Medical Director, Behavioral Health

Your Role

The Medical Management team ensures that Blue Shield is on the cutting edge of medical, medication, and payment policy to accelerate the emergence of a value-based health care system in California. The Medical Director, Behavioral Health will report to the Senior Medical Director, Behavioral Health. In this role you will have core responsibilities in the areas of psychiatric inpatient concurrent review, pre- and post-service utilization review, and collaboration with Nurse Care Managers.

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Review pre- and post-service behavioral health service requests and render decisions based on the member’s benefits, medical necessity, Blue Shield of California medical policy, FEP (Federal Employee Program) medical policy, as well as legal and regulatory requirements
• Medical decision-making and support for the behavioral health review for all services currently requiring authorization or review, facilitating appropriate use of all resources, including safe and timely discharges
• Engage in telephonic physician-to-physician discussions regarding current members in various levels of care or who may be receiving other specialized services. Therefore, the Medical Director must feel comfortable in clinical conversations with Blue Shield providers
• Train BSC utilizations and care management staff which may include physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and others as needed
• Perform clinical reviews to support utilization management and fraud waste and abuse case evaluations
• Participate with the quality management function in the identification and analysis of medical information to develop interventions to improve quality of care and outcomes for our members
• Participate on projects and committees, as necessary

Blue Shield of California’s mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at a sustainably affordable price. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience.

To fulfill our mission, we must ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where all employees can be their authentic selves and fully contribute to meet the needs of the multifaceted communities we serve. Our continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion upholds our values and advances our goal of creating a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends while addressing health disparities, promoting social justice, and integrating health equity through our products, business practices, and presence as a corporate citizen.

Blue Shield has received awards and recognition for being a certified Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work, Military Friendly Employer, People Companies that Care, a Leading Disability Employer, and one of California’s top companies in volunteering and giving. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!

Our Values:

• Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we’re going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.
• Human. We strive to be our authentic selves, listening and communicating effectively, and showing empathy towards others by walking in their shoes.
• Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

Our Workplace Model:

Blue Shield of California is dedicated to making work-life balance a reality. Whether you prefer to work in an office or from home, we understand flexibility is more important than ever. That’s why Blue Shield is a hybrid company, offering you the opportunity to decide where you can do your best and most meaningful work.

Two ways of working: Hybrid (our default) and office

• Hybrid – In a business unit approved office a few times per year to 3 days per week, on average
• Office – In a business unit approved office 4+ days a week, on average. If the role you’re applying for is deemed an “Essential Role,” the company has determined that the role can only be performed in a Blue Shield office or in the field and would require your to meet the office worker classification.

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment – roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Due to the current public health emergency in California, Blue Shield employees are almost all working remotely. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork – Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail. 

Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.

Read Full Description