In this position, I wear many hats. When the federal grant ended, Three Rivers Hospital decided that I had been a big asset to the folks in our community in obtaining health insurance, so they hired me to continue serving the people of our town. I also started working for our general surgeon at the hospital, and eventually became the clinic manager for our outpatient specialist department. Another of my roles here at Three Rivers Hospital is to supervise our Admitting Department as well as our Financial Counselor, focusing on upfront collections and working with patients to make payment arrangements for the services they receive. Also in this position, I oversee our interpreting services, making sure that we have those services available to the patients who come through our doors. In September 2013, I became a certified In-Person Assister so that I can now assist my clients in obtaining Apple Health or health insurance through the WA Benefit Exchange via the Washington Healthplan Finder portal.

I worked as Access Coordinator on a federal grant. There were six of us, all placed in healthcare facilities to assist people in our communities to access health insurance, as well as helping them with other needs. The grant's goal was to assist as many of the uninsured in our community obtain some type of health insurance coverage, whether it be Medicaid or any other type of insurance they may be eligible for. I was regularly out in the community making connections with schools, local businesses, etc. I attended health fairs, children's events and gave workshops to parents at schools teaching them how to obtain health insurance for their children. Before long, word of mouth had worked wonders, and folks in the community began to call me for assistance. I loved this job!

As Managed Care Coordinator, I was responsible for obtaining prior authorizations for all patients whose insurance required them, whether it be for a clinic visit or for a scheduled surgery. I also supervised the patient check-in reps, and trained them in all aspects of insurance. During eight of my years at this facility, I was the clinic's credit manager. In this position, I worked all past due accounts via phone, letter or in person; and was responsible for turning over delinquent accounts to collection.