Behavioral Health Coordinator (Per Diem)
About The Position
The Behavioral Health Coordinator responds promptly to behavioral health crises in the Emergency Department or on medical units, helping reduce the time patients spend waiting for disposition and contributing to efforts to reduce overcrowding and boarding. The coordinator gathers a behavioral health history and information about the patient’s functioning, relevant personal and environmental factors, current providers, state agency involvement, and health-related social needs. They keep patients and accompanying parents or guardians informed throughout the process and provide psychoeducation on recovery, wellness, and crisis self-management. After a Psychiatric Provider determines disposition based on medical necessity, the coordinator presents relevant assessment information to the payer and obtains service authorization. The role works closely with the Behavioral Health admissions team, searches for appropriate inpatient or less restrictive placements, coordinates admission and transfer details, and arranges transportation, including ambulances. The coordinator also develops or updates crisis prevention and safety plans, collaborates with providers when appropriate consent is obtained, and connects patients discharged home with natural supports, community-based services, referrals, and other resources. The position includes answering calls to the Psychiatric Provider, completing required encounter documentation, maintaining a comprehensive community resource list, participating in the annual process improvement plan, providing service excellence, and performing other work-related duties as requested or directed.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a human services field.
- Current BLS certification.
- Crisis Prevention Intervention Training within one month of hire.
- Working knowledge and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook, and internet search engines.
- Excellent organization and time management skills.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree preferred.
- One to three years’ experience working with programs treating mental health, substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders preferred.
- Experience using electronic health record documentation systems to document program notes preferred.
Responsibilities
- Respond promptly to behavioral health needs in the Emergency Department or on medical units to minimize patient wait time and help reduce overcrowding and boarding.
- Take a behavioral health history, including prior inpatient admissions and admissions to other levels of behavioral health care.
- Gather information from the patient, family, or providers about current functioning at home, school, and in the community, as well as educational, social, family, legal or court-related, and environmental factors that may have contributed to the crisis.
- Identify current providers, state agency involvement, and health-related social needs, including housing or food insecurity, transportation access, health insurance needs, difficulty paying for prescriptions, and education or literacy needs.
- Keep patients and accompanying parents or guardians updated on the process.
- Present relevant assessment information to the payer after disposition is determined by the Psychiatric Provider and obtain authorization for services.
- Work with the Behavioral Health admissions team on inpatient and partial hospital admissions, authorizations, and service coordination.
- Conduct ongoing bed searches for patients assessed to meet medical necessity criteria, including inpatient psychiatric facilities and less restrictive levels of care.
- Arrange admission or readmission to the same facility when a bed is available there.
- Coordinate transfer and admission to an appropriate facility, including obtaining the accepting physician’s name and requested arrival time, and faxing information when required.
- Arrange transportation, including ambulances.
- Update an existing crisis prevention or safety plan, or create a new plan using the Crisis Planning Tool.
- Collaborate, with appropriate consent, with involved or newly referred providers to share information regarding the Psychiatric Provider’s treatment plan.
- For patients discharged home, support linkage with the patient’s natural support system and arrange services based on the Psychiatric Provider’s assessment.
- Connect patients to alternative community-based services to help reduce unnecessary hospitalization and Emergency Department use.
- Provide resources and referrals for additional services and supports, including recovery-oriented and consumer-operated community resources.
- Answer incoming calls to the Psychiatric Provider.
- Provide psychoeducation on recovery, wellness, and crisis self-management.
- Complete all encounter documentation required for the position.
- Maintain a comprehensive community resource list.
- Participate actively in the annual process improvement plan.
- Consistently provide service excellence to patients, family members, visitors, volunteers, and coworkers.
- Perform other work-related duties as requested or directed.
