“Health care is so complicated, and it touches everybody. I am happy to be a part of it.
I have family members who went into long-term care. You never really think about the people doing patient billing. As an Accounts Receivable Clerk, it’s nice to connect with patients or their family members. You get to talk to them and be part of their care, even if it’s just over the phone.
I don’t really have a typical day because I work a float position providing relief for people on vacation or on leave. My shifts range from covering switchboard and mailroom to receiving and posting payments or patient billing for care facilities.
I’m often on the phone to family members and patients explaining how billing works and walking them through the process. With COVID, everybody is self-isolating and, many people are alone just wanting to talk to someone.
The other day, a very sweet 80-year-old lady called to pay the final bill for her husband’s care and told me their story – they were together for over 50 years. She talked about the exceptional level of care he received and how much she appreciated the staff. It really connected what we do every day to the big picture and to the people behind the statements we send.
COVID hasn’t really changed the workload. There are still residents living in long-term care and clients receiving home support. Billing still happens. There’s always work to be done.
But now we distance at work, our cubicles are spaced out, and some people work remotely. A cleaner sanitizes high-touch areas daily. Our morning meetings are virtual, and a lot of conversations focus on mental health. It can be overwhelming to hear the news and still keep a positive mindset. Before this, we held a lot of social events – it’s hard to create those connections right now.
I really enjoy working with my team. I feel truly fortunate to have a stable, meaningful job, especially right now. I was so happy when I got this job, and I plan on staying until my retirement.
I think it’s important to have your co-workers there for support and to keep each other as positive as you can until we all get through this.”
- Amelia, Accounts Receivable Clerk, part of the health care team