Director of Behavioral Health

OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVICES INC•New Orleans, LA

1d•$95,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) is seeking a Director of Behavioral Health to provide overall leadership, clinical governance, operational management, and strategic development of all on-site behavioral health services. This role involves oversight of integrated care programs, collaborative care, traditional therapy, and substance use disorder services, ensuring high-quality, accessible, compliant, and sustainable care across all OCHS sites. The Director will act as the senior clinical and operational authority for the Behavioral Health Department, supporting whole-person, patient-centered care aligned with OCHS's mission and values. Additionally, the role includes providing direct patient care with a focus on time-limited, empirically supported interventions within the integrated care model.

Requirements

LICSW; Master’s degree or Doctorate in social work, psychology, or related behavioral health field.
Current license with no past or present suspensions and/or probations.
Experience leading behavioral health services in community health, integrated care, or primary care settings.
Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or leadership experience.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency with EHR systems (Epic preferred) and standard office technology (e.g. Microsoft Teams, SharePoint).
Ability to work effectively within a collaborative, interdisciplinary team environment.
Demonstrated ability to work in a culturally diverse and inclusive environment.
Ability to adhere to strict confidentiality standards.

Nice To Haves

Experience in integrated care, primary care behavioral health, VA PCMHI, or FQHC/community health settings strongly preferred.
Strong communication, organizational, and change-management skills.

Responsibilities

Assume responsibility for the oversight, ongoing evaluation, expansion, and enhancement of behavioral health programs in collaboration with executive and operations leadership.
Report regularly to senior leadership on behavioral health activities, performance, access, quality, compliance, and risks.
Oversee day-to-day behavioral health operations across all clinical sites, including scheduling, access management, clinic flow, and coordination with site leadership.
Establish, implement, and maintain clinical standards of care, policies, and procedures for all behavioral health, integrated care, and recovery services.
Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and payer requirements related to behavioral health and recovery services.
Oversee development and spread of clinician manuals, clinical protocols, workflows, and documentation standards.
Monitor for consistent and high-quality EHR documentation practices, referral pathways, and communication practices.
Oversee billing, coding, and documentation alignment to support reimbursement and financial sustainability.
Develop and oversee quality assurance and continuous quality improvement initiatives across all behavioral health service areas.
Monitor clinical quality metrics, access measures, productivity, and patient experience indicators.
Assist in developing and revising organizational risk management protocols; review behavioral health-related events and potential liability concerns.
Represent OCHS behavioral health services in internal leadership meetings and external community partnerships.
Maintain familiarity with ethical and regulatory issues related to behavioral health and serve as a resource to staff.
Serve as the senior clinical authority for behavioral health, related ethics challenges, and risk management.
Ensure that behavioral health services are delivered in a manner that supports same-day access, warm handoffs, brief interventions, and coordinated care with primary care teams.
Lead implementation and ongoing management of integrated behavioral health models including Collaborative Care and efforts at expanding integrated care services.
Provide clinical content expertise and a population health perspective related to behavioral health interventions, outcomes, and service utilization.
Maintain on-site presence or visits to observe workflows, support staff, and address operational and clinical issues.
Co-lead behavioral health workflows with the Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) program, ensuring patients receiving Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) are actively engaged in recovery support and counseling.
Collaborate with medical and nursing leadership to refine team-based care pathways, ensuring regular communication and coordinated treatment planning.
Establish and maintain an ongoing program to onboard, evaluate, and appraise behavioral health staff and clinicians in collaboration with Human Resources.
Ensure that all behavioral health clinicians complete credentialing, privileging, and payer enrollment requirements prior to providing services.
Support opportunities for clinical education and professional development for behavioral health clinicians.
Provide and/or arrange for clinical supervision of licensed and pre-licensed behavioral health clinicians, interns, and trainees.
Collaborate with clinical leaders on integrated care and management of complex or high-risk patients.
Review behavioral health clinicians’ cases, treatment interventions, and documentation; oversee and facilitate peer review processes.
Ensure high-quality clinical care by reviewing concerns or complaints and recommending corrective actions as appropriate.
Lead and participate in quality improvement initiatives related to the Behavioral Health Department and operational barriers.
Maintain a limited clinical caseload to support access.
Promote staff well-being, psychological safety, and sustainable workloads.
Other related duties and projects as assigned.