Admissions Counselor

About the role

Join our team as an Admissions Counselor and play a vital role in helping individuals access the care they need. In this fast‑paced, patient‑focused position, you will guide patients and families through the admissions process, conduct assessments, verify benefits, coordinate care transitions, and collaborate with clinical teams to ensure appropriate treatment recommendations.

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.
• Communicate benefit eligibility to the business office and to 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 (when applicable) 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 that will result in authorization at the level of care being requested of 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.
• 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 at 15‑minute intervals, or as required by special precautions or individualized supervision guidelines.
• 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 of experience in mental/behavioral health working with individuals in a clinical or observational capacity (preferred).
• Current licensure as required for the clinical specialty in the state where the facility operates (preferred).
• CPR and de‑escalation/restraint certification (required; training provided).
• First aid certification may be preferred based on state or facility requirements.

Skills

• Compassionate and empathetic communication.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent customer service orientation.
• Ability to build therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
• Effective coordination and collaboration with clinical teams.
• Prioritization of patient safety.
• Sense of urgency in handling admissions and safety checks.
• Robust documentation and record‑keeping abilities.

Schedule

Thursday to Saturday with every other Wednesday, 7:00 pm – 7:00 am.