Job Summary

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 position reports directly to the SVP of Care Management, with an indirect reporting relationship to the Chief Administrative Officer. The Director serves as the administrative bridge between behavioral health, primary care, and external stakeholders — including state agencies, managed care organizations, and community partners. This is a program management and stakeholder leadership role, not a clinical position. 

The Director is responsible for building the CoCM program from a population health and care management perspective — directly overseeing staff who carry caseloads across CoCM and other state and federally funded care management programs (including Care Management Agency and Integrated Care Coordination), ensuring financial sustainability through accurate billing and contract performance, driving measurable quality improvements, and leading engagement with DOH, OMH, SDOH partners, and managed care plans. The Director will scale the model across Essen's 50+ medical offices, home bound services and long term care as appropriate. 

Responsibilities

Strategic and Program Leadership 

• Develop and execute the strategic plan for the CoCM program, including service expansion, geographic growth across Essen's network, and integration into primary care workflows. 

• Partner with executive leadership to set annual goals, build the operating plan, and forecast resource needs aligned with Essen's Population Health model. 

• Identify and pursue opportunities for program innovation, value-based care contracts, SDOH partnerships, and grant funding to support sustainability and growth. 

• Represent Essen's CoCM program at state agency meetings (DOH, OMH), managed care plan forums, and health plan contract discussions. 

Stakeholder and External Relations 

• Serve as the primary liaison to external partners including NYS DOH, OMH, SDOH-aligned community-based organizations, health plans, and academic affiliates. 

• Navigate state regulatory environments and funding streams relevant to behavioral health integration, including Medicaid managed care, Care Management Agency, and value-based payment initiatives. 

• Manage relationships with managed care organizations (MCOs) including MetroPlus, HealthFirst, Emblem, and others operating in Essen's service area. 

• Lead payer and CBO engagement to align CoCM program goals with community health needs and contractual obligations. 

• Build and maintain internal stakeholder relationships across Essen divisions including Care Management, Facility, Nursing Home, and ACO programs. 

Operational Management 

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the CoCM program, including EHR utilization, patient registry management, and workflow standardization across sites. 

• Ensure caseloads of Behavioral Health Care Managers (ICC-CoCM) 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 in partnership with operations and IT. 

• Ensure program operations are compliant with NCQA, DOH, OMH, and CMS requirements. 

Staff Leadership and Development 

• Directly supervise staff carrying active caseloads across CoCM and other state and federally funded care management programs, including Care Management Agency and Integrated Care Coordination (ICC). 

• Recruit, train, supervise, and mentor Behavioral Health Care Managers, Psychiatric Consultants (clinical oversight delegated), and Integrated Care Coordinators. 

• Monitor caseload distribution, productivity, and documentation compliance across all care management program lines under the Director's oversight. 

• Provide ongoing performance management and professional development planning for the integrated care team. 

• Foster a collaborative, mission-driven team culture aligned with Essen's commitment to underserved communities. 

Financial and Fiscal Management 

• Oversee billing and coding processes for CoCM CPT codes (99492, 99493, 99494, G2214) in partnership with Revenue Cycle to maximize reimbursement and ensure documentation compliance. 

• Analyze payer contracts and reimbursement rates; partner with contracting leadership to optimize CoCM 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. 

Key Performance Indicators 

• Caseload size and patient throughput per Behavioral Health Care Manager. 

• Patient clinical improvement rates measured by validated tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7) — target 50% improvement at 10–14 weeks. 

• Percentage of enrolled patients receiving timely psychiatric consultation (target at or above 90% within program-defined window). 

• Billing accuracy, claim denial rates, and CoCM code reimbursement yield. 

• Program enrollment and patient retention rates. 

• Quality of stakeholder engagement: payer contract performance, DOH/OMH compliance milestones, and CBO partnership outcomes. 
• Provider and patient satisfaction scores. 

Qualifications

Education 

• Master's degree required in one of the following: Human Services, Social Work, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Health Care Administration, or Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in health care or a related field. 

• No clinical licensure required. This is an administrative program leadership role. 

• Additional certifications in care management, population health, or value-based care are a plus. 

Experience 

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive program management experience, with demonstrated leadership in care management, behavioral health integration, or population health settings. 

• Proven track record directing or scaling complex health programs, ideally in a Medicaid-heavy or safety-net environment. 

• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and cross-functional stakeholders in a large, matrixed health care organization. 

• Familiarity with CoCM billing, payer regulations, and value-based care frameworks strongly preferred. 

• Experience managing or influencing program budgets and reporting financial performance to executive leadership. 

Stakeholder Engagement and Regulatory Knowledge 

• Demonstrated ability to engage and manage relationships with NYS regulatory and oversight bodies including DOH, OMH, and SDOH-related agencies. 

• Working knowledge of 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. 

• Comfortable representing a health system in state-level forums, collaborative tables, and external partnership negotiations. 

• Strong internal stakeholder management skills — able to align diverse teams across clinical, operational, and executive functions within Essen. 

Skills and Competencies 

• Strong program management discipline: ability to build workplans, manage milestones, and drive accountability across teams. 

• Financial and analytical acumen, including budgeting, KPI dashboards, and ROI analysis. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to influence at the executive, operational, and frontline levels. 

• Proficiency in EHR systems (eClinicalWorks, Epic, or comparable) and patient registry tools. 

• Cultural competence and demonstrated commitment to serving underserved, multicultural communities in the Bronx and broader New York City area. 

Work Environment 

This is a full-time, on-site role based in the Bronx, NY. Travel to Essen Health Care offices across New York City is required. Some evening or weekend availability may be needed to support program go-lives, audits, or stakeholder meetings.