Nurse II at FT. Logan

State of Colorado • Denver, CO

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is open to current Colorado residents only. The Colorado Mental Health Hospital at Fort Logan (CMHHIFL) is one of two state hospitals serving our community. The vision of CMHHIFL is to provide the highest quality mental health services to persons with complex, serious, and persistent mental illness within the resources available. Our mission is to support those individuals in achieving their recovery goals and reaching their full potential. CMHHIFL provides inpatient treatment to adult patients, generally between the ages of 18-59. The hospital currently has 154 adult inpatient beds, over six treatment milieus serving civil and forensic individuals. Medical services, occupational therapy, neuropsychological-rehabilitation services, and trauma-informed care services are available for all patients throughout the hospital. Through our core values, CMHHIFL staff is committed to: Individual dignity and respect. Person-centered, evidence-based care. Trauma informed recovery. Multidisciplinary collaboration. Diversity and inclusion. Strong family and community partnerships.

Requirements

• Current, valid licensure as a Registered Nurse from the Colorado Board of Nursing or any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC)
• Two (2) years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position
• Appropriate education will substitute for up to two (2) years of the required experience on a year-for-year basis
• Full background check and reference check required
• This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.

Nice To Haves

• 2 to 3 years of direct experience with utilization management in a behavioral health setting
• Behavioral health experience
• Basic knowledge of medical necessity criteria
• Relevant years of state service experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintains primary clinical oversight and daily operational responsibility for the hospital’s Utilization Management (UM) and clinical documentation integrity programs.
• Manages the full lifecycle of the UM process, performing initial, concurrent, and retrospective reviews to ensure treatment plans align with medical necessity and clinical parameters.
• Provides administrative and clinical leadership by chairing the Utilization Review Committee and presenting data-driven reports to the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) regarding trends, denials, and outcomes.
• Acts as the lead subject matter expert in developing and reconciling hospital policies to ensure clinical practice remains operationally sound and compliant with Joint Commission, CMS, and payor standards.
• Collaborates with medical staff and Social Work to resolve complex discharge barriers, recommend extended care, and direct disposition actions.
• Exercises independent authority over the appeals process and ensures pre-certification approvals with Managed Care Organizations to maintain fiscal integrity and resource optimization.
• Serve as an active member of the Bed Management Committee, collaborating with hospital leaders to drive consensus and implement efficient bed management strategies.
• Facilitates seamless patient progression through the continuum of care.
• Track, recommend, and approve in-hospital transfers between units.
• Acts as the primary communication liaison for the committee, ensuring all relevant hospital stakeholders are informed regarding patient movement, transfers, and discharges to optimize flow.
• Conducts clinical reviews of outside medical transfers to ensure medical necessity, clinical appropriateness, and recommends clinical practice changes in pursuit of increased quality of care.
• Performs special projects as assigned by the Chief of Psychiatry or CMO.
• Prepares and presents targeted strategic reports to hospital leadership to translate clinical data into actionable information for executive decision-making.
• Participates in hospital-wide task forces as the subject-matter expert on clinical flow and utilization metrics.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
• Employee Wellness program
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED