illinois Jobs Finder

For the second time this year, UnitedHealthcare of Iowa and Central Illinois is expanding its Quad-City work force with the addition of more than 30 new jobs at its Moline operation.

UnitedHealthcare plans to fill 30-35 positions, including case managers, clinical administrators and information technology professionals. In May, the company said it was hiring 40 employees to fill new openings for claim processors and client service managers.

Dan Kueter, UnitedHealthcare’s president and chief executive officer, said the expansion is another example of the company’s confidence in the Quad-City labor market.

“We continue to find high-quality candidates in the Quad-Cities,” he said Wednesday. “This is one of the reasons why our company – with 75,000 people nationally and offices around the country – continues to choose the Quad-Cities to expand. It is the high performance of people here and the high caliber of the hiring pool.”

Kueter said the new jobs could have landed at any of UnitedHealthcare’s locations. But in addition to the local candidate pool, he said the company is increasing its market share in Iowa and Central Illinois. The insurance provider entered the Quad-City market in 2006 with its acquisition of John Deere Health.

He stressed that the new staff not only will assist members in Iowa and Illinois but will work with the members in other parts of the country. The IT professionals will be involved in some of UnitedHealthcare’s national projects.

Of the 20 new IT positions, a majority will be filled from within the company but that will open up other positions for new employees, he said. About six IT positions will be filled from outside the company. They will join a staff of 60 in Moline.

UnitedHealthcare also will hire five case managers, bringing that staff to 17. Case managers are responsible for helping coordinate the care of patients with chronic conditions by telephone.

“One way to think of them is as individual health coaches or individual nurses for our members with chronic conditions,” Kueter said, adding that the position requires nursing skills.

In addition, the company will add 10 new clinical administration coordinators, including four permanent positions and six temporary positions. The temporary positions could become permanent in 2010.

“Their role is to provide administrative support to our members in working with hospitals and physicians through the care process, managing and scheduling appointments as necessary,” he said. They communicate by telephone and electronically with the physicians, hospitals and other providers.

The new employees will be housed at UnitedHealthcare’s Moline office, 1300 River Drive.

He added that UnitedHealthcare’s hiring experience in the Quad-Cities shows “the viability of this area to support economic growth in the service sector … “

Tara Barney, the president and CEO of the Iowa Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, echoed some of Kueter’s sentiments about the quality and productivity of the area’s work force. “A strong work force is an indicator of a business climate in which innovative companies can prosper and grow.”

UnitedHealthcare expects to complete hiring by year’s end. With the new jobs, the company will employ more than 550 in the Quad-Cities.