ungracefully.
I do the same, sitting opposite her. “I was literally just down here telling
Fiona that we’re having some billing issues and we need to either replace
someone or create a new position, and you appear out of nowhere.”
“I saw you when I was filling out
my application,” I explain. “Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are. I
came in here not expecting much.”
“So tell me about yourself,” Gwen
asks me. “I see here you’ve been at the same company for seven years…in
Chicago?”
I nod. I tell Gwen about my
background, not leaving anything out. Something about her makes me want to
explain everything as directly as she appears to be with me. I mention how I
dropped out of college when I was twenty and got a job as an adjuster at a
small health insurance company in downtown Chicago, and then went on to get my
medical billing and coding certification because the company had offered the
training for free. I went on to accept a promotion as a medical billing and
coding analyst, which my job as an adjuster had helped with, since I understood
the claims side as well. After three years, I became manager. There are a few
things I decide to leave out, like how I married my old boss when I worked in
claims, or how I left him on Saturday morning.
“So now let me tell you a bit about
what we’re experiencing here,” Gwen starts after I’ve finished my piece. “We
have two ladies who handle the billing right now, but we’re experiencing a lot
of difficulty with some of the new requirements since we’re required to submit
our claims in 5010 format. Are you familiar with the 5010 requirements?”
I nod confidently. I tell Gwen
that moving from 4010 to 5010 requirements was a project I led when I worked at
Trustwell Care. Considering how new the requirements are, it’s all very fresh
in my mind.
“Great. So we just received a
notice from one of the health plans we’ve been submitting claims to. They’ve
indicated several issues with how we’ve been submitting, including missing
operating physician NPI, and not supplying the NDC on injectable drugs. There
are a few more, but these are tens of thousands of dollars in claims that we’re
looking to get reimbursed for. We can’t let them age beyond ninety days.
Timely filing and all that.”
“They require the NDC for
injections in order to submit and get drug rebates,” I explain. “And the
operating physician probably has to do with claims for surgical revenue codes.”
Gwen’s eyes widen. “Oh my god,
you’re hired!” she exclaims. “I can’t even begin to get the ladies who do the
billing to understand that. It’s like they won’t even open the 837 guide.”
“I’m very familiar with the 837
format requirements,” I tell her. “And I know this stuff like the back of my
hand. I would love this opportunity and really need this position.”
“If it were up to me, I’d have you
start today, right now,” Gwen says, not even trying to hide the excitement on
her face. “I’m going to put the paperwork in motion to get you hired. I’ll
need to go through the HR channels, though. If all goes smoothly, you can
expect an offer letter in 48 hours.”
“You have no idea how much you’ve
just made my day,” I reply. “Seriously, thank you so much, Gwen.”
“Thank you, Leah, for showing up
here when you did,” Gwen smiles. We stand and shake hands. I’m in complete
shock, not understanding how everything could have gone so smoothly. I’m
almost positive that I just went through the shortest interview process in the
history of job interviews. “I have your number, and here’s my card,” Gwen
hands me a small white business card. “Call me with any questions or concerns,
anytime.”
*
I feel like doing the can-can out
of the hospital, I’m so elated. As I’m walking out of the sliding glass doors
I’m barely paying attention and slam
I do the same, sitting opposite her. “I was literally just down here telling
Fiona that we’re having some billing issues and we need to either replace
someone or create a new position, and you appear out of nowhere.”
“I saw you when I was filling out
my application,” I explain. “Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are. I
came in here not expecting much.”
“So tell me about yourself,” Gwen
asks me. “I see here you’ve been at the same company for seven years…in
Chicago?”
I nod. I tell Gwen about my
background, not leaving anything out. Something about her makes me want to
explain everything as directly as she appears to be with me. I mention how I
dropped out of college when I was twenty and got a job as an adjuster at a
small health insurance company in downtown Chicago, and then went on to get my
medical billing and coding certification because the company had offered the
training for free. I went on to accept a promotion as a medical billing and
coding analyst, which my job as an adjuster had helped with, since I understood
the claims side as well. After three years, I became manager. There are a few
things I decide to leave out, like how I married my old boss when I worked in
claims, or how I left him on Saturday morning.
“So now let me tell you a bit about
what we’re experiencing here,” Gwen starts after I’ve finished my piece. “We
have two ladies who handle the billing right now, but we’re experiencing a lot
of difficulty with some of the new requirements since we’re required to submit
our claims in 5010 format. Are you familiar with the 5010 requirements?”
I nod confidently. I tell Gwen
that moving from 4010 to 5010 requirements was a project I led when I worked at
Trustwell Care. Considering how new the requirements are, it’s all very fresh
in my mind.
“Great. So we just received a
notice from one of the health plans we’ve been submitting claims to. They’ve
indicated several issues with how we’ve been submitting, including missing
operating physician NPI, and not supplying the NDC on injectable drugs. There
are a few more, but these are tens of thousands of dollars in claims that we’re
looking to get reimbursed for. We can’t let them age beyond ninety days.
Timely filing and all that.”
“They require the NDC for
injections in order to submit and get drug rebates,” I explain. “And the
operating physician probably has to do with claims for surgical revenue codes.”
Gwen’s eyes widen. “Oh my god,
you’re hired!” she exclaims. “I can’t even begin to get the ladies who do the
billing to understand that. It’s like they won’t even open the 837 guide.”
“I’m very familiar with the 837
format requirements,” I tell her. “And I know this stuff like the back of my
hand. I would love this opportunity and really need this position.”
“If it were up to me, I’d have you
start today, right now,” Gwen says, not even trying to hide the excitement on
her face. “I’m going to put the paperwork in motion to get you hired. I’ll
need to go through the HR channels, though. If all goes smoothly, you can
expect an offer letter in 48 hours.”
“You have no idea how much you’ve
just made my day,” I reply. “Seriously, thank you so much, Gwen.”
“Thank you, Leah, for showing up
here when you did,” Gwen smiles. We stand and shake hands. I’m in complete
shock, not understanding how everything could have gone so smoothly. I’m
almost positive that I just went through the shortest interview process in the
history of job interviews. “I have your number, and here’s my card,” Gwen
hands me a small white business card. “Call me with any questions or concerns,
anytime.”
*
I feel like doing the can-can out
of the hospital, I’m so elated. As I’m walking out of the sliding glass doors
I’m barely paying attention and slam
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