Vice President & Head of Payer Strategy

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. Summary **This is a remote position, but must reside in the Northeast** **Prior experience in a hospital system or urgent care environment is strongly preferred** PM Pediatric Care is scaling a behavioral health platform to address the mental health crisis facing children and adolescents. We operate state-based clinical pods across New York, New Jersey, and Florida, with national expansion underway. Over the next 24 months, we are growing from 75K to 150K+ annual visits and $15M to $50M+ in revenue. The VP & Head of Payer Strategy is the enterprise payer strategist and chief negotiator for PM Pediatric Care's Urgent Care and Behavioral Health service lines. This role owns national payer relationships, contract strategy, rate negotiations, multi-state expansion, and value-based partnership development. You will serve as the executive voice to Tier 1 payers, BCBS plans, Medicaid programs, and value-based care organizations. You will operate at the intersection of clinical strategy, financial performance, and market access, translating clinical quality and patient outcomes into payer value propositions, negotiating contracts that balance network inclusion with financial sustainability, and building partnerships that position PM Pediatrics for long-term advantage. Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer. Partners closely with: SVP Operations (Urgent Care and Behavioral Health), VP Clinical Programs, Finance/FP&A, and Revenue Cycle Management. This is a high-visibility executive role with direct exposure to the CEO, Board of Directors, and national payer C-suites. Description Responsibilities   National Payer Strategy & Tier 1 Relationship Leadership (Urgent   Care) —   40%   Own strategic relationships with Tier 1   payers : UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Anthem/BCBS, and Humana; serve as executive liaison to payer leadership at the C-suite and senior VP levels   Negotiate multi-year rate renewals, expand geographic coverage, and improve contract terms including facility fees, after-hours differentials, and coding/billing policies   Lead escalation management:   resolve   contract disputes,   address   network adequacy issues, and   navigate   audit and compliance challenges   Translate clinical quality, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness into compelling payer value propositions   Analyze rate structures, benchmark against market, and   identify   opportunities for rate improvement   Align contract strategy with operational footprint,   utilization   patterns, and market expansion plans in partnership with SVP Urgent Care Operations   Behavioral Health Contract Expansion & Multi-State Market Entry — 35%   Accelerate behavioral health payer contracting in NY, NJ, and FL, and lead payer entry into 6+ new states over   24 months   Negotiate rates, terms, and coverage policies that support financial sustainability, with a target of $200K–$280K revenue per clinical FTE   Lead payer credentialing and network inclusion strategy for therapists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric NPs across multiple states; drive credentialing cycle time to under   45 days   Navigate state-specific contracting landscapes including Medicaid managed care, state employee health plans, regional commercial payers, and telehealth reimbursement policies   Leverage urgent care relationships to unlock behavioral health contracting opportunities using an integrated care value proposition   Design and execute a behavioral health payer entry playbook covering market landscaping, contract negotiation sequencing, credentialing project management, and post-contract optimization   Value-Based Care & Strategic Partnership Development — 20%   Evaluate and build value-based care partnerships: shared savings, bundled payments, quality incentive programs, and outcomes-based contracts   Lead strategic payer pilots including integrated care models, SDOH collaborations, pediatric behavioral health integration, and alternative reimbursement models   Design clinical-financial frameworks for value-based arrangements, including quality metrics, financial risk models, and performance monitoring   Model upside/downside scenarios for value-based contracts in partnership with Finance and Clinical Leadership   Position PM Pediatrics for emerging payment models: CMS Innovation Center initiatives, Medicaid value-based purchasing, and payer-provider SDOH collaborations   Identify   strategic payer partnership opportunities beyond traditional contracting, including data sharing, care coordination platforms, and referral network integrations   Payer Analytics, Performance & Cross-Functional Leadership — 5%   Build payer performance dashboards tracking contract   utilization , revenue per contract, payer mix, claims denial rates, and financial performance by payer   Benchmark PM Pediatrics rates and contract terms against urgent care and behavioral health competitors   Lead cross-functional payer governance in partnership with RCM, Finance, and Operations   Develop negotiation playbooks, contract templates, and rate benchmarking tools to scale the payer strategy function   Build and lead the payer strategy team as the organization scales, including future hires in payer contracting, credentialing, and analytics   Drive $15M–$25M in cumulative revenue impact through contract optimization, new payer partnerships, and value-based upside   Target Compensation: $220,000 - $275,000 The salary/rate range listed here has been provided to comply with local regulations and represents a potential base salary/rate for this role. Please note that actual salaries/rates may vary within this range above or below, depending on experience and location. We look at compensation for each individual and based on experience an