Director, Revenue Cycle Operations - Underpayments - Remote

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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.
In addition to leading a large, multi-functional operational team, this role partners closely with internal technology, solution design, contracting, payer relations, and finance teams. The director will also engage directly with prospective and current client leadership, representing the organization with professionalism, expertise, and a commitment to delivering exceptional results.
This position offers the flexibility to telecommute and requires periodic travel.
You'll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.
For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office a minimum of four days per week.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership & Performance
  • Lead and oversee the underpayment operations teams, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely resolution of accounts
  • Manage the review, investigation, and resolution of credit balances on patient and payer accounts
  • Monitor payer takebacks, identify improper takebacks, and escalate issues to drive resolution
  • Establish and maintain standardized, compliant workflows that improve consistency and operational efficiency
  • Build and maintain processes for proactive underpayment detection, including threshold-setting and exception reporting
• Analysis, Technology & Continuous Improvement
  • Analyze trends to identify root causes of payer underpayments, systemic issues, and contract compliance gaps
  • Collaborate with Contracting and Payer Relations to resolve recurring payer related issues
  • Lead, develop, and track recovery initiatives executed by the underpayment team while systematically tracking, categorizing, and reporting underpayment recovery performance by payer, service line, and root cause
  • Develop, pilot, and optimize technologies and automation that support operational workflows
  • Monitor technology performance to ensure effective adoption, accuracy, and productivity enhancement
• Collaboration & Relationship Management
  • Collaborate across multiple internal functions to deliver programs and solutions supporting organizational goals
  • Influence and build strong relationships with senior leadership, executives, and external stakeholders
  • Foster a positive, transparent, and results oriented team environment
• The ideal candidate will possess the following
  • Strong ability to manage sensitive and escalated situations with both internal and external partners
  • Demonstrated success leading cross functional operational teams
  • Self motivated with disciplined follow through and strong organizational skills
  • Highly collaborative with experience developing and executing growth strategies
  • Ability to build credibility and foster relationships at all organizational levels
  • Comfortable working in a fast paced, matrixed environment with tight deadlines

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:

• 10+ years of Revenue Cycle Management experience with strong emphasis on expected reimbursement
• 7+ years interpreting payer policies, payer contracts and client contracts; payer-side experience preferred
• 5+ years across the end to end revenue cycle (registration through zero balance), including workflows, technology solutions, automation, reporting, payer processing, and payer behavior
• 5+ years in a leadership role overseeing a centralized business office supporting multiple clients, locations, or teams
• 5+ years leveraging operational metrics, analytics, and dashboards to drive performance
• Experience influencing C Suite decisions
• Experience with line item denials and payer policy management
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)
• Advanced Excel capabilities, including pivot tables, complex formulas, and advanced filters
• Ability to travel periodically

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with coding guidelines and processes
• Experience with trend and recovery within a multiple client environment

*All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.
Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer 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 us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $134,600 to $230,800 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.
Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.
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.
UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.