Hospital Liaison and Discharge Planner

Thurston Mason BH-ASO/OHRS • Lacey, WA

15h

About The Position

The Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (TMBH-ASO) is seeking a Hospital Liaison and Discharge Planner to ensure seamless, proactive transitions across the continuum of care.
This position emphasizes early engagement, collaborative planning, and reducing barriers to improve outcomes for individuals transitioning from inpatient or residential behavioral health settings to community-based services. The Hospital Liaison and Discharge Planner is responsible for performing administrative behavioral health services including authorization and utilization reviews, provider relations, and program development for Thurston-Mason BH-ASO in support of and at the direction of the Care Coordination Director.
Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization is a quasi-governmental organization serving the most vulnerable in our communities. Join us in our mission to provide access to an effective, reliable safety net of behavioral health crisis and recovery support services throughout our region. We take pride in our staff that come to work with us and are seeking a Care Coordinator with a passion for supporting individuals experiencing mental health and/or substance use disorders.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in psychology, social work, or public administration or other closely related field required.
• Ability to qualify as a Mental Health Professional (MHP) in Washington State required.
• Experience in behavioral health, care coordination, and discharge planning.
• Strong knowledge of community resources, evidence-based practices, and recovery-oriented systems.
• Requires valid WA driver’s license and ability to meet background check requirements.
• Current Washington State Driver's License, proof of insurance, and satisfactory drivers record required.
• Must be able to pass required background checks as required by OHRS contractual requirements.
• Ability to anticipate needs and act proactively to prevent service gaps.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across people of diverse backgrounds and/or cultures.
• Ability to respectfully manage differences, opposing perspectives, opinions and interests. Ability to utilize a personal computer with applicable software to successfully perform essential job functions of the position including word processing, spread sheet, analysis, information retrieval, and tracking.
• Ability to manage complex cases, resolve conflicts, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Regular, predictable attendance required.
• Use of fleet vehicle and/or personal vehicle required.

Nice To Haves

• Washington State licensure as SUDP or SUDP-T is preferred.
• Washington State licensure as a LMHC, LMHCA, LMFT, LMFTA, LICSW, LICSWA preferred.
• Experience with contract management preferred.
• Familiarity with myAvatar electronic health record preferred.
• Experience working with contracted providers and coordination with varied agency partners. Experience with contract monitoring and analyzing and addressing quality issues.

Responsibilities

• Engage with individuals and families early in treatment to anticipate discharge needs.
• Collaborate with hospitals, residential facilities, and community providers to develop comprehensive transition plans.
• Monitor scope, intensity, and duration of services through utilization review to prevent gaps in care.
• Facilitate referrals for case management, aftercare, and recovery support services.
• Assess, plan, and coordinate safe, clinically appropriate discharge plans.
• Identify barriers to discharge and implement solutions to reduce length of stay and prevent readmissions.
• Serve as liaison with Western State Hospital and other psychiatric facilities for continuity of care.
• Participates in Western State Hospital (WSH) liaison, Health Care Authority (HCA), and Thurston-Mason system of care meetings.
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with providers, agencies, and community partners.
• Gather and analyze data to track outcomes and identify trends; prepare reports for leadership and stakeholders.
• Provides clinical and administrative technical assistance to provider agencies to facilitate services, compliance with contracts, and quality service to clients and stakeholders.
• Participates in the development of policy and procedures to reflect state and federal requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• TMBH-ASO/OHRS provides comprehensive benefits for full-time employees including medical/dental/vision plan options (many with no employee paid monthly premium depending on plan choice, and dependent coverage options), and life insurance and disability insurance options.
• Eligible employees participate in WA State PERS retirement plans and employees may elect additional pre and post tax deferred compensation retirement options.
• Employees receive a PTO package earning a minimum of 140 hours annually and 12 paid holidays.
• Other tax deferred options include Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) .
• TMBH-ASO/OHRS is an approved Public Student Loan Forgiveness employer.
• We pay the fees for required DOH licenses for the position, and we offer annual professional development funds.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level