Director of Collaborative Care (CoCM)

Essen Medical Associates•Bronx, NY

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Collaborative Care (CoCM) provides strategic, operational, and program leadership for Essen Health Care’s integrated behavioral health program embedded within primary care. This is an administrative program management and stakeholder leadership role, not a clinical position; clinical licensure is not required. The Director reports directly to the SVP of Care Management, with an indirect reporting relationship to the Chief Administrative Officer. The Director builds and scales the CoCM program from a population health and care management perspective, overseeing staff with caseloads across CoCM and other state- and federally funded care management programs. The role supports financial sustainability through accurate billing and contract performance, drives measurable quality improvements, and leads engagement with state agencies, managed care organizations, and community partners. The program is intended to expand across Essen’s medical offices, homebound services, and long-term care as appropriate. The position is full-time and on-site in the Bronx, New York, with travel to Essen Health Care offices across New York City. Some evening or weekend availability may be needed for program go-lives, audits, or stakeholder meetings.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Health Care Administration, or Business Administration (MBA) with a health care concentration or related field.
At least 5–7 years of progressive program management experience, with demonstrated leadership in care management, behavioral health integration, or population health settings.
Track record directing or scaling complex health programs; experience in a Medicaid-heavy or safety-net environment is sought.
Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and cross-functional stakeholders in a large, matrixed health care organization.
Experience managing or influencing program budgets and reporting financial performance to executive leadership.
Demonstrated ability to engage and manage relationships with NYS regulatory and oversight bodies, including DOH, OMH, and SDOH-related agencies.
Working knowledge of the NYS Medicaid managed care landscape, Care Management Agency structure, and integrated care frameworks.
Experience navigating managed care plan relationships and participating in payer-level discussions.
Ability to represent a health system in state-level forums, collaborative tables, and external partnership negotiations.
Strong internal stakeholder management skills and ability to align clinical, operational, and executive teams.
Strong program management skills, including building workplans, managing milestones, and driving accountability.
Financial and analytical acumen, including budgeting, KPI dashboards, and ROI analysis.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to influence executive, operational, and frontline audiences.
Proficiency with EHR systems such as eClinicalWorks, Epic, or comparable systems, and patient registry tools.
Cultural competence and demonstrated commitment to serving underserved, multicultural communities in the Bronx and broader New York City area.
On-site work in the Bronx and travel to Essen Health Care offices across New York City are required.
Some evening or weekend availability may be needed for program go-lives, audits, or stakeholder meetings.

Nice To Haves

Additional certification in care management, population health, or value-based care.
Familiarity with CoCM billing, payer regulations, and value-based care frameworks is strongly preferred.
Experience in a Medicaid-heavy or safety-net environment is ideal.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the CoCM strategic plan, including service expansion, geographic growth, and integration into primary care workflows.
Partner with executive leadership to set annual goals, develop the operating plan, and forecast resource needs aligned with Essen’s Population Health model.
Identify opportunities for program innovation, value-based care contracts, SDOH partnerships, and grant funding.
Represent the CoCM program at state agency meetings, managed care plan forums, and health plan contract discussions.
Serve as primary liaison to external partners, including NYS DOH, OMH, SDOH-aligned community organizations, health plans, and academic affiliates.
Navigate state regulatory environments and funding streams related to behavioral health integration, Medicaid managed care, Care Management Agency programs, and value-based payment initiatives.
Manage relationships with managed care organizations and lead payer and community-based organization engagement to align program goals with community needs and contractual obligations.
Build internal stakeholder relationships across Care Management, Facility, Nursing Home, and ACO programs.
Oversee day-to-day CoCM operations, including EHR utilization, patient registry management, and workflow standardization across sites.
Ensure Behavioral Health Care Manager caseloads meet evidence-based standards consistent with a population health approach.
Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and care management protocols for systematic case review, warm handoffs, and stepped-care escalation.
Lead implementation of new sites, technology rollouts, and workflow redesigns with operations and IT.
Ensure program operations comply with NCQA, DOH, OMH, and CMS requirements.
Directly supervise staff with active caseloads across CoCM and other state- and federally funded care management programs, including Care Management Agency and Integrated Care Coordination.
Recruit, train, supervise, and mentor Behavioral Health Care Managers, Psychiatric Consultants (with clinical oversight delegated), and Integrated Care Coordinators.
Monitor caseload distribution, productivity, and documentation compliance across care management program lines under the Director’s oversight.
Manage performance and professional development for the integrated care team, and foster a collaborative, mission-driven culture.
Oversee CoCM CPT-code billing and coding processes in partnership with Revenue Cycle to maximize reimbursement and ensure documentation compliance.
Analyze payer contracts and reimbursement rates and partner with contracting leadership to optimize revenue capture across Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payers.
Develop and manage the annual program budget, monitor variances, and report financial performance to the SVP and CAO.
Monitor program KPIs, including caseloads and throughput, patient improvement, timely psychiatric consultation, billing accuracy and reimbursement, enrollment and retention, stakeholder and contract outcomes, compliance milestones, and provider and patient satisfaction.