Sr. Authorizations Associate

Habitat Health empowers older adults to experience more good days in their homes and communities. Through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), we provide comprehensive medical care along with support for daily needs such as meals, transportation, and in‑home assistance. We deliver coordinated clinical and social care in our centers and directly in participants’ homes, creating a fully integrated experience that brings peace of mind and a true sense of belonging. As we expand our scalable, affordable PACE model to meet the growing and complex needs of aging populations, our mission‑driven care teams continue to help participants live well on their own terms. 

Habitat Health is supported by leading healthcare organizations and investors including New Enterprise Associates, Kaiser Permanente, and Town Hall Ventures. We are entering a period of significant growth and are looking for exceptional teammates to help us scale a better model of care for older adults. To learn more, visit www.habitathealth.com.

Role Scope: 

The Sr. Authorizations Associate is a key member of Habitat Health’s centralized, shared authorizations team within Value Based Care Operations. This non-clinical role owns the end-to-end authorization workflow, from validating new referrals through finalization, post-service authorizations, and follow-up, with local clinical teams. Working within strict regulatory timeframes, the Authorizations Coordinator keeps every referral accurate and moving so participants receive services on time, and so Habitat Health always knows what has been authorized, delivered, and billed. 

The role’s core accountability will include: 

• Ensures all referrals and authorizations, across all systems of record, including post-service and retro-authorization requests, are processed within strict regulatory timeframes to support timely delivery of services to participants. 

• Tracks authorization timelines, expirations, and extensions to help guarantee regulatory and internal turnaround times are met. 

• Reviews and validates all referrals for completeness (participant, provider, and reason details; required clinical approvals, network status) before handing off to scheduling. 

• Owns timely, compliant follow-up and close-out of referrals, including confirming follow-up from after visit summaries. 

• Works closely with the local care delivery teams to route requests that require clinical review to the appropriate PCP or IDT members and tracks them to a decision. Partners with Patient Access, Medical Records, Network Management, Claims, and local care teams to resolve authorization-related discrepancies and keep handoffs on time. 

• Facilitates single case agreements end-to-end with the Network team when needed. 

• Keeps referral and authorization status accurate as enrollment changes (new enrollees, disenrollment, completed visits). 

• Documents all actions, contacts, and outcomes accurately in the EHR and authorization systems, following standardized workflows and HIPAA requirements. 

  Qualifications:  

  • Associate’s degree (or equivalent combination of education and experience) and 2+ years of experience in prior authorization, referral coordination, or healthcare administration required. 
  • Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration or a related field preferred; 
  • Working knowledge of medical terminology, health insurance benefits, and authorization processes; Medicare/Medicaid managed care experience strongly preferred 
  • Experience with single case agreements, out-of-network authorizations, or retro-authorizations preferred; familiarity with Kaiser Permanente referral processes is a plus 
  • Experience with electronic health records (e.g., Epic), payer portals, and authorization management systems; proficiency in Microsoft Office 
  • Strong attention to detail, organization, and time management, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and own turnaround times 
  • Ability to adapt to changes and learn new systems quickly 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
  • A strong passion for our mission, with a high degree of empathy for the populations we serve. 

  Compensation:  

  We consider an individual’s qualifications, skillset, and experience in determining final salary. This role is eligible for health insurance, life insurance, participation in the company’s equity program, and paid time off, including vacation and sick leave. The expected salary range for this position is $70,000 to $88,000 and is bonus eligible. The actual offer will be at the company’s sole discretion and determined by relevant business considerations, including the final candidate’s qualifications, years of experience, skillset, and geographic location. 

  Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: 

  Habitat Health is an Equal Opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Habitat Health applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), or other status protected by applicable law. 

  Habitat Health is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with our commitment, Habitat Health will take steps to provide people with disabilities and sincerely held religious beliefs with reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable law.  Accordingly, if you require a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at careers@habitathealth.com. 

Vaccination Policy, including COVID-19

To help maintain a safe environment for our participants and team members, Habitat Health maintains vaccination and infection control policies applicable to certain roles and work locations. For COVID-19 and influenza, team members who are working in a participant care setting are required to provide either proof of vaccination or a signed declination form and comply with applicable masking requirements while in a care setting to the extent permitted by law in the applicable jurisdiction. 

Habitat Health will consider requests for reasonable accommodation based on an applicant's disability, medical condition, or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance in accordance with applicable law. 

As a condition of employment, team members are expected to comply with all applicable infection control protocols, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and vaccination requirements associated with their role and work location, and to the extent required by law and as permitted in the applicable jurisdiction. 

Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Inclusion

Habitat Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the principles of equal opportunity and inclusion. Employment decisions at Habitat Health are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, reproductive health decision-making, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. 

Habitat Health is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. Consistent with applicable law, we provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and to individuals with religious beliefs, practices, or observances that require accommodation. 

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, perform the essential functions of a position, or receive other employment benefits and privileges, please contact us at careers@habitathealth.com. 

We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, even if their experience does not align perfectly with every qualification listed. 

E-Verify Participation Notice  

Habitat Health participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with information from your Form I-9 to confirm your authorization to work in the United States. 

If E-Verify cannot confirm your authorization to work, Habitat Health will provide you with written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or the Social Security Administration (SSA) to resolve the issue before any adverse employment action is taken, including termination of employment. 

E-Verify is used only after an applicant has accepted an offer of employment and completed the Form I-9 and to the extent permitted by applicable law. 

Habitat Health complies with all federal and state employment eligibility verification requirements. 

Beware of Scams and Fraud  

Habitat Health is committed to protecting job seekers from recruitment scams. Please ensure that you submit applications only through Habitat Health's official careers website or authorized job boards. 

Official communications from Habitat Health recruiters and team members will come from email addresses ending in @habitathealth.com. Habitat Health will never ask applicants to pay fees, purchase equipment, or provide sensitive financial information as part of the recruiting or hiring process. 

If you receive suspicious communications claiming to represent Habitat Health, we encourage you to exercise caution and independently verify the communication before responding. 

If you believe you have been the victim of a recruitment scam or fraudulent job posting, please report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through its fraud reporting website at reportfraud.ftc.gov.