St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, Arizona is seeking a bilingual (English/Spanish) Patient Advocate Representative to serve as a frontline resource connecting self-pay patients with governmental and non-governmental financial assistance programs. This bedside-facing, hospital-based role sits at the intersection of patient access, financial counseling, and social services coordination — a meaningful position for a candidate with a background in hospital admitting, social services, or benefits navigation who wants to make a direct impact on patient outcomes and financial clearance.
Perks and Benefits
- Competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision coverage
- Retirement plan options
- Part of a national healthcare organization with operations in more than 135 local regions — strong infrastructure and career development resources
- Leadership pathways and opportunities to advance within a large, established health system
- Reasonable accommodations provided for qualified individuals with disabilities
- Vaccination and screening requirements fulfilled prior to start date (COVID-19, influenza, and any future required screenings)
Practice Highlights
- Bedside patient screening across hospital units, including Emergency Department environments and broad campus settings
- Identifies all potential payor sources: Medicaid, Medicare, auto insurance, Workers' Compensation, commercial insurance, private insurance, and third-party liability (TPL)
- Conducts in-person interviews with patients and family members to complete Confidential Financial Statement forms and route accounts appropriately within the Patient Accounting system
- Performs financial clearance functions including collections activity and preparation of accounts for Financial Assistance review
- Follows up on EES-assigned accounts to ensure government program applications are processed through to eligibility determination
- Conducts field visits to patient homes for skip tracing and document assistance
- Communicates case screening determinations and outcomes to hospital case management, social services, and admissions staff via verbal and written channels
- Works across multiple facilities and hospital platforms, coordinating with multiple supervisors and departments simultaneously
- Some travel required (field visits and potential multi-facility coverage)
- Hybrid work environment: both hospital floor and office settings, in direct daily contact with patients and staff
Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- Minimum 2 years of work experience in social services, hospital admitting, or a directly related field
- Working familiarity with Federal, State, and County program rules and regulations governing patient financial assistance
- Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred
- Proficiency in PC systems including Windows, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word
- Strong oral and written communication skills; ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks with efficiency
- Detail-oriented with demonstrated ability to handle multi-facility, multi-supervisor environments
- Physical ability to walk through hospital and campus environments, visit patients at bedside, and sit at a computer terminal for extended periods; travel capability required
About the Community
Tucson is Arizona's second-largest city, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Sonoran Desert and surrounded by five mountain ranges — offering year-round outdoor recreation including hiking, cycling, and birding in world-class natural preserves. The city is home to the University of Arizona, a vibrant arts and food scene, and a deeply rooted bicultural community where Spanish-English bilingualism is a genuine professional and social asset. Tucson's cost of living remains well below the national average for a city of its size, and its proximity to Phoenix (about 90 minutes north) and the Mexican border region makes it a uniquely connected and culturally rich place to build a career in healthcare.