About the Company
Advanced therapies represent one of the most significant shifts in modern healthcare, yet health systems face substantial operational, clinical, and financial barriers to adoption.
Shields Advanced Therapies was created to solve this challenge, partnering with leading academic medical centers and pharmaceutical companies to build the infrastructure necessary to bring these breakthrough treatments to more patients.
The company is led by a seasoned leadership team and is grounded in Shields' longstanding commitment to culture, hospital partnership, and delivering better patient care at the lowest possible cost.
Today, Shields Advanced Therapies is anchored by 8 of the Top 20 Academic Medical Centers in the United States and Shields' 40+ year track record of partnering with over 1,000 hospitals across 43 states provides a natural channel for continued expansion.
Overview of USC & Shields Advanced Therapies Joint Venture
Keck Medicine of USC has partnered with Shields Advanced Therapies to implement and expand clinical support, operations, and technology across all USC programs delivering advanced therapies to patients.
By investing in new resourcing, infrastructure, and technologies, this business unit will serve as a horizontal support partner across 50+ disease programs, inpatient and outpatient sites of service, and all participating USC network facilities.
In addition to developing a comprehensive program within USC, Shields Advanced Therapies plans to leverage the Joint Venture's infrastructure to deploy a hub and spoke model to extend USC's best-in-class care and advanced therapies service model across the greater Southern California market.
Role Overview
The Cell & Gene Therapy Benefits Specialist will play a crucial role in managing and coordinating patient financial services, ensuring that patients understand and can access available financial resources from payers, manufacturers, and foundations.
This is a full-time, hybrid role based in Los Angeles (4 days/week in office) reporting to the Director, Clinical Operations.
Core Responsibilities
Benefits Investigation & Verification
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Work with all payers (Government, Commercial, and otherwise, including out-of-state Medicaid agencies), pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and third-party administrators (TPAs) to identify, investigate and verify patient insurance coverage and benefits as early as possible within the care journey to ensure timely access to care, accurate billing, and minimal claim denials.
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This involves confirming eligibility and understanding the specifics of various insurance plans, including site-of-care considerations.
Prior Authorization Facilitation
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Work with patients, Cell & Gene Therapy Clinical Coordinators, clinical staff, payers, and others to secure prior authorizations for each component of the treatment plan as applicable/required.
Benefit Enrollment Assistance (if applicable)
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Guide patients through the process of enrolling in appropriate benefit programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, or other financial assistance options. This may involve helping patients complete necessary applications and providing information on program requirements.
Patient Financial Counseling
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Assist patients in understanding their insurance benefits, out-of-pocket costs, and available financial assistance programs. This includes explaining coverage details and guiding patients through the complexities of healthcare billing, including site-of-care considerations.
Collaboration with Departments
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Work closely with clinical staff, patient accounting, billing & collections, and other hospital departments (e.g., research) to communicate benefits considerations and serve as point of contact during financial clearance process, ensure accuracy, and enhance patient satisfaction. This collaboration ensures that financial considerations are integrated into patient care planning.
Collaboration with Manufacturers
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In partnership with the , work with manufacturers to attempt to secure additional financial assistance as applicable/appropriate.
Compliance and Documentation
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Maintain accurate records of patient interactions, financial agreements, and assistance provided, ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations and privacy laws. This includes documenting all financial counseling sessions and maintaining confidentiality of patient information.
Development and Execution of Financial Pathways
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Codify and execute benefits investigation and prior authorization pathways tailored to each product covered by advanced therapy programs across Health System Partner's service lines and therapeutic programs.
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Where Letters of Agreement or Single Case Agreements are needed to ensure access, partner with Managed Care and Payer Access teams to solidify agreements that get patients to treatment.
Programmatic Expansion
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Contribute to development of centralized Benefits Specialist function that will augment dedicated teams at our Health System Partners and other future partners.
Credentials & Requirements
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Ideal candidate will have 5+ years of experience in healthcare billing, insurance coordination, or patient financial counselling
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Familiarity with healthcare financial systems and the insurance verification process required
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Strong communication and interpersonal skills are crucial for effectively assisting patients
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Attention to detail, organizational abilities, and proficiency with healthcare information systems are also important
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Prior experience/familiarity with payer navigation specifically related to cellular therapy (CAR T, TIL, etc.), gene therapy, and/or bone marrow transplant patient journeys and applicable prior authorizations required to enable is preferred
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Prior exposure with both inpatient & outpatient site-of-care also preferred but not required
Compensation
Competitive base salary with bonus opportunity tied to outcomes metrics, with comprehensive benefits coverage also offered.
