Care Advocate - After Hours - Houston, TX - Full-time / Part-time

Care Advocates on the After Hours team are responsible for case management and utilization review of behavioral health including mental health and substance abuse services. This department is a 24/7 operation. 

Multiple evening and weekend schedules available

*Must be able and willing to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Weekdays starting at 4 or 5pm and day hours on Saturdays and Sundays.*

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Primary Responsibilities:

• Focus on initial inpatient admission and appropriate community based services for psychiatric and chemical dependency patients


• Reviewing clinical assessments and determining appropriate levels of care


• Obtaining information from providers regarding outpatient requests for treatment


• Determining if additional clinical treatment sessions are needed


• Managing inpatient and outpatient mental health benefits cases throughout the entire treatment plan


• Administering benefits and reviewing treatment plans


• Coordinating benefits and transitions between various areas of care


• Identifying ways to add value to treatment plans and consulting with facility staff or outpatient care providers on those ideas 

*Shift differentials will apply.  10% differential paid for any hours worked after 4 p.m. and on the weekend.*

What makes your clinical career greater with UnitedHealth Group? You can improve the health of others and help heal the health care system. You can work with in an incredible team culture; a clinical and business collaboration that is learning and evolving every day. And, when you contribute, you'll open doors for yourself that simply do not exist in any other organization, anywhere.

Required Qualifications:

• Licensed Master's degree in Psychology (Ph.D./PsyD), Social Work (LCSW), Counseling (LPC), Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT) or an RN with 2+ years of experience in behavioral health


• License must be active and unrestricted


• 2+ years of experience in a related mental health environment


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite programs (Word, Outlook, and Internet)


• Ability to learn and navigate multiple proprietary software applications


• Excellent communication skills


• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment


• Able to work the hours outlined in the job description

Preferred Qualifications:

• Inpatient experience


• Dual diagnosis experience with mental health and substance abuse


• Experience working in an environment that required coordination of benefits and utilization of multiple groups and resources for patients


• Crisis intervention experience


• Previous experience working in a fast-paced, high volume work environment


• Previous experience in a telephonic (phone based) role

Careers with Optum. Here's the idea. We built an entire organization around one giant objective; make the health system work better for everyone. So when it comes to how we use the world's large accumulation of health-related information, or guide health and lifestyle choices or manage pharmacy benefits for millions, our first goal is to leap beyond the status quo and uncover new ways to serve. Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, brings together some of the greatest minds and most advanced ideas on where health care has to go in order to reach its fullest potential. For you, that means working on high performance teams against sophisticated challenges that matter. Optum, incredible ideas in one incredible company and a singular opportunity to do your life's best work.(sm)

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment. In addition, employees in certain positions are subject to random drug testing.

Job Keywords: Care Advocate, Social Worker; LCSW; LPC; LMFT; RN; behavioral Health; substance abuse; crisis intervention; dual diagnosis, Houston, TX, Texas