Virtual Practice Operations Associate

In the United States, one in five adults experience a mental health illness and over 12 million people have thoughts of suicide. Mental health crises can be some of the most difficult times in a person’s life, and over 17 million people seeking behavioral health care experience a delay in accessing care. Willow Health is on a mission to significantly improve this experience by expanding affordable access to high-quality, evidence-based intensive behavioral health care. In order to make this mission a reality, we are building a virtual crisis care program that provides personalized, recovery-oriented care for people experiencing behavioral health crises. Willow Health offers patients immediate access to evidence-based virtual crisis psychotherapy, medication management, care management, and around the clock crisis coverage, while working to connect patients to the most appropriate next level of care. Our co-founding team has two decades of collective experience working in healthcare and healthcare tech, and we are backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Seae Ventures. We’re seeking a Virtual Practice Operations Associate with strong knowledge of insurance eligibility, and clinical operations, along with experience in behavioral health or hospital settings. This role supports clinic operations and assists leadership to drive service delivery improvements.

Day to day responsibilities

• The hours for this role are Monday to Friday 10:15 AM - 7:15 PM EST. This is a fully remote, virtual role.
• Manage patient access operations including processing appointments, handling inbound calls and voicemails and processing patient inquiries.
• Coordinate patient outreach and engagement by managing multiple tracking systems for inquiries, record requests, scheduling and follow-up communications.
• Execute daily operational tasks including updating provider schedules and availability, processing overnight messages and managing electronic health record documentation.
• Facilitate communication across stakeholders by monitoring operational channels, relaying critical information to clinical staff, escalating issues as needed and promoting effective dialogue between teams and patients.
• Process financial transactions and insurance verification including co-pays and fees, routine insurance eligibility checks and explaining billing responsibilities to patients.
• Maintain quality assurance and data integrity by running and auditing operational reports, reviewing patient charts for accuracy and ensuring compliance with data management standards.
• Develop reports and support business continuity by analyzing operational data for leadership and identifying workflow optimization opportunities.

Our ideal candidate has

• At least 2 years of operations experience, preferably in a start-up environment, behavioral health clinic or hospital
• Comfort with or ability to quickly learn digital clinic tools (e.g., digital EMR, telehealth platform, digital intake forms, etc.)
• Experience and comfort working directly with customers / patients in a customer experience capacity
• Excellent organizational skills
• Ability to follow outlined operational processes related to patient onboarding (e.g., establishing patient charts, welcoming patients to the clinic, completing insurance checks)
• Ability to quickly understand, respond to, and address challenges as they arise throughout the day in clinic
• Comfort in working with clinical teams, including LCSWs, LMHCs, Care Managers, Psychiatrists, Psych NPs, and Licensed Peers
• A desire to improve mental health care delivery
• Experience with insurance and medical claims processes.
• Experience with credentialing
• An openness to and ability to respond to constructive feedback

Preferred qualifications

• Strong leadership skills and ability to gain the confidence of faculty, staff, leaders, colleagues, etc.
• Ability to display a professional, positive attitude with strong interpersonal skills and communication skills required and must be able to work independently and collaboratively to meet deadlines.
• Highly detail-oriented, self-motivated, efficient, and strong organizational skills .
• Demonstrate a high degree of flexibility in accepting work assignments with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks, understand processes, and resolve issues.

All team members are expected to embody our values:

• Safety above all else. We operate in a space with life and death repercussions, and every member of our team takes that responsibility seriously. We all look for and call out patient safety concerns.
• Maximize measurable impact. We put our patients first. We are tenacious about doing good, and we have the outcomes to prove it. Our work is guided by measurable hypotheses that we test and re-evaluate.
• Build inclusively and equitably. We are committed to decreasing the systemic inequalities in healthcare and to building an organization where a diverse group of patients and employees can thrive. We seek to understand and learn from differences rather than minimize them.
• Stakes determine speed. Where the stakes are low, we optimize for quick learnings and progress. Where the stakes are higher, we are more thoughtful and methodical. Where safety is a concern, we optimize for zero errors.
• Constellations, not stars. We believe a well functioning team is worth much more than a collection of individuals, and we invest in bringing out the best in each other. We are kind, loyal, and direct.
• Honor commitments; honor yourself. We do our best work when we are fulfilled, our core needs are met, and there is joy along the way. We are clear about what we can and can’t do so that we can honor our commitments and fulfill them excellently.
• Empowerment and empathy. Wherever possible, we empower others rather than decide for them. When we make decisions that affect others, we seek their perspective and minimize harm done.

Originally posted on Himalayas