Intake Specialist (Nights)

About the Role

Haven Behavioral Healthcare, an Oceans Healthcare Company, is a behavioral healthcare system providing high-quality, specialty behavioral health services for individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues. The Intake Specialist receives and responds to call inquiries for potential admissions and generalized questions, reviews new and pending admissions daily, and ensures clinical, financial, insurance, and administrative information is accurately obtained and acted upon. As the point person in welcoming patients to the facility, the Specialist completes required paperwork upon arrival and collaborates with referral sources, community members, patients, and internal departments to uphold the facility’s mission of exemplary patient care and customer service.

Responsibilities

• Processes requests for admission from outside referral agencies and the community.
• Reviews clinical packets to ensure alignment with facility capability and capacity.
• Maintains understanding of Admission and Exclusionary Criteria and EMTALA regulations.
• Ensures prior authorizations are obtained for admissions.
• Organizes patient information and provides succinct clinical presentations to admitting physicians.
• Completes Admission Consents with patients upon arrival.
• Handles sensitive information appropriately and reports violations of the Company’s Code of Conduct.
• Builds and maintains communication processes for efficient information transmission.
• Collaborates with all departments to support the facility’s mission.
• Ensures compliance with state and federal regulatory standards related to communication of incidents.
• Demonstrates timely communication of information to appropriate leadership channels.
• Interacts professionally and respectfully with patients, family members, external entities, and internal staff.
• Adheres to systems and processes that promote commitment to anticipating and meeting the needs of patients and staff.
• Demonstrates understanding of the community’s continuum of behavioral health resources.
• Preserves patient and family dignity and safety.
• Completes required admission documentation within electronic medical records and internal systems.
• Ensures documentation is timely, legible, thorough, and compliant with regulatory requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School Diploma required; Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Health or LPN preferred.
• Experience in Intake, Crisis Management, Behavioral Health, or Chemical Dependency field preferred.

Skills

• Versatile, flexible, and able to perform in stressful situations.
• Strong time management and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize high-volume workloads.
• Independent critical thinker with excellent oral and written communication skills.
• In-depth understanding of chemical dependency/psychiatric treatment and assertive communication skills.
• Consistently follows department and hospital policies and procedures.
• Basic PC skills, including MS Word, Excel, Teams, and ability to learn EHR systems.
• Thorough knowledge of behavioral health issues, rational decision-making, and patient confidentiality (HIPAA compliance).
• Able to function with minimal supervision and interact professionally in high-stress situations.
• Must successfully complete CPR certification and an Oceans-approved behavioral health de-escalation program.

Work Environment

• Subject to frequent interruptions and occasional pressure due to multiple calls and inquiries.
• High-paced and potentially stressful environment; requires mental and physical coping abilities.
• May experience disagreeable odors, sights, or unpredictable patient behavior.
• Spends approximately 90% or more of the time indoors in a climate-controlled building.