Authorization Senior Associate

Alteva RCM•New York, NY

2d•$60,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The Authorization Senior Associate is an advanced individual contributor who manages complex authorization cases and serves as an operational resource for the Authorizations team. The role is intended for experienced authorization professionals with strong insurance knowledge, leadership potential, and interest in progressing toward future Team Lead responsibilities. The Senior Authorization Specialist serves as a subject matter expert on authorization workflows, payer requirements, and authorization strategy. Alongside managing a personal caseload, the role supports team success by mentoring peers, assisting with training and onboarding, identifying workflow issues, and providing day-to-day guidance. Working with Team Leads and Management, the Senior Authorization Specialist helps maintain department productivity, quality, and accountability while developing leadership skills for potential future advancement.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
3–5 years of experience in healthcare authorizations, utilization management, insurance verification, revenue cycle management, or related healthcare operations.
Strong understanding of authorization workflows and payer requirements.
Experience working directly with insurance carriers.
Demonstrated success managing complex authorization cases.
Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Ability to influence and support peers without formal supervisory authority.
Professional communication with providers, payers, patients, and internal stakeholders.
Commitment to professional growth and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
Experience mentoring, training, or onboarding team members.
Leadership presence and accountability; ability to coach, mentor, and support peers.
Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Readiness to assume additional leadership responsibilities as opportunities arise.

Responsibilities

Manage high-volume and complex authorization requests from intake through final determination.
Navigate payer requirements, authorization criteria, medical necessity guidelines, and documentation requirements.
Analyze insurance policies and payer rules to identify authorization pathways and escalation opportunities.
Maintain accurate and complete documentation in departmental systems.
Follow up proactively with insurance carriers to prevent delays and support timely determinations.
Guide Authorization Associates on workflows, payer requirements, and case strategy.
Assist with onboarding and training through coaching, shadowing, and process support.
Model professionalism, ownership, and leadership behaviors.
Assist with workload balancing and daily workflow prioritization.
Monitor aging inventory and identify requests requiring urgent attention.
Identify operational bottlenecks and recommend workflow improvements.
Support implementation of process enhancements and best practices.
Develop advanced knowledge of commercial, government, and managed care payer requirements.
Assist team members with complex payer requirements and escalation pathways.
Identify trends affecting approvals, turnaround times, and authorization outcomes.
Contribute to authorization approval, turnaround time, productivity, documentation quality, inventory management, follow-up, training, mentorship, and team-support performance measures.