Admissions Counselor

About the Role

We are searching for a dedicated behavioral health professional with a proven ability to support patients and families through the admissions process with empathy, professionalism, and urgency. This position involves insurance verification, care coordination, pre-admission assessments, and communication with clinical teams to ensure appropriate placement, continuity of care, and positive patient outcomes.

Cedar Crest Hospital is situated on over 30 acres in the beautiful rolling hills of Central Texas, providing innovative behavioral health and substance abuse treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. Our private campus includes walking trails, picnic areas, an outdoor swimming pool, a full-size gym, and state-of-the-art exercise equipment, offering opportunities for leisure, therapeutic recreation, and team-building skills.

Cedar Crest provides a full continuum of care including adolescent residential, inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient treatments.

Responsibilities

• Respond to inquiries about the facility within facility policy timeframes.
• Develop therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
• Perform benefit eligibility checks to ensure patient benefits are active at the time of admission and communicate this information to the business office and the patient or significant other.
• Collaborate with facility medical and psychiatric personnel to ensure appropriate recommendations regarding pending referrals.
• Coordinate admission and transfer from referral sources and between levels of care within the facility.
• Maintain knowledge of milieu management.
• Communicate projected admissions to designated internal representatives promptly.
• Ensure all clinical information from referral sources or patients (including medical comorbidity information) is received, when possible, prior to patient admission.
• Schedule and complete pre-admission assessments, consult with the admitting physician, and communicate disposition recommendations to the patient or their family.
• Prepare and maintain appropriate medical record documentation to result in authorization at the level of care being requested by the payor.
• Complete initial pre-authorization for treatment and admission prior to admission, when possible, and within payor timeframe guidelines.
• Admit the patient to the registration and accounting system and complete all admission and consent forms with the patient.
• Demonstrate a positive, empathetic, and professional attitude toward customers at all times.
• Acknowledge and work to resolve complaints when patient needs are not met.
• Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.
• Coordinate care for patients who are not being admitted and ensure they receive appropriate follow-up care and referrals.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency related to patient safety and provide excellent customer service.
• Conduct safety checks and ensure supervision is conducted at 15-minute intervals, as noted in special precautions or by individualized supervision guidelines as needed.
• Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a social services field required (if state allows). Master's degree in a social services field (psychology, counseling, social work, sociology, health administration, nursing) or RN preferred.
• One or more years’ experience in mental/behavioral health working with individuals in a clinical or observational capacity preferred.
• Current licensure, as preferred for the area of clinical specialty, as designated by the state in which the facility operates.
• CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
• First aid may be preferred based on state or facility.

Schedule

Night shift: 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday.