Intake Coordinator

University of Minnesota School of Nursing; Lenexa, Northern (KS, KY); Hybrid; USD 57,308,000 - 103,155,000; Full time

Job summary

UnitedHealth Group is seeking a Chronic Intake Coordinator to manage referrals from intake through start of care in a fully remote capacity across the United States. The role requires coordinating with patients, providers, and payors while ensuring timely access to therapy.

Responsibilities include reviewing referrals, supporting prior authorizations, and cross-functional collaboration to minimize delays. The position offers training and flexible scheduling within standard business hours.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Experience in healthcare, infusion, or referral management preferred.
• Strong communication and patient-service skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and healthcare documentation systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage chronic infusion referrals from intake to start of care readiness.
• Review referral documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Coordinate missing information requests with providers, sales partners, and patients.
• Monitor referral progression within CareLink, CPR+, and other systems.
• Identify delays and barriers that could impact patient start of care.
• Collaborate with Benefits Verification, Nursing, Pharmacy, Sales, and Provider offices to advance referrals.
• Assist with prior authorization packets and documentation.

Skills

Healthcare experience

Customer service

Communication

Time management

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Adaptability

Problem solving

Education

High School Diploma / GED

Tools

Microsoft Office

CareLink

CPR+

Job description

This position is National Remote. You'll enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

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.

The Chronic Intake Coordinator (IC) is responsible for managing the intake and coordination of chronic infusion referrals from receipt to scheduling readiness. This role serves as the central point of contact for patients, providers, sales representatives, payors, and internal departments to ensure referrals progress efficiently through the intake process.

The Chronic Intake Coordinator reviews referral documentation, conducts patient onboarding, facilitates prior authorization activities, obtains clinical documentation, monitors referral progress, identifies barriers to care, patient communication and collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure timely patient access to therapy.

This position is full time Monday - Friday. Employees are required to have flexibility to work any of our 8-hour shift schedules during our normal business hours of 7:00am - 7:00pm in their respective time zones. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime on January - February the rest as needed.

We offer 3-4 weeks of paid training. The hours during training will be 8:00am to 4:30pm CST, Monday - Friday. Training will be conducted virtually from your home.

Watch this video to understand the expectations of being a remote worker with UnitedHealthcare.

Primary Responsibilities:

Patient Intake & Referral Management

• Manage assigned chronic infusion referrals from intake to start of care readiness.
• Review referral documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Coordinate missing information requests with providers, sales partners, and patients.
• Monitor referral progression within CareLink, CPR+, and other company systems.
• Identify delays, barriers, and risks that could impact patient start of care.

Prior Authorization & Clinical Review

• Review payor requirements and determine authorization needs.
• Gather and compile clinical documentation required for authorization submission.
• Assemble prior authorization packets including medical records, diagnosis information, physician documentation, and supporting clinical criteria.
• Submit authorization requests and perform follow-up activities until final determination is received.
• Monitor payor portals and communicate authorization updates to stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Benefits Verification, PACE, Nursing, Pharmacy, Sales, and Provider offices to advance referrals.
• Communicate frequently regarding outstanding requirements and escalations.
• Participate in patient review meetings and workflow discussions.
• Collaborate on issue resolution to minimize delays and prevent avoidable cancellations.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate, detailed, and timely documentation within designated systems.
• Document patient interactions, provider outreach, authorization activity, and referral status updates.
• Adhere to HIPAA and company privacy policies.
• Follow departmental SOPs, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.

Barrier Removal & Escalation

• Proactively identify barriers impacting patient access to therapy.
• Escalate complex cases to leadership or support teams when appropriate.
• Coordinate resolution efforts involving providers, payors, pharmacies, and patients.
• Recommend cancellation or alternative solutions when referrals cannot proceed.

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:

• High School Diploma / GED OR equivalent work experience
• Must be 18 years of age OR older
• 2+ years of healthcare, infusion, specialty pharmacy, medical office, insurance, or intake experience
• Experience working with prior authorizations, insurance verification, or referral management
• Customer service and patient communication skills
• Organizational and time management abilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and healthcare documentation systems
• Ability to work full time Monday - Friday. Employees are required to have flexibility to work any of our 8-hour shift schedules during our normal business hours of 7:00am - 7:00pm in their respective time zones. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime on January - February the rest as needed

Preferred Qualifications:

• Infusion pharmacy or specialty pharmacy experience
• Knowledge of commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care plans
• Experience working with chronic therapies and infusion services
• Familiarity with CareLink, CPR+, payer portals, and authorization workflows
• Understanding of medical terminology and clinical documentation requirements

Telecommuting Requirements:

• Ability to keep all company sensitive documents secure (if applicable)
• Required to have a dedicated work area established that is separated from other living areas and provides information privacy
• Must live in a location that can receive a UnitedHealth Group approved high-speed internet connection or leverage an existing high-speed internet service (UHG requires a wired internet connection: cable, DSL or fiber internet service with Minimum speed standard of 25 Mb download/10-15 Mb upload. Wireless services such as satellite, hot spot, line of sight antenna cannot be used for telecommuting)

Soft Skills:

Key Competencies

• Critical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Patient Advocacy
• Communication
• Time Management
• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Customer Service Excellence

Physical and Work Environment:

Performance Measures

• Referral turnaround time (TAT)
• Prior authorization processing timeliness
• Patient onboarding completion rate
• Start of care readiness timelines
• Documentation accuracy
• Quality audit scores
• Cancellation prevention and barrier resolution effectiveness
• Productivity and workload management metrics

*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 $20 - $36 hourly 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.