Jobs › Northwestern Medicine

Financial Assessor Patient Accounting

Northwestern Medicine · Chicago, IL · Remote available · Full time · Health Care Provider

Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Northwestern Medicine

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you spotted a pattern in denials and helped prevent future ones.

What they are checking: Whether they do the root cause work the posting asks for, not just appeal one claim at a time.

How do you keep up with productivity targets without letting quality slip?

What they are checking: Whether they can meet volume standards while keeping error ratios low.

Tell me about a time you had to learn a new billing system or payer rule quickly.

What they are checking: Whether they adapt fast in an area where rules change often.

What would you do

A payer denies a claim for medical necessity. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can build an appeal with the right documentation and also look for the root cause.

How do you decide which accounts in your work queue to touch first?

What they are checking: Whether they prioritize by dollar amount, filing deadlines and age so money isn't lost.

Clinical documentation is missing for a claim. How do you get what you need from the clinical team?

What they are checking: Whether they can work with busy clinicians respectfully to fix documentation gaps.

About the work

Walk me through how you work a claim edit before submission.

What they are checking: Whether they understand how to fix errors up front so claims go out clean and on time.

How do Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers differ in how you follow up on a claim?

What they are checking: Whether they know payer rules and timely filing limits, which vary across the plans named in the posting.

What is a UB-04 and what fields cause the most trouble?

What they are checking: Whether they know hospital claim forms well enough to catch common errors.

How do you use payer portals and correspondence to follow up on aging receivables?

What they are checking: Whether they know the practical tools and keep compliant records of every contact.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Northwestern Medicine from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

The Financial Assessor Patient Accounting reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. Responsibilities: • Consistently meet the current productivity and quality standards in timely resolution of all claim edits, reporting of candidates for bill, outbound compliant claim submission, clinical documentation requirements and any other communication required (verbal or written) regarding claims ensuring timely filing of claims and clean, complete and accurate claims. • Consistently meet or exceed productivity standards, targets, error ratios, and reporting requirements assigned by the Patient Accounting Lead Financial Assessor and Operations Coordinator. • Timely follow-up and collection of third party payer receivables. Denials and Appeals follow-up including root cause analysis to reduce/prevent future denials while working to overturn denials for payment resolution. • Compliant follow-up correspondence to third party payers regarding outstanding accounts receivables (i.e. Statements, letters, e-mails, faxes, portal mail, etc.). • Support the operations related to optimum third party accounts receivables (i.e. Managed Care, Commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, Replacement plans, Workers Compensations, Corporate Accounts, Research, and Specialty AR Accounts). • Perform daily, systematic reviews of work lists to ensure all accounts already to be worked are completed. • Utilize Government, Commercial, and regulatory guidelines for collection of outstanding accounts. Recommend accounts for contractual or administrative write-off and provide appropriate justification and documentation. • Practice HIPAA privacy standards and ensure compliance with patient health information privacy practices. Provide individual contribution to the overall team effort of achieving the department accounts receivable goals. • Identify opportunities for customer, system and process improvement and submit to management. • Follow the NMHC general Policy and Procedures, the Departmental Policy and Procedures, and any Emergency Preparedness Procedures. Follow Joint Commission and outside regulatory agencies mandated rules and procedures. • Utilize assigned menus and pathways in the hospital mainframe system and report software application problems to the appropriate supervisor. • Utilize assigned menus and pathways in external software applications and report software application problems to the appropriate supervisor. • Utilize assigned computer hardware and report hardware problems to the appropriate supervisor. • Participate in the testing for assigned software applications, including verification of field integrity. • Assist the Patient Accounting Operational Coordinator and Patient Accounting Team Lead Financial Assessor with special projects and other duties as assigned, as necessary. • Attend training and seminars as assigned and approved by the Patient Accounting Operations Coordinator. Additional Responsibilities: • Demonstrate excellent customer service through oral and written communication in providing assistance/expertise to patients, authorized guarantors, and other external and internal contacts. • Demonstrate proficient use of systems and execution of processes in all areas of responsibilities. • Working knowledge of physician and facility billing and follow-up including understanding of insurance rules and regulations especially Medicare and Medicaid. Knowledge of HIPAA standards. • Ability to perform mathematical calculations. • Excellent communication skills when dealing with patients, families, public, co-workers, and professional offices. Basic knowledge of medical terminology and billing practices Required: • High School diploma • One year related work experience or college degree • Ability to perform mathematical calculations • Basic knowledge of medical terminology and billing practices • Extensive experience and knowledge of PC applications, including Microsoft Office and Excel • Learn quickly and meet continuous timelines • Exhibit behaviors consistent with principles of excellent service. Preferred: • Two or more years’ college or college degree. • Call center, telephone work experience or cash collections experience. • Knowledge of Epic Systems. • Two (2) years progressive work experience in a hospital/ physician billing or SBO environment. • Detail-oriented, good organizational skills, and ability to be self-directed. • Strong time management skills, managing multiple priorities and a heavy workload in a high-stress atmosphere. • Flexibility to perform other tasks as needed in an active work environment with changing work needs. • High-level problem solving, analytical, and investigational skills. • Excellent internal/external customer service skills. Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information NorthwesternMedicine Career Page https://jobs.nm.org/benefits Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings. If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception : New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

Apply at Northwestern Medicine

More financial assessor patient accounting roles