Financial Counselor

Financial Counselor

Department: Billing / Revenue Cycle
Location: Hybrid (up to 32 hours on site per week, based on operational needs)
Reports To: Billing Department Manager
FLSA Designation: Non-exempt

Job Summary:
The Financial Counselor is responsible for all financial discussions with families prior to admission and supporting the intake lifecycle at Horizon Recovery. This role ensures families clearly understand insurance benefits, financial
responsibility, and Horizon’s financial policies before admission occurs. The Financial Counselor serves as the financial authority during intake, working in close coordination with Admissions, Intake, and Billing to ensure a seamless, ethical, and fully documented admission process. This position also ensures all required financial authorizations and agreements are executed accurately and timely, protecting both families and Horizon from downstream disputes. This is not a sales role. It is a clarity, compliance, and revenue-protection role.

Job Duties/Responsibilities/Essential Functions:
• Lead all financial discussions with prospective families prior to admission.
• Review and explain Verification of Benefits (VOB) in clear, family-friendly language.
• Set explicit expectations regarding:
o Deductibles, coinsurance, copays, and non-covered services
o Out-of-pocket responsibility and payment timelines
o Horizon’s policies related to payment plans, deposits, scholarships, and financial accommodations
• Clearly communicate what Horizon can and cannot do financially, avoiding ambiguity or implied promises.
• Address family concerns with professionalism and empathy while maintaining firm policy boundaries.
• Interpret insurance benefits across commercial and managed care payers.
• Collaborate with Billing and Utilization Management to confirm:
o Coverage limitations
o Authorization requirements
o Benefit exhaustion or coverage risk
• Identify and escalate financial risk indicators early in the intake process.
• Ensure 100% completion, accuracy, and execution of all required financial documentation and closure, including
but not limited to:
o Assignment of Benefits (AOB)
o Authorization to Release Information (AOR)
o Coordination of Benefits (COB)
o Financial Responsibility Agreements
o Approved payment plan agreements (when applicable)
o Appeals and follow-up documentation as required
• Coordinate closely with:
o Admissions Department
o Intake Coordinators
o Billing and Revenue Cycle leadership
• Align financial clearance with clinical and admissions timelines.
• Prevent intake delays by proactively resolving financial or documentation issues.
• Ensure a smooth, well-coordinated transition from inquiry to admission
• Adhere strictly to Horizon Recovery’s standard financial policies.
• No financial exceptions, including modified payment plans, reduced balances, deferred payments, or
scholarships—may be offered or implied without prior executive approval.
• When a family is unable to meet standard financial requirements:
o Compile a concise summary outlining insurance benefits, financial exposure, and relevant context.
o Escalate the request to designated executive leadership for review.
o Await formal approval before discussing any alternative terms with the family.
• Communicate approved exceptions exactly as authorized, without deviation or expansion.
• Ensure all approved exceptions are fully documented and reflected in executed agreements prior to admission
• Maintain financial documentation in compliance with payer, regulatory, and internal standards.
• Support audits, appeals, and payer inquiries through clean, defensible records.
• Escalate discrepancies, disputes, or policy deviations immediately.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of intake-related financial workflows and family education materials.

Competencies/Skills/Knowledge/Experience:
• Strong working knowledge of:
o Insurance benefit structures
o Deductibles, coinsurance, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums
o Prior authorizations and appeals processes
• Experience working directly with patients and families on sensitive financial matters.
• High attention to detail; strong follow-through on documentation and deadlines.
• Proficiency with EHR and billing systems.
• Behavioral health, substance use, or residential treatment experience.
• Experience in adolescent or family-centered treatment settings.
• Prior exposure to audits, payer disputes, or appeals.
• Work hours availability aligned with admissions and intake hours
• Clear, confident communicator
• Policy-driven and boundary-aware
• Organized, detail-oriented, and reliable
• Calm under pressure in emotionally charged conversations
• Collaborative, without overstepping authority

Minimum Qualifications:
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum 2 years of experience in healthcare financial counseling, patient access, admissions finance, or
revenue-cycle–related roles.
• Behavioral health, substance use, or residential treatment experience preferred.
• Experience in adolescent or family-centered treatment settings preferred.
• Prior exposure to audits, payer disputes, or appeals preferred.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an
employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to
enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Must be able to walk, bend, stand, climb stairs, speak English, hear, use a telephone, drive an automobile, and
operate standard office equipment, such as a computer, copier, and fax machine. Must be able to lift and carry
up to 30 pounds.

Horizon Recovery is an at-will employer. This job description is not all-inclusive. Employees may be required to perform other related duties as assigned. Horizon Recovery reserves the right to revise this job description to meet organizational needs. This does not constitute a contract of employment.

If you are serious about this opportunity, please submit your application and complete the below survey afterwards. The survey takes <10 minutes, and is best taken on a personal computer. Those who complete the survey will be given priority.

Survey: https://go.cultureindex.com/p/utPVUbk31KHz1A5RjR

We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. This job description outlines the essential functions of the position; individuals must be able to perform these functions, with or without reasonable accommodation, to be considered for this role.

EOE/M/F/V/D