Authorization Specialist (ABA)

Tellos

Tellos helps BCBAs run independent, high-quality ABA practices without getting buried in insurance and operations. Authorizations are one of the most critical points in that system — when they’re slow or wrong, kids wait and providers stall.

This role exists to make sure that never happens.

As our Authorization Specialist, you will own ABA authorizations end-to-end — from initial auth to re-auth to resolution — across Medicaid and commercial payers. You are the single point of accountability for making sure services are authorized accurately, on time, and without unnecessary back-and-forth.

What You’ll Own

End-to-End Authorizations

You own the full authorization lifecycle:

• Initial authorizations, re-authorizations, extensions, and updates

• Medicaid and commercial payers across multiple states

• High-volume workflows without sacrificing accuracy

If a case is delayed due to authorization, you own finding out why and fixing it — permanently.

Denials, Delays, and Escalations

• Proactively identify and resolve denials, delays, and payer discrepancies

• Communicate clearly with payers, clinicians, and internal teams to unblock care

• Minimize service interruptions for families and providers

Your job is to make authorizations predictable, not reactive.

Clinical & Documentation Alignment

• Ensure clinical documentation meets payer standards before submission

• Work closely with BCBAs and clinical leadership to request missing or unclear information

• Help improve documentation quality upstream so auths don’t bounce back downstream

You’re not policing clinicians — you’re enabling them.

Process Improvement & Scale

• Continuously improve authorization workflows to reduce turnaround time

• Identify patterns (payer issues, state issues, documentation gaps) and fix them at the system level

• Help transition authorizations into more scalable, in-house processes as Tellos grows

If something breaks twice, you redesign it.

Visibility & Accountability

• Track and report core metrics (turnaround time, approval rates, denials, rework)

• Surface risks early before they impact treatment starts

• Give leadership clear, actionable visibility into authorization health

What Success Looks Like

• Families start care on time

• Providers aren’t blocked waiting on paperwork

• Denials decrease because systems improve

• Authorizations stop being a bottleneck as we scale across states

Who This Role Is For

You’re a strong fit if you:

• Have 3+ years managing high-volume ABA authorizations and re-authorizations

• Know Medicaid and commercial payer rules cold

• Are calm, precise, and persistent with insurance companies

• Take ownership end-to-end instead of handing things off

• Care about outcomes for families and clinicians, not just clean paperwork

Why Tellos

Tellos is self-funded, mission-driven, and operator-led. We care deeply about families and providers, and we expect real ownership. If you like fixing hard operational problems that actually matter, you’ll thrive here.

We believe in hiring people, not resumes. If you’re excited by Tellos’s mission but unsure if you meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply, we’d love to learn what you’d bring to the team.