the most popular questions interviewers ask. It’s also one of the most difficult to answer. You don’t want to present yourself negatively by saying a weakness of yours is working too hard. Discuss skills you have improved on while also taking an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. You could say that being organized wasn’t always your strongest suit, but you implemented a time management system that helped improve your organizational skills.

What are your healthcare career goals?

Employers want to know that you are ambitious. It’s a significant investment to hire a new employee and companies want to avoid spending time training someone who is only planning on being with their business for six months before heading abroad to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you love the field you’re in, let them know you would like to move up by increasing your on-the-job experience, and eventually earning a leadership role or even becoming head of your department in the future.

Why should we hire you?

This is your chance to show why you stand out from everyone else. Don’t just explain how you’re more qualified than the other candidates or that you need a job. Explain why you would make a good employee, what you can offer, and why you would be a good fit for their company. Keep your response brief making sure to highlight previous achievements.

Do you have any questions for me?

Instead of replying, “No, I think that’s everything.” Be prepared to ask some questions. This will show you want to learn as much as possible by having done some research before going into the interview. Try and ask questions that focus on you joining their team such as, “if I get the job, how soon can I start?” Try not to ask more than three or four questions, but remember to ask about the next steps to take going forward or when you may hear back from them.

Additional Tips to Consider

Other interview tips to keep in mind include:

  • Dressing for your interview accordingly to fit with the organization and its culture.
  • Arriving on time, relaxed and prepared.
  • Making a good first impression by being authentic, upbeat, focused, confident, and concise.
  • Remember your body language is just important as your speech so make sure you smile, keep eye contact, listen, and respond.

At the end of the interview, sell yourself and close the deal. Thank the interviewer(s) in person and then by phone or email. Following up may not land you the job, but it will certainly give you an advantage and remind the employer how interested you are in the position and how much you enjoyed speaking with them.

HealthCare Support (HSS) has over a decade of experience in healthcare recruitment committed to helping candidates throughout their professional journey. Our recruiters are healthcare specialists and provide tailored coaching and preparation before each interview. Stay up-to-date on our available opportunities when you join the HealthCare Support Talent Network today! To HSS, we don’t just want to find you a job; it’s our passion to find the perfect match for you.

Collector

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A collector has experience with state and federal regulations in managing and monitoring accounts to ensure compliance. They specialize in handling all matters of debt, and they focus on the collection of bills to be paid for medical services received such as hospitalizations, surgeries, and routine checkups.

Responsibilities:

  • Billing patients for medical services
  • Follow-up with insurance companies in a timely manner to collect payments for claims
  • Document all efforts of the collections process
  • Resolve insurance or patient issues regarding incorrect billing

Qualifications:

  • High school diploma or GED required
  • 1+ year healthcare billing preferred
  • Organized and detail-oriented
  • Excellent multitasking skills
  • Strong computer skills
  • Ability and knowledge in excel and navigating multiple billing systems

Tips for Partnering with HSS to Hire the Right Healthcare Candidate for the Job

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Hiring employees can be a challenging process. It’s important to make sure the potential employee will suit your organization’s culture and team, as well as offer the skills and qualifications needed to excel in the position. Here are some tips to making sure you hire the right healthcare candidate for your business.

Accurate job descriptions matter

Providing an effective job description for the position is the first step in helping you hire the right healthcare candidate for your company. Properly identify behaviors, skills, and qualities the role requires, ensuring these assets will add value to the position. Develop a clear hiring standard based on those specific factors and remember to keep job descriptions updated if the position changes or develops.

Work as a team

Set up a meeting with the key employees who will be involved in the hiring process. Individuals with in-depth knowledge of the job and what the role requires are often better at evaluating how candidates will prosper in the position. Make sure to involve them in your recruiting strategy. Once you plan your strategy, execution begins.

Master your phone-screening skills

After reviewing a candidate’s resume, conduct a phone screen to help eliminate candidates that may not be right for the position. You can also allow your consultant at HSS to conduct a phone screen. If the candidate sounds perfect don’t hesitate to offer the job. Great candidates go quickly.

For phone screens ask open-ended questions to gather as much information as possible, making sure to include behavioral interview questions such as “Tell me about a time where you had a conflict with another employee.” Phone screens save time by allowing employers to determine if certain criteria are in agreement with the organization such as:

  • Experience
  • Scheduling
  • Qualifications
  • Workplace preferences
  • Salary requirements

Follow a standard recruitment process for Interviews

To draw fair comparisons from applicants, ask the same interview questions to help establish a consistent and successful hiring path. Have a checklist to help you systematize your employee hiring process by allowing you to keep track of your recruiting efforts.

Extend your job offer

If all the information collected during the interview process makes sense for your business, you can extend your job offer to the candidate. Remember that the key to any successful employment offer is to view it as a process that begins from the moment you interact with a potential candidate and ends when all screenings are completed and they begin the assignment.

Once your new hire gets started, remember to do your best familiarizing them with your business. Helping the new employee will ensure their success within your organization. At HealthCare Support (HSS), we know how challenging the recruiting and hiring process can be within your healthcare organization. As a result, we consider ourselves the matchmakers of the staffing world. Our hiring process focuses on putting candidates in the right job. Contact us at 407-478-0332 to let HSS help you meet your recruitment goals.

Clinical Pharmacist Liaison

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A clinical pharmacist liaison is responsible for assisting and supporting the Director of Pharmacy with strategic planning, utilization management, and development of pharmacy initiatives related to pharmacoeconomics. A clinical pharmacist liaison also works with physicians and other members of health care regarding treatment regimens, as well as serves as an authenticated information source on drugs and their application in therapy.

Responsibilities of a clinical pharmacist liaison include:

  • Direct and indirect patient care
  • Formulary management
  • Staff education
  • Cost containment
  • Research and drug product development
  • All phases of clinical trials research

Many clinical pharmacist liaisons obtain postgraduate degrees to meet the scientific duties and technical demands required in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmacists can combine their scientific background with their interest in clinical work by serving as liaisons. A variety of health care professionals educate clinical pharmacist liaisons on the uses, merits, and scientific data related to the production of their firms. After receiving administrative and management skills, experienced clinical pharmacist liaisons often hold executive positions or become supervisors within the pharmaceutical industry.

Insurance Verification Representative

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An insurance verification representative works to ensure a patient’s healthcare benefits are covered by required procedures. Coverage is verified with a patient’s insurance company and information regarding their benefits are explained to the individual. Insurance verification representatives are important to the healthcare team because they help get medical procedures for patients in need. They also help the patient understand why some procedures are covered, while others are not.

Responsibilities:

  • Verifying patient insurance coverage
  • Accurately entering data
  • Updating patient information
  • Arranging payment for services not covered under insurance
  • Discussing different financing options to fit patients budgets
  • Light administrative duties

Qualifications:

  • High school diploma or GED required
  • 1+ year healthcare billing preferred
  • Experience working with insurance companies
  • Extensive knowledge of different types of coverage and policies
  • Excellent multitasking skills
  • Organized and detail-oriented
  • Maintain accurate patient insurance records
  • Working knowledge of medical terminology