Health Services: Hospital Biller
Health Services
Gail Miyasato: Hospital Biller
By Mike Yoshiura
According to employmentguide.com, the average American changes jobs 10 times and switches careers three times over the course of a lifetime. But, it wasn’t too long ago when workplace loyalty was the deciding factor in pay raises, promotions and pensions. Go ask your parents!
GETTING STARTED
Gail Miyasato is old school—staying loyal to Straub Clinic & Hospital’s billing sector for nearly one-third of a century. At age 24, equipped with only a high school diploma, Gail started working with the Fronk-Wynn Clinic as a credit clerk in the mid-1970s. The Fronk-Wynn Clinic merged with the Straub Clinic & Hospital in 1991.
Hospital credit clerks have their work cut out for them. Their soul purpose is to notify patients over the phone about a subject both parties would rather not discuss—debt. “Collecting outstanding debts can be very frustrating. Most patients don’t really know how to interpret their statements, and patients with outstanding balances often have questions regarding charges. It’s common for patients to expect some leniency in the form of bill adjustments or payment extensions,” Gail says.
In her first six months as a hospital credit clerk, Gail got so stressed out that she felt like quitting. She spoke with her supervisor about her discontent, and she switched positions to telephone operator. Gail’s good nature and bubbly personality made her the perfect person for the job. According to Gail, it takes a compassionate person to help someone over the phone, especially since, unlike a doctor or nurse, you will never meet or get to know the patient on a personal level.
“At the time, I didn’t have much work experience, and I had to learn a lot of it on the fly,” she says. “But, it felt good knowing that I had my foot in the door, even if I didn’t have a medical background.”
ABOVE PAR
Gail managed the hospital’s switchboards for the next five years before she was promoted to patient account representative (PAR) in 1980. This was where she got her first taste of the hospital billing sector. Working in the billing sector forced Gail to get acquainted with medical terminology so she could educate patients about their bills. A PAR must identify problem accounts; investigate and correct errors, follow up on missing account information and resolve past-due accounts. Hospitals are like any other business, outstanding debts mean a reduced profit margin and fewer resources.
As a PAR in the early 1980s, one of her biggest challenges was learning how to manage a computer database. Keep in mind that Bill Gates launched the first version of Microsoft Office in 1989, so Gail was one of the many trying to make the leap into the high-tech business world.
TRUE STORIES
Although Gail’s job is a very technical one, there are human aspects attached to her line of work. She remembers a particular male cancer patient whose hospital bill amassed close to $8,000. The patient’s mother couldn’t afford to pay the steep bill and she had run out of options. Then she met Gail, who vowed to get to the bottom of things. After three months, Gail uncovered that there had been a mistake in the billing process, and the actual bill was supposed to be $1,200.
Grateful for all of Gail’s hard work and perseverance, the patient, who was confined to a wheelchair, showed up the next day with a special gift. It was a hand-sewn Japanese-style, patch-pattern quilt with a tag that read, Especially For You. The token of appreciation still keeps Gail warm on her daily bus ride to work.
One unexpected advantage of being a PAR is knowing how to read your own medical bills and insurance benefits. Gail has a son who suffers from End Stage Retinal Disease, and thanks to Gail’s medical knowledge, she was able to better cope with his situation. “I was lucky enough to catch billing errors in my family’s bills,” she says. “I helped my son make treatment decisions and get the best insurance coverage so he could concentrate on getting better,” she says.
Gail is not like your average computer savvy, career-switching American. Gail’s job stability allows her to find pride in her work, which makes it easier to get out of bed when she’d rather hit the snooze button one more time. “After all these years, I still enjoy coming to work everyday,” she says. “For me, pay is secondary to loving your job.”