Medical Director - Behavioral Health

Istss; Texas; Remote; USD 174,000 - 375,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Paid time off

Retirement savings options

Wellness programs

Other resources

Job summary

CVS Health is seeking a Medical Director (Behavioral Health) for a remote-based role with preference for Texas residents. The leader will provide physician oversight for utilization management and guide high-risk cases and medical necessity decisions.

The ideal candidate is a board-certified psychiatrist licensed in Texas with 5+ years in healthcare delivery, plus managed care experience and a track record in quality improvement and policy development.

Qualifications

• Board-certified psychiatrist licensed in Texas or eligible for Texas licensure.
• Active medical license without encumbrances; ability to obtain licenses in other states.
• Ability to obtain multiple state licenses to provide UM coverage across health plans.
• Experience with managed care and utilization review is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and day-to-day physician oversight for utilization management.
• Deliver comprehensive behavioral health care management to improve quality and efficiency.
• Participate in appeals, adverse events and quality-of-care investigations.
• Provide psychiatric leadership to an interdisciplinary utilization management team.
• Oversee treatment decisions and medical necessity criteria across levels of care.
• Develop and implement medical policies and clinical practice guidelines.

Skills

Behavioral health

Psychiatry

Utilization review

Leadership

Clinical oversight

Education

MD/DO

Tools

EMR systems

Job description

We're building a world of health around every individual - shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you'll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger - helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

Position Summary

This is a remote-based (work from home) role. Candidates residing in Texas are preferred.

Aetna, a CVS Health Company, is one of the oldest and largest national insurers. That experience gives us a unique opportunity to help transform health care. We believe that a better care system is more transparent and consumer-focused, and it recognizes physicians for their clinical quality and effective use of health care resources.

In this role as Medical Director (Behavioral Health), you will:

• Provide leadership and day-to-day physician oversight for utilization management team, including the management of high-risk cases and medical necessity decisions
• Provide comprehensive behavioral health care management to facilitate delivery of appropriate quality care and improve program/operational efficiency involving clinical issues
• Participate in the appeals process, including the investigation of adverse events and quality of care concerns
• Provide psychiatric leadership to an interdisciplinary utilization management team, including medical/clinical oversight, consultation and training
• Provide day-to-day physician oversight including management of high-risk cases throughout treatment/levels of care and medical necessity decisions
• Assist with the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the utilization management program and action plan, ensuring quality and appropriateness of care
• Assist with the development, implementation and interpretation of medical policy including medical necessity criteria, clinical practice guidelines and new technology assessments
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical/medical programs
• Confer with behavioral health practitioners regarding the care of patients with severe, complex and/or treatment resistant illnesses
• Identify and address quality of care concerns with providers involved in a member's care
• Provide psychiatric leadership for NCQA-compliant clinical quality improvement activities in collaboration with clinical and quality improvement staff
• Participate in the triage and referral for care management
• Provide weekend coverage every 6-7 weeks.
• Perform other duties as deemed necessary.

Required Qualifications

• Board-certified Psychiatrist currently licensed in the State of Texas or with the ability to become licensed in the State of Texas
• Active and current state medical license without encumbrances, and ability to obtain other state licenses.
• This role requires the ability to get additional state licensures and provide UM coverage across multiple different state health plans.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred candidate will reside in the state of Texas
• Minimum 5 years of clinical practice experience in the health care delivery field as a psychiatrist.
• Experience with managed care, as a provider and manager of care utilization review or physician advisor experience.
• Child/Adolescent Board Certification

Education

• MD (Doctor of Medicine) or DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$174,070.00 - $374,920.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company's equity award program.

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families.

• medical coverage
• dental coverage
• vision coverage
• paid time off
• retirement savings options
• wellness programs
• other resources, based on eligibility

Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 11/14/2026

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.