Healthcare Economist - Remote

For those who want to invent the future of health care, here's your opportunity. We're going beyond basic care to health programs integrated across the entire continuum of care. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.OptumServe Consulting (OSC)/The Lewin Group (Lewin), a premier national healthcare and human services consulting and policy analysis firm, brings more than 50 years of experience finding answers and solving problems for leading organizations in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. OSC/Lewin's strategic and analytical services aim to help clients:

Improve policy and expand knowledge of healthcare and human service systems

Enact, run, and evaluate programs to enhance the delivery and financing of healthcare and family services

Deal with shifts in healthcare practice, technology, and regulation

Optimize performance, quality, coverage, and health outcomes

Create strategies for institutions, communities, associations, foundations, governments, and people to make healthcare and human services systems more effective

In the wide-ranging field of human services consulting, OSC/Lewin provides both depth and breadth of expertise. Currently, OSC/Lewin has more than 250 consultants drawn from industry, government and academia. They all share a strong commitment to Lewin's core values of objectivity, integrity, analytical innovation, vision and dedication to client satisfaction.Seeking a dynamic, goal-oriented Healthcare Economist to develop research files and analyze healthcare data for federal health projects such as program evaluations. The role requires expertise in programming (SAS, R, Python, SQL, or STATA) and quantitative analysis.You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.Primary Responsibilities:

Develop analytic files for federal contracts through the linkage of disparate data sources and the creation of variables

Independently perform a broad range of quantitative analyses to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of payment models and other aspects of health policy

Develop analysis design, research and problem-solve data issues and contribute to the development of analytical methods

Perform fast-paced ad-hoc analysis to address client needs quickly

Apply econometrics/statistics, predictive modeling, simulation, and data visualization methods to support program evaluations and the development of health policy

Write detailed specifications and documentation of data processing and analytical steps

Write effective and efficient code both independently and under the guidance of project managers using best practice quality control procedures

Maintain a consistently high degree of accuracy and attention to detail in all tasks

Work effectively and cooperatively as a member of project teams, and effectively direct the activities of less experienced staff

Prepare data and information for internal as well as external use, contribute to reports, and assist with project coordination tasks

Interact with clients and develop strategic working relationships

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.Required Qualifications:

Ph.D. in Economics, Statistics, Public Health, Public Policy -or- Master’s degree in a related field with 3+ post graduate years of relevant experience

Experience in preparing data and information and contributing to reports and presentations

Curiosity, excellent oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and a focus on meeting deadlines

Experience interacting with clients

Preferred Qualifications:

SAS certification

5+ years of experience managing and analyzing large datasets with complex structures and relationships

Experiencing designing and conducting analyses to support large program evaluations

Experience working with healthcare claims and enrollment data and familiarity with healthcare data/payment concepts such as:

Claims data structure and contents (e.g., claim-level vs. claim line level, revenue center codes, procedure codes, diagnosis-related groups)

Claims processing concepts (e.g., final action, maturity)

Inpatient vs. outpatient service settings

Payment concepts such as allowed amount vs. paid amount, deductible/coinsurance

Understanding of Medicare FFS data and payment policies

All employees working remotely will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter PolicyCalifornia, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, or Washington, D.C. Residents Only: The salary range for this role is $88,000 to $173,200 annually. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with al minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with UnitedHealth Group, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: OptumCare is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.OptumCare is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.