The Contra Costa Health Plan Claims Unit in Business Services recently extended its phone hours to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, which requires the department to have another full time position assigned to the support staff team to provide phone coverage regarding claim status and receipt of claims from providers. The Account Clerk positions in the CCHP Claims unit are primarily assigned to processing medical claims, as Claims Examiners, and do more financial-based job duties such as contract calculations and fee schedule applications for payment. Within the CCHP Claims Unit is also a group of clerical positions assigned to the Support Staff. These clerical positions are assigned to answer provider phone calls regarding claim status and receipt of claims. They also do data entry, follow up on claim status tracer sheets, and receive and enter provider payment disputes. The department is canceling the vacant Account Clerk - Experienced Level position #8003 and adding one Clerk Senior Level Clerk position in order to fill the need on the clerical support staff team, which was created due to the extension of phone hours.

If this action is not approved, the Business Services Unit of the Contra Costa Health Plan will not have adequate staff to provide phone coverage regarding claim status and receipt of claims from providers.