NHS 'Overseas Patients' debt collector wanted at Haywards Heath

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Job Title Private & Overseas Patients Co-ordinator
Area of Work Private Patients Employer Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust .Closing Date 15/05/2008
Princess Royal Hospital
Private Patients – Finance
Private Patients & Overseas Patients Coordinator
Band 5 - £19,683 - £25,424 pro-rata per annum
Part-time 15 hrs (2 days) per week

For further information, please contact Tina Niblett, Private and Overseas Patients Manager, on 01273 696955 x 7030 or email-  tina.niblett@bsuh.nhs.uk

Job Reference: 379-APRI102 Closing date: 15 May 2008

Here’s just a few highlights from the Job Description:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Prime contact at Princess Royal Hospital site for all Private and Overseas patients when they are admitted into hospital. Writes to all patients providing details of admission. Personally establishes contact with all new patients on admission to a ward and monitors patient’s progress and treatment at hospital with regular visits to patient. Provides support to ward staff by dealing with relevant administrative details, in particular all financial issues.
2. Responsible for supporting frontline staff in the identification of overseas patients, interpreting the national guidance and making decisions on eligibility of patients for NHS treatment. In most cases this will involve interviewing the patient to establish whether they are entitled to NHS treatment or should be treated as an overseas visitor. This is a lengthy process often involving several meetings with the patient and their relatives to complete the necessary paperwork before a decision can be made by reference to the national guidance from the Department of Health on Overseas Visitors. Where the patient is ineligible for NHS treatment a request payment is necessary.
3. Responsible for ensuring that all Private Patient and Overseas patients’ services provided by the Trust are invoiced and all income invoiced is collected. Patients’ details are checked on the Oasis system and with the patients notes, and the cost of the treatment provided itemised and calculated. Liaises directly with patient regarding outstanding invoices establishing reasons for non payment.
4. Responsible for following up on all overseas visitors identified by frontline staff. Record maintained of questionnaires sent to patients and action taken. This will include the raising of an invoice to the patient, notification of GP of patients liability and amendment of information on OASIS noting that the patient is not eligible for NHS treatment. Makes contact with Immigration, Department of Health, Benefits Office and Counter Fraud Specialist, and Embassies where patient to be repatriated.
5. Responsible for ensuring that the information entered onto the Private Patients database is allocated to the correct budget code and where appropriate the consultant’s fees are separately identified and coded and that the correct procedure codes are allocated and having regard to the sensitivity of adverse publicity in respect of Overseas Visitors matters.
6. Provides specific guidance to frontline staff about overseas patients, policies and procedures. Supports frontline staff by interviewing patients who have come from overseas and may be treated as overseas patients depending on their eligibility.
7. Provides specialist expertise to resolve queries and deal with intelligence gathered from staff members of the public, patients, and PCT staff, supporting the NHS Local Counter Fraud Specialist. Promptly investigates or reports to Local Counter Fraud Specialist all suspicions of fraud in the NHS that become apparent.
8. Reviews income statistics for Private Patient activity at the Princess Royal Hospital with Private Patient and Overseas Manager and prepares the following reports:
• Summary of Debts outstanding and likely recovery
• Overseas Patients income and activity
• List of services provided but not yet billed

COMMUNICATION AND WORKING REALTIONSHIPS

External
• Patients and their relatives
• Private Patient Managers and other staff at other NHS organisations.
• Government Bodies (DOH, Strategic Health Authority, PCT’s, Benefits Office, Doctors Surgeries, Immigration Authorities and Counter Fraud Department)
• Insurance Companies and other commercial bodies (private providers of health care)
• Private Ambulance Services
• Debt collection agencies

REGISTERED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

All staff who are members of a professional body must comply with standards of professional practice/conduct.

PERSON SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE

JOB TITLE: Private Patients & Overseas Patients Co-ordinator
Department: Financial Services – Private Patients

Qualifications
Knowledge & Experience
communication:
*Proven persuasion, influencing and negotiating skills
*Excellent and demonstrable interpersonal skills with the ability to work closely and effectively with staff at all levels and from other disciplines both within and outside the organisation, in particular with medical staff.
*Ability to communicate with both visually impaired and foreign patients. This can be sensitive and complex information so excellent communication and persuasion skills are required.
*Ability to deal with disputes, complaints and confrontations

Emotional
*Able to work under pressure and deal with patients who are very ill
*Able to deal with patients who are rude and very aggressive.

Planning/ organisational
*Ability to carry out in depth investigation of fraudulent claims for free NHS treatment

Supplementary Job Description Information

*Exposure to aggressive verbal behaviour where there is little/no support When dealing with patient who have failed to pay their bills, when having to request patients to make a deposit before any treatment can be given, when having to explain to patients that they have to be moved to another ward. This is particularly difficult where the overseas visitor claims to have been abused or tortured in their home country.
*When dealing with Trust staff, particularly consultants, in situations where beds are not available, the treatment cannot be given etc.
*Frequently when dealing with visitors from overseas trying to establish whether they are eligible for NHS treatment and phone calls from patients who have been sent the overseas visitors questionnaire.
*Patients with communications difficulties can be hard to communicate with and require extra time and effort.
*When informing patients (some of whom are illegal immigrants) they are not entitled to free NHS care, confronting abusive, violent, threatening behaviour.
Emotional Effort
*Processing (e.g. typing/transmitting) news of highly distressing events *When advising patients that the cost of the operation is considerably more than they can afford/had expected; when beds are not available, when trying to collect debts.
*Advising patients from abroad they have to pay for hospital treatment when they expect to have the treatment on the NHS.
*Giving unwelcome news to patients/ clients/carers/staff *When advising patients that the cost of the operation is considerably more than they can afford/had expected; when beds are not available, when trying to collect debts.
Advising patients from abroad they have to pay for hospital treatment when they expect to have the treatment on the NHS.
*Caring for the terminally ill
*Provide support to nursing staff as appropriate and deal with insurance companies on behalf of private patients to take away any worries they have about the financial position.
Dealing with difficult situations/ circumstances
*Advising patients from abroad they have to pay for hospital treatment when they expect to have the treatment on the NHS.
*Designated to provide emotional support to front line staff
*Back up for frontline nurses when trying to establish whether patient is an Overseas patient or not and when patient is required to provide a deposit for the treatment to be carried out.
*Dealing with people with challenging behaviour
*As first point of contact in department if any patient is dissatisfied with the service that has been provided.