Utilization Review Specialist, Behavioral Health
Compensation
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Job Description
Your Experience Matters
Mesa Springs is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network with facilities coast to coast. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others.
As a Utilization Review Specialist joining our team, you’re embracing a vital mission dedicated to making communities healthier®. Join us on this meaningful journey where your skills, compassion and dedication will make a remarkable difference in the lives of those we serve.
How you’ll contribute
An Utilization Review Specialist who excels in this role:
- Displays knowledge of clinical criteria, managed care requirements for inpatient and outpatient authorization and advocates on behalf of the patient to secure coverage for needed services
- Completes pre and re-certifications for inpatient and outpatient services.
- Reports appropriate denial, and authorization information to designated resource.
- Actively communicates with interdisciplinary team to acquire pertinent information and give updates on authorizations.
- Participate in treatment teams to ensure staff have knowledge of coverage and to collect information for communication with agencies.
- Works with DON to ensure documentation requirements are met.
- Ensure appeals are completed thoroughly and on a timely basis.
- Interface with managed care organizations, external reviews, and other payers.
- Communicate with physicians to schedule peer to peer reviews.
- Accurately report denials.
Why Join Us
We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position
also offers:
- Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage, tailored benefit options for part-time and PRN employees, and more.
- Financial Protection & PTO: Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.
- Financial & Career Growth: Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
- Employee Well-being: Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
- Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.
What We’re Looking For
Applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree (required), Master’s degree preferred. Additional requirements include:
- Current unencumbered clinical license strongly preferred
- CPR and CPI Certification within 30 day of employment
- Previous utilization review experience in a psychiatric healthcare facility preferred.
More About Mesa Springs
Mesa Springs is a behavioral health hospital offering exceptional care to the Fort Worth, TX community.
EEOC Statement
“Mesa Springs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Mesa Springs is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in employment.”
Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier.
Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities.
We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.
We employ and provide care to people from all walks of life. We are committed to promoting healing, providing hope, preserving dignity and producing value with an inclusive workforce in which diversity is leveraged, respected, and reflective of the patients, family members, customers and team members we serve.
Key Responsibilities
The Utilization Review Specialist manages inpatient and outpatient authorizations by applying clinical criteria and advocating for patient coverage. They also coordinate with interdisciplinary teams, physicians, and managed care organizations to ensure accurate documentation and timely appeals.
Requirements
Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree, with a Master's degree preferred, and possess a current unencumbered clinical license. Previous utilization review experience in a psychiatric healthcare facility is strongly preferred.
Qualifications
- Education
- Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Healthcare Administration Career Context
Of the 50 active Healthcare Administration listings this role was benchmarked against, 18% are remote, 34% have no call, 74% require no weekends.
The cost-of-living index for Texas is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 57.7% of Texas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
Healthcare Administration pay on WeekdayDoc is down 4.8% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Utilization Review Specialist, Behavioral Health at Lifepoint Health a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 5% in Healthcare Administration — ranked against 1,255 active Healthcare Administration listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no weekend requirements, no night shifts.
Location & Logistics
Texas has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.
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