Clinical Quality Associate, Traveler (BCBA) - Remote

UnitedHealth Group•Phoenix, AZ

13d•$91,700 - $163,700•Remote

About The Position

The Clinical Quality Associate supports provider quality, operational readiness, and consistent performance across the Optum Whole Health Solutions network. The role combines analytics, provider engagement, operational assessment, and quality improvement to strengthen provider experience and uphold key standards. It carries out the full lifecycle of applied behavior analysis (ABA) site reviews, including preparation, data integration, onsite assessment, post-visit reporting, and follow-up on quality action plans. The work involves applying evolving ABA quality standards in real provider settings, translating concepts into practical review activities, and developing clear, actionable findings. The position requires comfort with ambiguity and critical thinking as standards and processes continue to develop. The role is remote, with travel for provider reviews for roughly two weeks each month; while traveling, the employee is away for three to four business days. The remaining two weeks are worked from home. Site reviews involve structured interviews, observations, operational assessments, analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and internal partners. The associate produces and presents findings, supports corrective-action planning and follow-up, and helps refine review processes and tools. Remote employees must adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Requirements

Active Board-Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) certification in good standing.
At least 4 years of direct clinical experience delivering ABA healthcare services as a practitioner across home, school, center, and community settings, with ability to apply this experience independently during site reviews.
Experience in provider quality oversight, operational review, clinical operations, or similar healthcare support functions involving moderately complex analytical and operational tasks.
Deep working understanding of Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) standards of care and ability to interpret and apply them in varied provider environments.
Familiarity with Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) accreditation standards and ability to translate accreditation concepts into practical assessment criteria.
Ability to manage multiple workflows accurately and with attention to detail, work with minimal guidance, and adjust to variable provider operations.
Ability to integrate data from multiple sources, interpret trends, and synthesize findings into clear, actionable insights independently.
Clear written and verbal communication skills and ability to conduct structured interviews with provider leaders and staff at all levels.
Ability to interpret and present complex data, trends, and operational metrics to support decision-making and quality improvement.
Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, including ability to work effectively with cross-functional partners and serve as a resource for less-experienced colleagues.
Mission-driven commitment to improving healthcare quality, strengthening provider performance, and supporting better outcomes for members and families.
Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% for onsite provider reviews and follow-up activities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in behavioral health operations, quality oversight, or provider management.
Experience providing training or creating and/or implementing tools or processes to improve operational consistency.
Familiarity with implementing performance improvement frameworks and quality action planning.

Responsibilities

Complete ABA provider site visits and coordinate reviews end to end, from planning and data collection through onsite activities and post-visit reporting.
Apply standardized data integration, documentation, and quality verification practices to ensure consistency across provider evaluations.
Maintain and improve the Integrated Checklist List (ICL) and related processes to strengthen data completeness, clarity, and usability.
Coordinate pre-visit preparation and confirm documentation and required data inputs are complete.
Collect, analyze, interpret, and synthesize quantitative and qualitative data, including ABA code utilization, provider and member long-day analyses, and treatment-intensity and supervision metrics.
Develop concise pre-visit summaries incorporating Practice Management and PNI data, provider history, and centralized analytics; prepare tables, graphs, and narratives that identify practical review focus areas.
Organize and upload finalized pre-visit documentation to shared systems and participate in planning meetings to align expectations, roles, and logistics.
Conduct structured interviews, observations, and operational assessments onsite, including interviews with provider business and clinical leaders and staff.
Document observations in alignment with practice standards and program requirements and collaborate with site visit reviewers, state health plan executive leadership, and cross-functional partners.
Address moderately complex or nonstandard issues, adjust review approaches while maintaining standards, and explain difficult issues clearly to provider teams.
Coach less-experienced colleagues on interview, observation, and documentation techniques.
Integrate pre-visit data, provider documentation, interviews, observations, and Practice Management reports into post-visit summaries and actionable written reports.
Present site visit results and explain complex findings to internal leadership and provider business and clinical leaders.
Support Quality Action Plans through documentation, scheduling, provider coaching, and follow-up reviews to verify corrective actions and adherence to standards.
Participate in internal debriefs and the onsite visit oversight committee to clarify findings, identify next steps, and recommend process improvements and training needs.
Manage workload and review assignments in accordance with visit volume, provider complexity, enterprise timelines, market strategy, and policy objectives; escalate only the most complex issues.
Apply ABA standards of care, including CASP and accreditation-related expectations, and relevant clinical and operational policies during reviews; translate standards into practical provider feedback.
Assess treatment models, supervision structures, and utilization patterns in support of provider advocacy and value-based care goals, considering quality, outcomes, and sustainability.
Maintain familiarity with ABA industry trends, evolving standards, and payer expectations and incorporate these into site visit focus areas and quality improvement recommendations.