Behavioral Health Intake Access Coordinator

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

21d

About The Position

Represents CHOP DCAPBS to the public as "point of first contact" to families seeking behavioral health services.Coordinates the intake and triage functions for new patients who have requested evaluation and/or care from The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at CHOP. Interviews families, evaluates presenting problems, assesses for safety and acuity, determines level of care needed, schedules initial assessments, and provides care coordination. Works independently and in collaboration with clinicians and administrative staff within the department to ensure all aspects of the intake process are completed, including but not limited to gathering chief complaint and all pertinent medical,social, and family information, obtaining health insurance verification, and communicating with referral sources to assist in determining level of acuity and scheduling patient within most appropriate clinical program. TiPS (Telephonic Psychiatric Consultation Service Program) is a Pennsylvania HealthChoices program designed to increase the availability of child psychiatry consultation teams, regionally and by phone, to primary care providers (PCPs) and other prescribers of psychotropic medications. The program is available for children insured by Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Program.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree - Required
At least two (2) years of related work experience - Required
Previous experience in complex clinical settings that required the coordination of multiple service - Required
Strong knowledge of normal and abnormal child development, psychiatric illness and community resources.
Strong knowledge of issues related to third party reimbursement.
Ability to interact professionally in complex and sometimes emotionally charged situations.
Exceptional organization and interpersonal skills.
Strong customer service orientation to include good listening skills
Strong communication skills – written and oral.
Excellent writing and editing skills.
Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with tact and diplomacy.
Excellent computer skills.
Ability to understand, communicate and process complicated guidelines, policies and procedures.
Ability to independently develop and implement processes and systems.
Excellent attention to detail and follow-through.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree Social Work or Social Sciences - Preferred

Responsibilities

Answer TiPS phone line and obtain patient and consultation question information and route for appropriate services/provider
Be knowledgeable of local behavioral health resources and work with the care coordinator to match a specific youth/family with the most appropriate and available community resource
Provide Care Coordination services by working directly with patients/families to get them connected to local behavioral health services, and coordinating with Primary Care Clinicians
Conducts a structured, focused psychosocial intake interview with parent or guardian or prospective patient
Responds to contact from referring MD and/or referring agency to gather information regarding identified patient
Effectively assesses families’ understanding of their child’s problems and clarifies the expectations they have for evaluation and treatment services
Utilizes clinical knowledge and independent decision making skills to effectively identify levels of psychiatric acuity
Meets with designated clinician on a regular basis to determine appropriate courses of action for new high acuity patient intakes
Utilizes independent decision making skills to triage and refer patients to the appropriate level of care
Understands and accesses community resources to assist with referrals and disposition of patients, including the ability to seek insurance verification and precertification for all levels of care
Completes referrals to alternative levels of care, including partial and inpatient hospitalization
Provides referrals to prospective families whose insurance is out of network or who require more imminent services or a higher level of care than DCAPBS can provide
Documents when child will not be seen in Psychiatry, makes a telephone encounter and records in EPIC
Accurately documents all patient information and interactions with families in a timely fashion in the patient record in EPIC
Obtains all necessary information regarding patient’s medical/ mental health insurance and advises family how to obtain detailed information about services provided through insurance plan
Compiles appropriate medical, educational and/or social service reports from families regarding new patients so that information is available prior to the patient’s appointment
Informs family of charges and payment procedures. Facilitates communication between family and the Finance Department. Refers parents to appropriate person regarding payment plans or questions regarding insurance coverage
Provides confirmation of appointments to families
Informs family how to schedule appointments within other specialties at CHOP when such appointments are necessary
Fills vacancies in schedule due to cancellations to assure the most effective use of clinician’s time
Serves as a resource to other support staff when questions arise regarding intake information, scheduling conflicts, and difficult patient issues
Maintains ability to process confidential matters with high degree of diplomacy, tact and sensitivity
Collaborates with medical specialty providers at CHOP to facilitate scheduling chronically and acutely ill patients with co-occurring medical and mental health needs
Maintains working knowledge of the range of medical and behavioral health conditions encountered in pediatric patient population
Exhibits excellent interpersonal skills for effective communication with individuals in a variety of capacities
Participates in the development and monitoring of Performance Improvement activities. Makes suggestions for new ideas for process improvement
Collaborates with other BH intake social workers to ensure seamless care coordination
Attends weekly intake meeting with clinical leadership to consult on complex cases
Accesses clinical and administrative supervision as needed
Potential to provide clinical services with close supervision with the ability to advance within discipline