Easing the financial burden of cancer care through individualized assistance
Get to know Amber Judge
For 17 years, financial counselor Amber Judge has served Mission Cancer + Blood, part of UI Health Care, with her specialized expertise, tenacity, and passion. We spoke with her about how she helps patients with cancer navigate the complex world of financial assistance.
What has your career path looked like?
I started my career in a Des Moines hospital emergency room working as an admissions coordinator, where I worked closely with patients as they were admitted into the hospital. After that, I worked at a surgery center, verifying insurance benefits for patients, helping them navigate their costs and any billing questions.
About 17 years ago, I was intrigued by an advertisement in the newspaper about a financial counselor position verifying insurance for medical oncology patients at Mission. I interviewed, got the job, and the rest is history.
What does a typical day look like for you?
In short, I provide financial assistance options to our Mission patients. When a patient has chemotherapy or treatment orders, I work with their insurance provider to determine what the patient’s copay will be. From there, I confirm if there are any grants or financial assistance available for the specific treatment they’re receiving. Non-profit organizations, pharmaceutical companies, private foundations, and governmental programs are all sources where we look for assistance on behalf of our patients.
When I started, I didn't know that this type of funding existed to help lower treatment costs, but now it's my goal to find those options for my patients. I am always monitoring cancer grant and funding websites and submitting eligible patients for them as quickly as I can – the window to apply is often very short, and sometimes they close five minutes after they open, depending on how many applications they receive. There is no better feeling than receiving confirmation that a patient qualifies for support.
After patients receive that confirmation, I am the person they call to discuss guidelines, logistics, and how they work with their insurance. If they are switching to Medicare, I help them through that transition. In the 17 years I’ve been here, I’ve accumulated lots of knowledge about all the nuances of health care billing and am proud to be a main resource for our patients.
What do you enjoy about working at Mission?
This was a new position when I started, so over the years I’ve been able to grow into this role and learn my strengths. I now realize that every essence of this job fits parts of my personality: I’m very organized, I like to dig for information, and I have a competitive spirit, all things that are important to this role. When I started, I read through financial assistance sites for hours on end to soak in everything I could to help our patients receive the financial support they need.
This role is very unique to Mission – I've never worked at a clinic that invests so much in financial assistance for their patients. It inspires me to keep fighting for them.
Patients have told me they appreciate being able to talk about normal things with me – I've had patients thank me for making them laugh, tell me about their recent experience of skydiving, and so much more. Those conversations stick with me. If I can take their mind off the stressors that come with cancer, then I’m doing something right.
Another rewarding part of this job is seeing the dollar amount of financial assistance increase every year. In 2024, we reached our largest number yet: Patients received $1.7 million of financial assistance from external grants and funds.
What opportunities do you see as Mission continues to integrate with University of Iowa Health Care?
Tapping into UI Health Care’s personnel and technology has been very exciting. They have many staff members who can help me manage things that used to take a lot of my time, like insurance changes, copay assistance, and more, to help lighten my clerical workload.
A huge opportunity is combining our financial assistance resources with those at UI Health Care, so patients may have more financial assistance resources available to them. There’s still work to be done to integrate our systems, but I am confident this will have a huge impact on our patients.
What is your life like outside of work?
I have three granddaughters and one grandson, and there’s nothing I love more than being a grandma. I also love “junking” — going to antique stores is one of my biggest hobbies. I love finding trinkets and knickknacks to decorate my house – I have a very eclectic taste and combine old and new pieces that have meaning to me.
Right now, my husband and I are fixing up my in-law's farmhouse in Melrose, Iowa. It's very peaceful and quiet – and the night sky is unbelievable!