Lien Negotiator, Personal Injury

Key Responsibilities

Collections Performance

• Manage a portfolio of California Personal Injury accounts from assignment through resolution, utilizing strategic collection efforts to maximize recoveries.
• Conduct professional negotiations with attorneys, insurance carriers, adjusters, and third-party administrators in accordance with established SOPs and workflow standards.
• Monitor case progression, document all account activity, and ensure assigned accounts remain within established follow-up timelines and performance benchmarks.
• Identify barriers to resolution and promptly escalate accounts requiring legal, managerial, or strategic review to the PI Manager.
• Meet or exceed established performance metrics, including collections, account aging, follow-up compliance, productivity, and resolution timelines.

California Market Expertise

• Apply advanced knowledge of California Personal Injury lien laws, settlement processes, and payer practices to develop effective recovery strategies.
• Navigate the complexities of California Personal Injury billing, including attorney liens, Letters of Protection (LOPs), liability insurance claims, and settlement negotiations to maximize account recovery.
• Stay informed of changes to California legislation, case law, payer practices, and industry trends that may impact collection strategies or recovery outcomes.
• Serve as the department's primary resource for California Personal Injury collections, providing guidance on complex accounts, lien disputes, settlement negotiations, and procedural questions.

Leadership, Mentorship & Team Development

• Share best practices, negotiation techniques, and workflow knowledge to strengthen team performance and promote operational consistency.

• Model professionalism, accountability, and effective communication in all interactions with attorneys, adjusters, clients, and internal stakeholders.
• Assist with onboarding and training new team members on department systems, workflows, SOPs, and California PI collection practices.
• Identify opportunities for team development and communicate training needs or process improvements to the PI Manager.

Documentation & Workflow Compliance

• Maintain accurate, detailed, and timely documentation of all account activity, correspondence, negotiations, and case updates within CONEXEM and the department's shared Live Excel report.
• Ensure full compliance with department SOPs, documentation standards, HIPAA requirements, and company policies.
• Support internal audits and quality assurance initiatives by maintaining complete, accurate, and audit-ready account records.
• Recommend workflow enhancements that improve efficiency, compliance, and collection performance.

Collaboration & Communication

• Partner with the PI Manager to develop and execute account strategies aligned with departmental goals and client expectations.
• Collaborate with Case Status Representatives, Account Representatives, Billing, and Payment Posting teams to ensure seamless account progression and issue resolution.
• Communicate collection trends, payer behaviors, operational risks, and account escalations to leadership in a timely manner.
• Actively participate in team meetings, performance discussions, training initiatives, and process improvement efforts as a senior contributor.

Qualifications

Required

• 4+ years of experience in California Personal Injury collections, with demonstrated expertise in lien recovery, attorney negotiations, and settlement follow-up.
• Strong working knowledge of California Personal Injury lien laws, Letters of Protection (LOPs), med-legal billing, and liability insurance claims.
• Proficiency with EMR and collections management systems, including the ability to maintain accurate account documentation and reporting.
• Proven ability to independently manage a high-volume, complex portfolio of Personal Injury accounts while consistently meeting performance expectations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with attorneys, law office staff, insurance adjusters, and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentorship, or subject matter expertise within a collections or revenue cycle environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to develop effective collection and negotiation strategies.

Preferred

• Experience working within a structured Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) environment with established SOPs, quality standards, and KPI-driven performance metrics.
• Advanced knowledge of California Personal Injury settlement processes, lien enforcement, and attorney negotiations.
• Previous experience in a Lead Collector, Senior Collector, Lien Negotiator, or similar senior-level collections role.
• Experience assisting with employee onboarding, training, coaching, or process improvement initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPI

Description

Cadence

Collections Performance

Achieve assigned monthly and quarterly collection targets for the California PI portfolio.

Monthly

Escalation Accuracy

Percentage of accounts correctly identified and escalated to the PI Manager for legal, managerial, or strategic intervention.

Monthly

Aging & Recovery Rate

Reduction in 90+ day aged receivables and recovery rate on assigned PI accounts.

Quarterly

Settlement Cycle Time

Average time from demand or negotiation initiation to settlement or final disposition on accounts where settlement authority is held.

Quarterly

Compliance & Documentation

Adherence to SOPs, follow-up cadence, and audit-ready documentation within the CONEXEM software.

Ongoing

Client & Provider Satisfaction

Feedback from client and law office contacts on responsiveness, professionalism, and case outcomes.

Quarterly

Customer Service Excellence

Clarity of communication on complex case issues and professional communication standards in all attorney, adjuster, and provider interactions.

Ongoing

Mentorship & Team Development

Active coaching of junior Collectors and Account Representatives, contribution to onboarding and training of new hires, and proactive identification of team knowledge gaps surfaced to the PI Manager.

Quarterly

90-Day Success Milestones

Timeframe

Milestone

0–30 Days

Complete onboarding; review the assigned caseload, active settlements, and aging reports; meet with collections, billing, payment posting, and management stakeholders; shadow current account workflows and case status reporting cadence.

31–60 Days

Assume full ownership of the assigned portfolio; identify aged and at-risk accounts; begin direct negotiation and settlement activity on priority files under client guidelines.

61–90 Days

Demonstrate measurable movement on aged receivables; deliver first weekly and/or monthly collections and progress reports to internal leadership and client review; provide structured performance and trend feedback to the PI Manager.

90+ Days

Operate as the primary settlement authority and collections resource for the assigned portfolio; interactive collaboration with other lien negotiators, collectors, and account reps; contribute to SOP refinement, onboarding materials, and process improvement initiatives across PI operations.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the role. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties as necessary.