Catherine Huber
Chicago
Summary
Health care operations and compliance leader with extensive experience across Medicaid managed care, federal regulatory oversight, behavioral health systems, and hospital- and community-based care coordination. Proven ability to conduct complex psychosocial and risk assessments, lead interdisciplinary teams, ensure compliance with CMS, HRSA, FDA, and Medicaid requirements, and design systems that improve patient safety, continuity of care, and access for high-risk and underserved populations. Known for independent judgment, regulatory rigor, and the ability to translate policy into effective, trauma-informed practice across medical, behavioral health, and social care settings.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Human Services Caseworker
State of Illinois
Homewood, IL
04.2026 - Current
- Conduct eligibility determinations and case management for SNAP, Medical, and cash assistance programs by applying Illinois DHS policy, verifying client-reported information, and ensuring accurate, timely processing in compliance with state and federal guidelines.
- Manage high-volume caseloads while providing client-centered service, resolving complex eligibility issues, documenting case actions in state systems, and maintaining compliance with policy standards, quality metrics, and audit requirements.
Therapeutic Social Worker
Classroom Connection Day School
Bannockburn, IL
05.2025 - 03.2026
- Delivered school-based social work services in a therapeutic day school setting, providing individual and small-group support focused on regulation, coping skills, and functional communication while collaborating with interdisciplinary staff to support student progress and classroom stability. Conducted brief risk/safety check-ins as needed and coordinated timely responses to behavioral escalations in accordance with school protocols.
- Maintained timely, accurate documentation and coordinated with families and school team members to respond to student needs, support transitions, and ensure services aligned with program expectations across the school year/ESY calendar. Partnered with teachers and related service providers to implement consistent strategies across settings and monitor carryover of skills into daily routines.
Health Facilities Surveillance Social Worker
State of Illinois
Chicago, IL
06.2024 - 04.2025
- Conducted independent psychosocial and compliance evaluations during federal Hospice and Home Health surveys, assessing patient rights, discharge planning, interdisciplinary care coordination, social determinants of health, caregiver capacity, behavioral health needs, and service continuity in accordance with CMS Conditions of Participation, Illinois Administrative Code, HIPAA, and applicable professional standards.
- Led high-risk complaint investigations and regulatory reporting, including abuse, neglect, exploitation, and immediate jeopardy situations; collaborated with RN surveyors, medical directors, hospice teams, and legal counsel to determine findings and corrective actions; provided expert consultation on Medicare/Medicaid compliance and trauma-informed standards; and prepared defensible Statements of Deficiency (CMS-2567) and corrective action evaluations.
Community Based Social Work Care Coordinator
Cook County Health
Chicago, IL
03.2024 - 05.2024
- Led complex care coordination for high-risk Medicaid populations, conducting comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, developing individualized care plans using evidence-based guidelines (MCG), and addressing medical, behavioral health, and social determinants of health to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable utilization.
- Partnered with interdisciplinary medical homes, nursing leadership, and community agencies to manage transitions of care, oversee documentation and compliance with Medicaid contractual requirements, and drive measurable improvements in care continuity, member engagement, and system efficiency.
Product Development Consultant
Health Care Service Corporation
Chicago, IL
02.2023 - 02.2024
- Designed and led Medicaid behavioral health and social care initiatives addressing trauma recovery, maternal mental health, suicide risk reduction, serious mental illness (SMI), and other high-need populations through whole-person, evidence-based care models.
- Provided system-level leadership across assessment, policy, and operations, conducting independent needs and gap analyses for vulnerable populations; developing community resource integration and referral strategies; partnering with CBOs, FQHCs, crisis teams, and Medicaid vendors; and authoring CMS-aligned program standards (Managed Care, parity, EPSDT, NCQA) while leading cross-functional workgroups to drive quality improvement and measurable outcomes.
Clinical Project Manager
Abbott
Chicago, IL
09.2021 - 01.2023
- Directed end-to-end clinical project management for multi-site studies and complex clinical initiatives, coordinating investigators, research nurses, sponsors, CROs, and regulatory partners to ensure compliance with FDA regulations, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), IRB requirements, and human subject protection standards while managing timelines, budgets, resources, and data integrity.
- Led clinical operations oversight, including safety monitoring, protocol adherence, and issue resolution; synthesized clinical data, risk assessments, and project milestones into clear executive-level reports and stakeholder communications; and supported corrective action planning, process improvement, and cross-functional alignment across clinical, regulatory, quality, and operational teams to drive high-quality outcomes and informed decision-making.
Managed Care Operations Manager
Cook County Health
Chicago, IL
08.2020 - 08.2021
- Directed Medicaid care coordination for high-risk populations, overseeing behavioral health case management, crisis response, care transitions, wraparound services, and cross-system collaboration for foster youth, justice-involved adolescents, individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), chronic homelessness, and trauma survivors.
- Led regulatory compliance and performance improvement, implementing interdisciplinary workflows across health care, courts, and community systems; ensuring alignment with CMS Medicaid Managed Care, NCQA/HEDIS, and parity requirements; and using risk stratification and quality data to improve access, continuity of care, and reduce preventable inpatient and ER utilization.
Provider Network Specialist
Centene Corporation (Aetna Better Health)
Chicago, IL
08.2018 - 08.2020
- Supported behavioral health access and continuity of care for Medicaid and dual-eligible populations by building and maintaining service networks across mental health, substance use treatment, crisis services, and community-based supports, and resolving access barriers for high-risk members in collaboration with care management and utilization management teams.
- Ensured network adequacy, provider compliance, and quality alignment, educating providers on trauma-informed care, Medicaid parity and HEDIS requirements; reviewing credentialing, member rights, cultural competency, and accessibility standards; partnering with community agencies to expand housing, benefits, and recovery resources; and collaborating with state regulators to meet access-to-care requirements.
