PRACTICE UPDATE

Managed Care Companies With Provider Panels For Clinical Social Workers

Mirean Coleman, MSW, LICSW, CT
mcoleman@naswdc.org
 Revised July 2011

Managed care companies offer job opportunities for licensed and certified clinical social workers to provide mental health services to their members on a contractual basis. They may credential clinical social workers or hire credentialing agencies to certify the providers. Several conditions that managed care companies seek from clinical social work applicants include:

  • MSW from an accredited school of social work.
  • A clinical license in the state of practice.
  • Malpractice insurance.
  • Three to five years of post-license experience. Some managed care companies require a minimum of 3,000 hours of post-master's experience in a clinical setting.
  • An active clinical practice.

To help you get started in your search for available provider panels, a current list of major managed care companies that offer behavioral health care in several geographic locations throughout the United States is provided. Most managed care companies now require an online application which may take several weeks to be approved. If the managed care company is not accepting new applicants, contact them periodically to check their recruitment status because changes can occur frequently in the industry.

HELPFUL HINTS

Factors that can attract attention to your managed care provider application include

  • Flexible office hours including early mornings, evenings, and weekends
  • A specialty such as geriatrics, eating disorders, child and adolescent services, work place services, post-traumatic stress
  • A brief, concise resume
  • Additional certifications
  • Special training such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and biofeedback.

MANAGED CARE COMPANIES OFFERING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES


http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/clinical/2011/0711a.asp
5/23/2012
National Association of Social Workers, 750 First Street, NE • Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002-4241.
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