UnityPoint Health

Prior Authorization Assistant

Requisition ID
2026-180269
Category
Patient Services
Location
US-IA-West Des Moines
Address
1776 West Lakes Pkwy
Affiliate
9200 UnityPoint Clinic Affiliate
City
West Des Moines
Department
Referral and Prior Auth Mgmt
State
IA
FTE
1.0
FLSA
Non-Exempt
Scheduled Hours/Shift
8-5 PM
Work Type (Portal Searching)
Full Time Benefits

Overview

UnityPoint Clinic

Prior Authorization Assistant

Monday-Friday 8:00AM-5:00PM

Full Time Benefits

Why UnityPoint Health?

At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.  

Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in. Here are just a few:      

  • Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program.   
  • Dental and health insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members.  
  • Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family.   

With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together.  

And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience. 

Find a fulfilling career and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

Responsibilities

The Prior Authorization Assistant I supports patient care coordination by initiating and documenting insurance prior authorizations for patient services. This role emphasizes accurate data entry, adherence to payer and organizational standards, and professional communication with patients, internal teams, external places of service, and payers.

 

Prior Authorization/Obtaining Insurance

• Obtains insurance prior authorizations for office procedures, diagnostic testing, and imaging for patients.
• Obtains all pertinent clinic health information from provider, clinical staff and/or EMR to process authorizations, referrals, and pre-certifications.
• Verifies demographic information, including insurance, when scheduling and/or obtaining pre-certifications.
• Monitors outstanding authorization requests and initiates follow-up of outstanding authorizations in a timely manner.
• Completes timely and accurate documentation of authorization outcomes in the EHR.
• Maintains current knowledge of payer specific requirements of prior authorizations by attending virtual workshops, researching, reading newsletters.
• Follow department guidelines and payer protocols to initiate prior authorization processes.
• Coordinates authorization processes with scheduling staff so appointments can be made in timely manner.
• Communicate with clinics and referral teams to confirm completeness and accuracy of information.
• Meets department productivity and quality benchmarks.
• Ability to remain flexible and prioritize multiple work streams and process steps.

Customer Service

• Exhibits strong customer services skills and maintain professional communication standards through their work with payers, clinics, and patients.
• Adheres to department customer service standards.
• Collaborate with other departments to assist in obtaining prior authorizations in a cross functional manner.
• Readily identifies work that needs to be performed and completes it proactively.
• Monitors and responds professionally and timely to all inquiries and communications.

Qualifications

Education

High School diploma or equivalent.

 

Work Experience

• Minimum of 2 years previous experience in medical field.
• A working knowledge of insurance payers.

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