Authorization & Finance Operations Specialist - Healthcare - Mooresville NC Corporate Support Center

Highlights Healthcare is seeking a passionate and dedicated Authorization & Finance Operations Specialist to join our corporate support team. Our team supports our ABA therapy centers and Hospice agencies throughout the southeast.

Who is Highlights Healthcare?

Highlights Healthcare provides diagnosis and early intervention ABA therapy services to bring meaningful and positive change to children with autism. We specialize in serving young learners and families with Medicaid benefits. We believe every child can achieve great things, and we are guided by family-centered principles that demonstrate dignity and respect.

Why you should consider a position with Highlights:

• Competitive pay, commensurate with experience

• Full time employment

• Benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), 401K, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA)

• Supportive/collaborative work environment

• Growing company committed to clinical excellence and its mission

Position Summary:

The Authorization & Finance Operations Specialist is a key operational position responsible for ensuring authorization workflows
are completed accurately, timely, and efficiently while also supporting selected Accounts Payable and finance functions.
The successful candidate is expected to take ownership of workflows, identify problems before they affect operations or
revenue, follow issues through resolution, and continuously improve efficiency through better processes and
technology.

The position has significant responsibility for authorization workflows, including tracking outstanding authorizations, obtaining
required documentation and signatures, monitoring deadlines and status, coordinating with internal teams, and helping ensure
authorization requirements are completed before they disrupt services.

The position also supports Accounts Payable and financial administration, including invoice processing, vendor management,
corporate credit-card administration, documentation, payment support, and technology-based AP systems.

Future Leadership Opportunity:

This position is designed to provide a potential advancement path into authorization and operational leadership. As the
individual demonstrates mastery, judgment, accountability, process-improvement ability, and leadership capability, responsibilities
may expand to include oversight of authorization workflows, procedures and performance standards, employee training,
departmental performance monitoring, and supervision of authorization personnel.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Authorization Operations & Workflow Ownership
• Manage assigned authorization workflows from initiation through completion.
• Track authorization requirements, expiration dates, outstanding documentation, signatures, submissions, and follow-up activities.
• Gather and review documentation for completeness and accuracy before submission to payors.
• Proactively follow up with clinicians, operational personnel, and internal stakeholders regarding missing information.
• Maintain accurate authorization status information within applicable systems and tracking tools.
• Identify authorizations at risk of delay or expiration and take action before they affect services or revenue.
• Escalate significant authorization issues while maintaining ownership through resolution.
• Identify recurring authorization problems, bottlenecks, or delays and recommend solutions.
• Assist in developing standardized authorization procedures, checklists, workflows, and accountability measures.
• Maintain organized and accurate authorization documentation.
• Gather required documents related to medical-record requests when applicable.
• Develop sufficient knowledge to become a subject-matter resource for other employees.
2. Accounts Payable & Finance Operations
• Process vendor invoices accurately and timely using AP and expense-management systems.
• Review invoices for proper documentation, coding, approval, contractual terms, and payment requirements.
• Coordinate invoice processing to help ensure payments are properly authorized and issued on schedule.
• Research and resolve invoice discrepancies, duplicate invoices, payment questions, and documentation issues.
• Communicate professionally with vendors regarding invoices, payment status, and account questions.
• Maintain accurate vendor records and payment documentation.
• Assist with vendor setup and maintenance, including obtaining required documentation.
• Review vendor contracts and agreements for payment terms, pricing, renewal dates, and financial requirements.
• Administer corporate credit-card activities, including card issuance, transaction review, documentation, approvals, and
missing-receipt follow-up.
• Support account reconciliations and month-end/year-end processes as requested.
• Maintain appropriate controls and confidentiality over financial and vendor information.
3. Process Improvement & Technology
• Look for opportunities to reduce manual data entry and repetitive administrative work.
• Help standardize and simplify authorization and AP workflows.
• Utilize technology, automation, and workflow-management tools to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Become proficient with financial, authorization, document-management, and operational systems.
• Identify processes that can be automated, eliminated, consolidated, or redesigned.
• Help develop dashboards, reports, or tracking mechanisms that allow leadership to identify outstanding items and potential
problems quickly.
• Participate in implementation and testing of new technology and automated workflows.
• Measure whether process improvements reduce administrative workload, errors, delays, or cost.
4. Leadership Development & Accountability
• Demonstrate ownership of assigned processes rather than waiting for direction on individual tasks.
• Hold internal stakeholders professionally accountable for documentation and deadlines.
• Identify problems and propose solutions rather than simply reporting problems.
• Prioritize work based on operational and financial impact.
• Assist in documenting standard operating procedures.
• Help train employees on authorization or finance-related processes as expertise develops.
• Demonstrate the judgment, communication skills, and accountability necessary for future leadership responsibilities.
• Support leadership with special operational projects and cross-functional initiatives.
5. Finance Leadership & Administrative Support
• Prepare and update reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and business documents.
• Compile information for financial reviews, operational meetings, and special projects.
• Maintain organized electronic records and documentation.
• Coordinate administrative activities associated with assigned finance and authorization responsibilities.
• Provide administrative support to Finance leadership when necessary.
• Perform additional projects and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience
• Associate or bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related discipline
preferred.
• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare administration, authorization/utilization management support,
revenue-cycle operations, accounts payable, finance administration, or comparable operational work preferred.
• Healthcare or payor authorization experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with invoice processing, vendors, corporate credit cards, or AP systems preferred.
• Experience with technology-based workflow or expense-management systems, including Ramp or comparable platforms, is
desirable.
• Previous formal management experience is not required, but demonstrated leadership potential is important.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Exceptional follow-through and personal accountability.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and high-volume workflows.
• Ability to independently identify what needs to happen next and take appropriate action.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to communicate professionally and firmly when documentation or action is required from others.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Ability to understand and improve multi-step business processes.
• Comfortable learning new technology and workflow systems.
• Strong Excel, Outlook, Word, and general computer skills.
• Ability to work effectively across Finance, clinical operations, authorization personnel, vendors, and leadership.
• Sound judgment when handling confidential financial, employee, vendor, and patient-related information.
• Desire and ability to grow into increased responsibility and leadership.
Core Competencies
• Ownership: Takes responsibility for outcomes, not merely assigned tasks.
• Follow-Through: Tracks work through completion and does not allow outstanding issues to disappear.
• Urgency: Recognizes when delays could affect patient services, revenue, payments, or operations and responds accordingly.
• Accuracy: Produces reliable work and catches discrepancies before they become problems.
• Problem Solving: Investigates the cause of problems and develops practical solutions.
• Process Improvement: Looks for ways to perform work faster, more accurately, and with less manual intervention.
• Technology Orientation: Embraces automation and new systems rather than protecting outdated manual processes.
• Leadership Potential: Demonstrates initiative, judgment, communication, accountability, and the ability to influence others.
• Adaptability: Performs effectively as responsibilities and organizational needs change.
• Teamwork: Works effectively across departments while maintaining accountability for results.
Physical and Work Requirements
• Ability to perform work requiring prolonged periods of sitting and computer use.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, including computers, printers, scanners, and copiers.
• Ability to occasionally lift and move office materials and supplies.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Other Duties
This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not
intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Responsibilities may be modified or additional
duties assigned based on organizational needs.

Highlights Healthcare is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, Highlights Healthcare complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

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