General Counsel

This is a unique opportunity to become the General Counsel of Philadelphia County’s only Behavioral Health Medicaid Managed Care Organization. This position will provide exposure to the inner-workings of Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Program and the complex challenges that exist within the areas of mental health and substance abuse services. The CBH General Counsel is a fully functioning member of the senior leadership team serving as the go-to advisor for the CEO and executive team on corporate healthcare laws and regulations as well as privacy, public policy, ethics, and risk management.   

CBH is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation contracted by the City of Philadelphia to provide mental health and substance abuse services for Philadelphia County Medicaid recipients. CBH maintains relationships with all related City Agencies including Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Philadelphia School District, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. CBH, through its 500 employees, annually serves over 118,000 enrollees through its network of over 175 providers.  

The General Counsel serves as the chief legal and compliance officer of Community Behavioral Health (CBH), providing both legal and strategic counsel to CBH executive staff and other employees and overseeing the internal and external fraud, waste and abuse (FWA) and privacy compliance programs.  

Essential Functions:  

· Build and maintain a strong functional team through effective recruiting, training, performance management, coaching, team building and succession planning. 

· Provide advice and counsel to and develop creative solutions for issues raised by CBH executive staff and other employees on legal and compliance matters related to administering the Behavioral Health HealthChoices program. 

· Draft or review legal and other documents including contracts, policies, procedures, internal protocols, communications with providers and litigation-related documents. 

· Serve as liaison to and direct all activities of outside counsel, including litigation.  

· Supervise internal and external FWA and privacy compliance activities. 

· Conduct legal research. 

· Review documents in response to subpoenas and other requests for information.  

· Chair the CBH Compliance Committee. 

· Oversee development and conduct of internal FWA and privacy training for newly hired and existing CBH employees. 

· Supervise legal, compliance and support staff. 

· Participate in contract and litigation negotiations. 

· Communicate with external stakeholders. 

· Manage the departmental budget. 

Position Requirements:  

· Education: Law degree from an accredited law school 

· License/Certification: Member in good standing of the Pennsylvania Bar with an active license 

· Relevant Work Experience: Minimum of 10 years of legal experience including:  

· Minimum of 5 years in Medicaid Law. Experience with the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program and/or provider-payor relationships preferred. 

· Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience.  

· Experience with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) as well as other federal and Pennsylvania privacy and confidentiality statutes and regulations related to substance use and mental health treatment.  

· Experience preparing, reviewing, and negotiating vendor contracts; Reviewing procurements.  

· Litigation experience preferred. 

· Skills: 

· Strong leadership and management skills 

· Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills 

· Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers 

· Excellent legal research skills 

· Strong negotiation skills 

· Advanced knowledge of federal, state and local laws that govern administration of the HealthChoices program, including privacy and confidentiality laws