About Zealie:
Zealie is a fast-growing Medical Billing Services company specializing in the Behavioral Healthcare industry. Our clients are substance use disorder treatment, addiction recovery, and mental health treatment centers that are saving lives on a daily basis. Our state of the art proprietary technology provides data analytics and revenue prediction tools to our clients to help them make strategic business decisions to grow their business. We are committed to delivering exceptional products and services to our clients and believe that our Collections team plays a crucial role in achieving this mission. We are seeking motivated individuals with a desire to be a part of a winning team.
Job Summary:
The Collections Director is a senior leadership role responsible for managing and optimizing the collections process within the organization. This role oversees a large team in the collections department, ensuring the timely and accurate collection of payments for provider services rendered. The Director will collaborate with the other Collections Director(s), develop and implement strategies to reduce outstanding receivables, manage relationships with payers, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. The Collections Director plays a key role in driving revenue growth by ensuring our client’s cash flow remains stable, and claims are processed efficiently.
Key Responsibilities include:
Strategic Leadership and Oversight:
- Develop and implement the overall strategy for the collections department, aligning with the organization’s financial goals and compliance standards.
- Create and enforce policies and procedures(SOPs) for effective collections management, ensuring compliance with payer requirements and federal, state, and local regulations.
- Lead, mentor, and develop the collections team, ensuring high performance and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Operational Management:
- Oversee all aspects of the collections process, including denials, appeals management, and follow-up on unpaid claims.
- Ensure that the collections department operates efficiently, with a focus on reducing days in accounts receivable (AR) and minimizing write-offs and bad debt.
- Collaborate with the billing department to resolve claim denials and discrepancies, ensuring timely re-submissions and appeals.
Operational Management:
- Oversee all aspects of the collections process, including denials, appeals management, and follow-up on unpaid claims.
- Ensure that the collections department operates efficiently, with a focus on reducing days in accounts receivable (AR) and minimizing write-offs and bad debt.
- Collaborate with the billing department to resolve claim denials and discrepancies, ensuring timely re-submissions and appeals.
Compliance and Quality Assurance:
- Ensure that all collection practices comply with federal and state regulations, including HIPAA, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and payer-specific rules.
- Conduct regular audits of the collections process to ensure adherence to established protocols and identify areas for improvement.
- Stay current with industry standards and legal requirements related to collections and implement any necessary changes to internal processes.
Financial Management:
- Manage the collections department’s budget, optimizing resources to ensure cost-effective operations.
- Analyze financial data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within the collections process, using this information to make informed strategic decisions.
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as Days Unpaid, collection rates, and denial rates, implementing strategies to improve overall performance.
Collaboration and Communication:
- Work closely with billing, verification of benefits (VOB), Medical Records, and UR teams to ensure seamless coordination of the revenue cycle and resolve outstanding issues.
- Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for clients regarding collections concerns and advise on strategies to increase collections.
- Provide regular updates and reports to executive leadership on the status of collections teams’ performance, and any challenges or opportunities.
Performance Management and Reporting:
- Establish and track KPIs to measure the performance of the collections department, identifying areas for improvement and taking corrective actions when necessary.
- Prepare detailed reports for executive leadership, providing insights into collections trends, challenges, and opportunities to enhance cash flow and reduce receivables.
- Utilize data and metrics to drive process improvements and optimize collections performance.
Continuous Improvement:
- Lead initiatives to streamline the collections process, integrating technology and best practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- Develop and oversee staff training programs to ensure the collections team is well-versed in industry standards, payer-specific requirements, and legal obligations.
- Proactively identify opportunities to improve collections strategies, reducing outstanding balances and improving the organization's cash flow
Risk Management:
- Identify and mitigate risks related to collections, such as non-compliance with payer requirements, regulatory violations, and collection errors.
- Implement internal controls to ensure that collection activities are conducted in an ethical and compliant manner, safeguarding against fraud and legal issues.
- Manage escalations and critical incidents within the collections process, ensuring prompt and effective resolution
Qualifications and Skills:
Experience:
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in healthcare collections, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within the behavioral healthcare sector.
- Extensive knowledge of collections processes for behavioral health services, including insurance and patient collections, appeals management, and payer-specific requirements.
- Proven track record of improving collections performance and reducing outstanding receivables.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Finance, Business, or a related field is required. A Master’s degree or higher in a related field is preferred.
Skills:
- Leadership: Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to drive performance and foster a results-oriented environment.
- Communication: Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal teams, payers, and patients.
- Technical Proficiency: Expertise in healthcare collections systems and electronic medical records (EMR) systems (e.g., Kipu, Kareo, or similar).
- Analytical Skills: Advanced analytical skills to track collections performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize processes.
- Compliance Expertise: In-depth knowledge of HIPAA, FDCPA, and payer-specific rules related to collections.
Additional Preferred Experience:
- Experience managing collections for multi-site behavioral healthcare organizations.
- Familiarity with various levels of care in behavioral health, including detox, residential treatment, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and partial hospitalization programs (PHP).
- Demonstrated success in improving cash flow, reducing accounts receivable, and minimizing write-offs in a high-volume healthcare environment.
What We Offer:
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunities for professional growth and development.
- A supportive and collaborative work environment.
- The chance to make a meaningful impact on our customers and our company.
Zealie is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $80,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Have you managed a team of more than 100 employees in your recent RCM role(s)?
- Is your experience in healthcare or behavioral healthcare?
Experience:
- Revenue cycle management: 10 years (Required)
Work Location: Remote
