Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

The overall purpose of the Field Based Behavioral Health Care Advocate role is to help individuals live their lives to the fullest by promoting recovery and resiliency via coordination and collaboration with multiple internal and external partners including consumers and their families/caregivers, medical, behavioral health and clinical network teams.

Field Based Behavioral Health Care Advocate work with complex and high-risk needs with a goal of engaging the consumer in the treatment process, decreasing their reliance on higher levels of care, helping them to access appropriate community services, and assisting them in improving community tenure. Care Advocates work to increase stabilization and help consumers to improve life satisfaction.

What makes your clinical career greater with UnitedHealth Group? You can improve the health of others and help heal the health care system. You will work within 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.

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST

This position could require up to 50% travel in the field - could be to provider offices or facilities

Primary Responsibilities:

• Utilize advanced clinical skills to engage and motivate Consumers via a recovery, health and wellness-oriented approach
  
  • Assist consumers and their families/caregivers with connections to appropriate psychiatric, medical, and psychosocial referrals and services
  • Identify and remove barriers to procurement, delivery, participation in and success of services
  • Provide supportive follow-up, monitoring and education as indicated
  • Meet with consumers in-person at facilities, provider offices, and in homes as appropriate for market
• Serve as Optum Behavioral Health liaison and subject matter expert for applicable UnitedHealth Care Medical Partners; establish and foster positive relationships with medical team, participate in medical-behavioral integration activities and discussions
  
  • Identify high-risk, co-morbid needs of consumers
  • Accept referrals via designated processes, collaborate in evaluating available services, and coordinate necessary psychiatric and community referrals as needed
  • Contribute to treatment plan discussions; routinely attend clinical rounds and other meetings with medical partner or external entities when applicable
• Partner with internal Optum Behavioral Health Services Teams to coordinate a seamless transition for consumers from an inpatient setting to community based services
  
  • Coalesce Care Advocate role and relationships within context of established Care Advocacy Operating Model and customer/contractual requirements; collaborate early and frequently with other teams in the management of cases stratified as having intensive, complex, and high-risk needs
  • Participate jointly in rounds, discussions, supervision and staffing
  • Assist in the development of a relevant and consumer-specific aftercare plan
  • Comply with all policies, procedures and documentation standards in appropriate systems, tracking mechanisms and databases
  • For specific markets, conduct focused facility-based or outpatient clinical utilization review activities
• Establish a cooperative relationship with Optum Behavioral Network Services and the Provider community in order to improve access to services and ensure that consumers are served within proper standards of care
  
  • Identify new programs, services and gaps in market; share information with network teams
  • Maintain knowledge of provider availability and barriers to access
  • Collaborate with providers to determine acuity of mental health concerns, barriers and progress; coordinate appropriate services
  • Conduct provider networking visits or attend consumer care conferences as determined by market
  • Attend state, professional and association and conference call meetings as needed
• Other activities as assigned, including but not limited to:
  
  • Partnership with Account Management and Sales departments to provide best level of customer service to market accounts
  • Participate in committees, educational opportunities and trainings
  • Maintain approved workload and support metrics and outcomes

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Licensed master's degree in Psychology, Social Work (LCSW), Counseling (LPC) or Marriage or Family Counseling (LMFT), or Licensed Ph.D., or an RN with 2+ years of experience in behavioral health
• Licenses must be active and unrestricted in the state of Massachusetts
• 2+ years experience in a related mental health environment working in the local community
• Resident of Massachusetts
• Access to reliable transportation
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time within the MA area

Preferred Qualifications:

• Medical/Behavioral setting experience (i.e. hospital, managed care organization, or joint medical/behavioral outpatient practice)
• 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 working with low-income populations
• Experience working with the aged, blind or disabled
• Clinical training experience
• Managed care and utilization management experience
• Demonstrate initiative in achieving individual, team, and organizational goals and objectives
• Proven excellent customer service, interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Proven solid team player and team building skills
• Proven solid oral and written communication skills - specifically telephone skills
• Proven ability to function independently and responsibly with minimal supervision
• Proven ability to maintain direct and open communication with all levels of the organization
• Proven ability to handle sensitive issues with peer, members and providers in a confidential manner
• Proven ability and flexibility to assume responsibilities and tasks in a constantly changing work environment

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and 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.