Community Behavioral Health Advocate – Remote (Washington)

OptumCare, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, is creating something new in health care. We are uniting industry-leading solutions to build an integrated care model that holistically addresses an individual’s physical, mental, and social needs, while removing barriers to quality care. Come build the health care system of tomorrow, making it more responsive, affordable, and equitable.

Here, we’ll invest in your personal and professional growth while giving you a unique opportunity to make a difference 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, while doing your life’s best work. (sm) 

The goal of the Community Behavioral Health Support Advocate (BHA) role is to help individuals live their lives to the fullest by promoting recovery and resiliency in the least restrictive environment via coordination and collaboration with multiple internal and external partners including consumers and their families/caregivers/residential providers, medical, behavioral health, and Home and Community Services case managers.

Behavioral Health Advocates work with members with complex needs with the goal of managing the supportive supervision benefit, engaging the care team in a collaborative care process to support the least restrictive environment, decreasing reliance on higher levels of care, helping them to access appropriate community services, and assisting them in improving community tenure. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage HCS requests for Supportive Supervision and Behavioral Health Personal Care benefits within identified timeframes
• Utilize advanced clinical skills to review Care Assessments and available collateral information against criteria to support decision making
• Assess members receiving Supportive Supervision benefits to identify any additional treatment services to promote recovery and resiliency, making pro-active referrals as needed
• Assist members receiving Supportive Supervision benefits 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, in-person and telephonically to members/guardians and caregivers/residential providers
• Partner with designated external providers, programs, entities to address the needs, gaps in care, and recovery goals of the members receiving this benefit
• Identify and address the needs of members through facilitation of case conferences with Behavioral Health providers, HCS CMs, medical providers, inpatient facilities and ALF/AFH providers as well as via informal communications
• Participate in standing meetings to review performance, identify areas of opportunity, and oversee course for improvements
• Comply with all policies, procedures, and documentation standards in appropriate systems, tracking mechanisms and databases
• Engage and motivate Consumers via a recovery, health, and wellness-oriented approach
• Collaborate with providers to determine acuity of mental health concerns, barriers, and progress; coordinate appropriate services

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:

• Mental Health Professional per WAC 246-341-0515 (4) 
• Licensed Master’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or Marriage or Family Counseling, or Licensed Ph.D. with  2+ years of experience in behavioral health
• Licenses must be active, independent, and unrestricted
• 2+ years of experience serving the Medicaid population, preferably in a community mental health setting 
• 2+ years of experience serving Adults with Serious and Persistent Mental illness 
• Computer / typing proficiency to enter / retrieve data in electronic clinical records, experience with email, internet research, use of online calendars and other software applications 
• Access to high-speed internet from home 
• Demonstrated superior written and verbal communication 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Dual diagnosis experience with mental health and substance abuse  
• Experience in a community mental health setting 
• Experience working in an environment that required coordination of benefits and utilization of multiple groups and resources for patients  
• Experience in a managed care environment 
• Bilingual skills (fluency in Spanish/English) 

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy

Washington Residents Only: The salary range for this role is $58,300 to $114,300 annually. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

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: OptumCare is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers 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.   

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