Patient Access Representative (Health Navigator)
Advocate Aurora Health
Chicago, IL
01.2017 - 07.2020
- Provided patient advocacy and care navigation for diverse, high-need populations, identifying and addressing barriers such as insurance gaps, financial hardship, transportation, language access, and behavioral health availability; assisting patients and families with treatment understanding, discharge planning, benefit verification, and service access.
- Coordinated interdisciplinary, trauma-informed care to ensure continuity and compliance, collaborating with nursing, care management, and physicians; facilitating referrals to behavioral health, primary and specialty care, and community resources (Medicaid, SNAP, charity care, disability and transportation services); documenting care coordination in EPIC in accordance with HIPAA and hospital policy; and reducing treatment delays and avoidable readmissions.
Clinical Social Work & Case Manager (Graduate)
Cook County Health
Chicago, IL
08.2019 - 05.2020
- Provided comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment, care coordination, and clinical case management for individuals and families with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs, ensuring continuity of care across healthcare, community, and social service systems.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop, implement, and monitor individualized care plans, addressing risk, compliance, and outcomes while maintaining documentation aligned with clinical, regulatory, and ethical standards.
Child Protective Investigator (Graduate)
State of Illinois
Waukegan, IL
01.2018 - 08.2018
- Conducted child abuse and neglect investigations across diverse and high-risk family systems, completing comprehensive safety and risk assessments, in-person and collateral interviews, home evaluations, and detailed case documentation to determine immediate and ongoing child safety in compliance with Illinois statutes, ANCRA requirements, investigative protocols, and due process standards.
- Partnered with legal counsel, medical and mental health providers, educators, law enforcement, and community agencies to develop and monitor protective interventions, coordinate court-ordered and voluntary services, support juvenile court processes, and maintain accurate, timely, and defensible case records aligned with state child welfare and quality assurance standards.
Transitional Care Liaison
Health Resource Solutions
Chicago, IL
07.2015 - 01.2017
- Conducted comprehensive assessments and home safety evaluations for patients transitioning from hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, assessing discharge readiness, caregiver capacity, functional needs, social determinants of health, and readmission risk.
- Led transition-of-care planning and continuity efforts, developing individualized care plans; coordinating referrals to post-acute, behavioral health, and community services; collaborating with interdisciplinary teams; providing post-discharge follow-up and early risk identification; completing mandated APS reports when indicated; and maintaining documentation compliant with HIPAA and CMS care transition standards.
340B Program Coordinator
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Chicago, IL
01.2010 - 06.2015
- Managed compliance for the federally regulated 340B Drug Pricing Program, overseeing contract pharmacy partnerships to ensure access to affordable medications for low-income and uninsured populations, and leading internal audits to identify and resolve eligibility errors, duplicate discounts, diversion, and billing discrepancies through root-cause analysis and corrective action planning.
- Directed cross-functional compliance and audit readiness efforts, collaborating with hospitals, FQHCs, pharmacists, physicians, finance, and compliance teams; delivering staff training on HRSA/OPA requirements, inventory controls, and documentation standards; and preparing defensible records for HRSA audits while safeguarding patient data and program integrity.
Education
Master of - Social Work
Loyola University of Chicago
Chicago, IL05.2020
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Loyola University of Chicago
Chicago, IL12-2009
Skills
Operations, Compliance & Quality:
Regulatory Compliance (CMS, HRSA, FDA), Audit Readiness & Corrective Action, Policy & Program Standards, HIPAA & Data Privacy, Risk Management, Quality Improvement, Incident & Root-Cause Analysis
Program & Process Leadership:
Program Design & Implementation, Workflow & Process Improvement, Cross-Functional Coordination, Performance Monitoring, Change Management
Stakeholder & Systems Collaboration:
Provider & Partner Relations, Network Coordination, External Stakeholder Engagement, Interdisciplinary Team Leadership
Data, Systems & Tools:
Data Validation & Reporting, Outcomes Measurement, Operational Metrics, Electronic Health Records (EPIC), Compliance & Care Management Systems, Microsoft Office – Advanced
Languages:
English – Native/Bilingual Tamil – Native/Bilingual Spanish – Professional Working
Certification
- Licensed Social Worker (LSW), State of Illinois
- Basic Life Support (BLS) – American Heart Association
- SBIRT Certified – Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Substance Use Intervention Training
- CADC Training – Alcohol & Drug Counselor
- HRSA Workforce Training – Behavioral Health Integration
- CABISAM & OWETP Federal Grant Training
Timeline
Human Services Caseworker
State of Illinois
04.2026 - Current
Therapeutic Social Worker
Classroom Connection Day School
05.2025 - 03.2026
Health Facilities Surveillance Social Worker
State of Illinois
06.2024 - 04.2025
Community Based Social Work Care Coordinator
Cook County Health
03.2024 - 05.2024
Product Development Consultant
Health Care Service Corporation
02.2023 - 02.2024
Clinical Project Manager
Abbott
09.2021 - 01.2023
Managed Care Operations Manager
Cook County Health
08.2020 - 08.2021
Clinical Social Work & Case Manager (Graduate)
Cook County Health
08.2019 - 05.2020
Provider Network Specialist
Centene Corporation (Aetna Better Health)
08.2018 - 08.2020
Child Protective Investigator (Graduate)
State of Illinois
01.2018 - 08.2018
Patient Access Representative (Health Navigator)
Advocate Aurora Health
01.2017 - 07.2020
Transitional Care Liaison
Health Resource Solutions
07.2015 - 01.2017
340B Program Coordinator
Walgreens Boots Alliance
01.2010 - 06.2015
Master of - Social Work
Loyola University of Chicago
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Loyola University of Chicago