Intake / Utilization Review Specialist Job Opening

The Intake/Utilization Review Specialist conducts phone, walk-in, and scheduled assessment for new and return patients and follows-up and responds to all inquiries and referrals. The Intake Specialist provides emergency psychiatric consultation services to potential patients, other hospitals, referral sources, and community organizations. They work closely with physicians, referral sources, and other hospital departments to disseminate information with NSBHS and its services. Additionally, the Intake/Utilization Review Specialist will complete the following duties:

Intake

• Responds to telephone and face-to-face inquiries from persons seeking mental health care of information about mental health related services.
• Identifies needs of callers and schedules clinical assessment when necessary.
• Facilitates appropriate callers’ access to optimal level of care within the system.
• Documents all calls and related information in intake system; ensures forms are neat and legible, gathering all possible information.
• Provides back-up coverage to units if necessary.
• Reviews intake paperwork for appropriate dispositions and referral sources.
• Communicates parent handbook and related policies clearly to patients and families and seeks feedback to assure a clear understanding.
• Assists with admission procedures, obtains patient and other required signatures on admission paperwork, obtains various releases, including patient activity participation, school records, and immunization records, physician billing, insurance, and UR companies.
• Verifies all documentation on after-hours admissions ensuring completion and accuracy.
• Consistently obtains re-certification of Medicaid eligibility prior to admission and requests insurance verification from business office for third party.
• Establishes and maintains positive relationships with patients, physicians, allied health professionals, and all referral sources.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Utilization Review

• Conducts concurrent and extended stay reviews on assigned patients in a reasonable time frame, ensuring the information is presented in a concise, articulate manner.
• Schedules upcoming reviews; notifies the attending physician of physician reviews and facilitates reviews if necessary.
• Establishes a good rapport with third party reviewers while maintaining an advocacy stance on behalf of the client; submits any written materials requested by third party payers in a timely manner.
• Is pro-active and independent in gathering information for reviews from the client record and takes the initiative to seek information from members of the treatment team if necessary.
• Notifies all concerned parties when cases are denied, giving recommendation regarding viability of appeal; effectively coordinates collection of all pertinent data to support organization and patient’s position; ensures appeals are prepared within the dictated time constraints.
• Maintains accurate and current records on day’s denied and current status of appeals; demonstrates effective written communication skills in formulating appeals.
• Maintains appropriate records of the utilization review data and activities; updates patient accounting database daily with accurate discharge and certification information; ensures files and records are organized and thorough and easily accessible.
• Participates in formulation of patient’s treatment and discharge plans with other members of the treatment team.
• Maintains on-going contact with insurance reviewers to maintain certification status by providing reviewing insurance with discharge information including outpatient appointments that the patient has post discharge.
• Supports departmental goals by attending and participating in department meetings and offering ideas and suggestions regarding goals and objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field; or current State of Alaska RN License. Two years experience in mental health field and experience with the DSM and clinical assessments preferred.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Ability to perform assignments with minimal supervision;
• Ability to work successfully under highly stressful conditions;
• Ability to make sound, independent judgments based on scientific and/or ethical principles;
• Capability of adapting to varying workloads and work assignments on a constant basis;
• Effective comprehensive reading skills, strong communication skills, written and verbal.
• Must have a working knowledge of computers.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION

• Must be willing and able to execute the patient de-escalation methods, both verbal and physical.
• Must be able to complete new hire requirements such as State of Alaska Background Check and Drug Testing.
• Must be able to demonstrate special training, knowledge and skills specific to age groups, as well as job and/or program specific competency within the first three (3) months of training.
• Must be certified in CPR and Handle With Care within the first month of training and annually thereafter.
• Must complete all mandatory in-services annually.
• Must be tested for Tuberculosis with a PPD skin test or chest x-ray upon hire; PPD skin test required annually or chest x-ray annually thereafter.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.

GENERAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT Working conditions for all employees are as follows, but not limited to a psychiatric hospital setting; some risk involved in the event of aggressive patient(s); work load may include day, evening, night, weekend and/or holiday shifts. Employees occasionally exposed to blood borne pathogens, and loud noise levels. Mental demands described herein are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job, but are not limited to the ability to remain calm in a stressful environment; and the emotional stability, physical stamina and agility to handle stress and respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Requirements include, but are not limited to the ability to communicate effectively with employees; the ability to effectively utilize communication equipment; the physical agility to manage cleaning equipment; the ability to read, write.

• Frequently utilize physical ability for standing or sitting for long periods of time.
• Regularly utilize physical ability for speaking, hearing, and seeing with correction for close and distance vision, color discrimination, peripheral vision, depth perception and focusing ability.Speaking and hearing may be necessary for conversing with and assessing employees.
• Able to ascend/descend stairs and ramps; body agility is emphasized.
• Able to bend body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist; bend legs at knee to come to a rest on knee(s)
• Able to extend hands and arms in any direction
• Able to use upper and lower extremities to exert force in a pulling or pushing motion. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects
• Able to raise objects from a lower to higher position or from side-to-side.
• The worker is subject to both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside.
• The worker is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions
• Must be able to concentrate amidst distractions; must be able to perform work of a repetitive nature; must respond calmly to potentially volatile clients
• Mental demands include but are not limited to emotional stability, physical stamina and agility to handle stress and respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations.