UCLA Health

Utilization Management Nurse Auditor

UCLA Health$98K — $214K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Nursing or a related healthcare field, or equivalent healthcare education and experience.
  • 5+ years of professional healthcare experience in clinical, quality improvement, utilization management, or related area.
  • 3+ years of experience specifically in utilization management, case management, and/or clinical auditing.
  • Active and unrestricted Registered Nurse license in California is mandatory.
  • In-depth knowledge of utilization management criteria, payer requirements, and denial management processes.
  • Strong analytical skills with the capacity to interpret complex clinical and operational data effectively.
  • Proficient in electronic health records, particularly with systems like Epic.

Responsibilities

  • Conduct clinical reviews and audits for utilization management and denial prevention.
  • Prepare clinical summaries and documentation for appeals and audit responses.
  • Analyze denial trends and root causes to improve utilization management.
  • Evaluate cases against established utilization review criteria and escalate if necessary.
  • Collaborate with clinical teams to enhance documentation related to medical necessity.
  • Create reports and presentations for leadership and review committees.
  • Support initiatives aimed at improving length of stay and reducing denial rates.

Benefits

  • Flexible hybrid work schedule with onsite and remote options.
  • Indefinite employment duration, providing job security.
  • Opportunities to work collaboratively with various healthcare teams.
  • Engagement in initiatives that impact patient care and operational efficiency.
Full Job Description
General Information

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Work Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA

Onsite or Remote

Flexible Hybrid

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM

Posted Date

09/10/2026

Salary Range: $98200 - 214600 Annually

Employment Type

2 - Staff: Career

Duration

Indefinite

Job #

32733

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

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Patient Business Services

Provide clinical review, audit, analytical, and quality improvement support for utilization management, medical necessity determinations, and denial prevention and response efforts across the health system. As the Utilization Management Nurse Auditor, you will conduct concurrent and retrospective case reviews, support denial appeals, analyze utilization and denial trends, and collaborate with Care Coordination, Clinical Documentation Integrity, Revenue Cycle, and Physician Advisor teams. This role helps strengthen level-of-care determinations, clinical documentation, payer compliance, and operational and financial performance.

In this role, you will:
• Review concurrent and retrospective clinical denials to assess admission status, level of care, length of stay, medical necessity, and other factors contributing to denials.
• Prepare clinical summaries and supporting documentation for first- and second-level appeals, support payer, RAC, and Medi-Cal audit responses, and collaborate with Revenue Cycle and Physician Advisor teams to strengthen appeal strategies.
• Analyze denial and audit findings to identify trends, root causes, documentation gaps, avoidable delays, and opportunities to improve utilization management performance.
• Evaluate cases using established utilization review criteria, including InterQual, MCG, organizational guidelines, and payer requirements, and escalate complex or questionable cases as appropriate.
• Partner with Physician Advisors, Care Coordination teams, and clinical staff to improve documentation supporting medical necessity, status designation, and accurate level-of-care determinations.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, presentations, case summaries, trend analyses, and recommendations for leadership and Utilization Management Committee review.
• Support performance improvement initiatives focused on length of stay, avoidable days, denial rates, status accuracy, utilization outcomes, and data integrity.
• Serve as a clinical resource while collaborating with clinical and operational leaders across the health system to support utilization management, clinical quality, patient safety, care progression, discharge planning, and continuous improvement efforts.
Salary Range:
$98,200 to $214,600 annually

Job Qualifications

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Required
• Bachelor's degree in Nursing or a related healthcare field, or an equivalent combination of healthcare education and experience.
• Five or more years of professional healthcare experience in a clinical, quality improvement, utilization management, or related setting.
• Three or more years of experience in utilization management, case management, and/or clinical auditing.
• Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse license in California.
• Thorough knowledge of utilization management criteria, including InterQual and MCG guidelines.
• Thorough knowledge of payer requirements, medical necessity determinations, and denial management processes.
• Advanced knowledge of quality improvement standards, clinical chart review, abstraction methodologies, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to use data collection, aggregation, validation, analysis, and reporting techniques to support utilization management and quality improvement activities.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to interpret complex clinical, operational, and financial information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for preparing reports, summaries, recommendations, and appeal documentation.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with physicians, clinical staff, operational leaders, and external regulatory representatives.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and healthcare data management applications, including familiarity with systems such as Epic.
• Project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Preferred
• Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Certification in Case Management (CCM), Certified Professional Utilization Review (CPUR), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), or a related specialty.
• AAPC certification, such as Certified Professional Coder, Certified Professional Biller, or Revenue Cycle Management Specialist

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

Current/former UC employees are subject to a personnel file review.

About UCLA Health

UCLA Health is a world-renowned academic medical center located in Los Angeles, California. It comprises four hospitals, including Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and more than 200 primary and specialty care clinics. UCLA Health is affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and is consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the United States. The health system employs over 20,000 people and serves as a major center for patient care, medical education, and research.
Learn more about UCLA Health
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