Telephonic Behavioral Care Advocate - Latham NY

This position will work on the New York HARP program.

For those who want to invent the future of health care, here's your opportunity. We're going beyond counseling services and verified referrals to behavioral health programs integrated across the entire continuum of care. Join us and help people live healthier lives while doing your life's best work.(sm)

This is a telephonic Behavioral Care Advocate / Utilization Management role based onsite in our Latham, NY facility.  The shift for this position will be 8am - 5pm OR 9am - 6pm Eastern Standard Time with possibility of 24 x 7 on call as needed.

We will be performing onsite interviews for this position in mid to late January 2015, with an anticipated start date of February 23, 2015.  The first 4 weeks will be training and attendance is mandatory for each day of training.

Positions in this function are responsible for case management and utilization review of behavioral health and substance abuse services. You will be responsible to Conduct prior authorizations, concurrent reviews and retrospective reviews and to provide related authorizations of Behavioral Healthcare when medically necessary and to provide ongoing care management for members.  Provides case management services through review and evaluation of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health treatments for medical necessity, emergency status, and quality of care.

Responsibilities for a Behavioral Care Advocate / UM include but not limited to:

• Focus on initial inpatient admission for psychiatric and chemical dependency patients


• Making patient assessments and determining appropriate levels of care


• Obtaining information from providers on outpatient requests for treatment


• Determining if additional clinical treatment sessions are needed


• Managing inpatient and outpatient mental health 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

Requirements:

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  Applicant must be a U.S. Behavioral Health Professional (BHP) who holds an unrestricted license to practice independently or be a registered nurse. (RN, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, LCPC)



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  Master's degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or Marriage or Family Therapy, or Licensed Ph.D., or an RN with 2 or more years of experience in behavioral health required



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  Licenses must be active and unrestricted in the State of applicants residence



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  Experience working with adults with behavioral health needs



• Must live within a commutable distance (45 minutes) of Latham, NY


• Ability to work onsite in our Latham office M - F during one of the shifts posted


• Ability to be on call 24 X 7 as needed


• 2 years of experience in a related mental health environment


• Basic Microsoft Word skills


• Ability to attend training the first 4 weeks of employment without needing time off.  Training is onsite in our Latham office.  Start date is targeted for February 23, 2015
  

Additional Preferred Assets:

• Inpatient experience


• Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse


• 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


• Experience with transition age youth with behavioral health needs


• Experience with older adults with a MH condition or a SUD


• Experience with high risk groups such as individuals with SMI, co-occurring major mental disorders and SUDs and those involved in multiple services systems (education, justice, medical, welfare, and child welfare)


• Experience with Individuals with I/DD in need of BH services


• Experience with Individuals with a MH condition or a SUD and co-occurring chronic physical health conditions


• Experience with individuals with a SUD in need of medication-assisted treatment, including methadone and buprenorphine for opioid dependence

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, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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