Intake Clinician

Intake Clinician - Swing (RN/LPCA,LPC,LMSW) | Palms Behavioral Health | Harlingen, Texas

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About the Job:

PURPOSE STATEMENT:
The Intake Clinician is a behavioral health professional responsible for facilitating admissions, clinical intake assessments and prior authorization process to assure continuity for the most appropriate level of care for patients. Performs assessments, screens for clinical and medical appropriateness and communicates this information to a physician who makes the appropriate level of care decision. Works closely with business office, nursing, and clinical staff as well as external parties to ensure the timely admission of patients.

Roles and Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Facilitates intake, admission, and prior authorization process for incoming patients.
Performs insurance benefit verifications, disseminating the information gathered to patient, their families, and appropriate internal staff.
Provides accurate and ongoing assessment of patient’s status in the admission and prior authorization process.
Facilitates the response to requests for services, including the initial response, the assessment and referral process, the designation of appropriate level of care, initiation/intake into services, and appropriate follow up activity.
Follows EMTALA regulations to complete insurance verification and precertification’s, when appropriate.
Responds to inquiries about the facility within facility policy timeframes.
Schedules/completes pre-admission assessments and communicates recommendations to patient or their family.
Collaborates with other facility medical and psychiatric personnel to ensure appropriate recommendations and admissions.
Performs ongoing assessments of physical/function, emotional, social, spiritual and financial needs of patients and implements crisis intervention and referral.
Provides education regarding healthcare and social resource systems to empower patient and their family to access resources independently.
Maintains all the documentation involved with the admissions process.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in social work, counseling, psychology, mental health or a related field required. In some states, may also be a registered nurse, in which case, an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing is required.
One or more years’ experience in mental/behavioral health working with individuals in a clinical or observational capacity preferred.
Experience in the managed care pre-certification process, level of care assessments and utilization preferred.
Experience in clinical interviewing, patient assessment, referral, treatment planning, communicating with external review organizations or comparable entities, and working effectively with people of diverse backgrounds.
Outstanding interpersonal and interviewing and assessment skills. Skill in telephone etiquette and paging procedures.

LICENSES/DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS:

Current licensure, as required for the area of clinical specialty, i.e., current RN license, CAC or other clinical counseling or therapy license, as designated by the state in which the facility operates.
CPR and de-escalation and restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
First aid may be required based on state or facility requirements.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

This position is an Individual Contributor.

Why Palms Behavioral Health?Palms Behavioral Health offers a comprehensive benefit plan and a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume. Palms Behavioral Health is an EOE.

Veterans and military spouses are highly encouraged to apply. Summit BHC is dedicated to serving Veterans with specialized programming at our treatment centers across the country. We recognize and value the unique strengths of the military community in supporting our mission to serve those who have served.

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