Admissions Counselor

Acadia Healthcare; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonuses

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Stock-based awards

Paid time off

Professional development & training

Career mobility across 250+ facilities

Job summary

CenterPointe Columbia, part of Acadia Healthcare, seeks an Admissions Counselor to manage inquiries, build therapeutic relationships, and coordinate patient admissions and transfers. The role emphasizes ensuring benefits, collaborating with medical staff, and maintaining compliant records.

The position requires a background in social services with relevant clinical experience, plus CPR certification and state licensure where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a social services field is required (if state allows).
• Master's degree in social services or RN preferred.
• 1+ year experience in mental/behavioral health in a clinical/observational role preferred.

Responsibilities

• Respond to inquiries about the facility within policy timeframes.
• Develop therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
• Determine benefit eligibility and communicate to the business office and patient/family.
• Coordinate admissions and transfers between referral sources and levels of care.
• Maintain knowledge of milieu management and safety protocols.
• Communicate projected admissions to internal stakeholders promptly.
• Ensure medical information from referrals is received prior to admission.
• Complete pre-admission assessments and communicate disposition recommendations.
• Prepare and maintain medical record documentation for payor authorization.
• Admit patients and complete forms in the registration system.
• Provide empathetic, professional customer service and address complaints.
• Coordinate follow-up care and referrals for non-admitted patients.
• Demonstrate urgency in patient safety and service delivery.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

Communication skills

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social services

Master's degree in social services (or RN)

Tools

CPR certification

Job description

Overview

Admissions Counselor - CenterPointe Columbia

Shift: Open

CenterPointe Hospital of Columbia is a psychiatric hospital that provides life-changing care for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Located in Columbia, Missouri, our state-of-the-art facility offers a wide range of mental health and addiction programming designed to meet our patients’ diverse needs. Our inpatient programming serves people of all ages, providing crucial crisis intervention services for our community. The outpatient programming we provide for adolescents and adults is an excellent step-down option after someone completes inpatient treatment. Whatever level of care someone takes part in, they receive individualized treatment that we tailor specifically to them. Our goal is to help each of our patients achieve healing, and we do that by working closely with every patient to find the path to healing that’s right for them.

Why Join

• Competitive compensation with industry leading annual performance-based bonus opportunity
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match to support your financial future
• Stock-based awards, giving you a stake in Acadia’s success
• Generous paid time off for vacation, sick days, and holidays
• Professional development & leadership training to sharpen your skills
• Career mobility within Acadia’s nationwide network of 250+ facilities

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Respond to inquiries about the facility within facility policy timeframes.
• Ability to develop therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
• Perform benefit eligibility to ensure patient benefits are active at the time of admission. Communicate benefit eligibility to the business office and the patient or significant other.
• Collaborate with facility medical and psychiatric personnel to ensure appropriate recommendations regarding pending referrals.
• Coordinate admission and transfer from referral sources and between levels of care within the facility.
• Maintain knowledge of milieu management.
• Communicate projected admissions to designated internal representatives promptly.
• Ensure all clinical information from referral sources or patients (including medical comorbidity information) is received, when possible, prior to patient admission.
• Schedule (when applicable) and complete pre-admission assessments, consult with the admitting physician and communicate disposition recommendations to the patient or their family.
• Possess skill in preparing and maintaining appropriate medical record documentation that will result in authorization at the level of care being requested of the payor.
• Complete initial pre-authorization for treatment and admission prior to admission, when possible, and within payor timeframe guidelines.
• Admit the patient to the registration and accounting system. Complete all admission and consent forms with the patient.
• Demonstrate a positive, empathetic, and professional attitude toward customers always. When patient needs are not met, acknowledge and work to resolve complaints. Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.
• When a patient’s needs are not met, acknowledge and work to resolve complaints. Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.
• Coordinate care for patients who are not being admitted and ensure that they receive appropriate follow-up care and referrals.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency related to the importance of patient safety and provide excellent customer service.
• Responsible for conducting safety checks and ensuring that supervision is conducted at 15-minute intervals, as noted in special precautions, or by individualized supervision guidelines as needed.

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

• Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Qualifications

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a social services field required (if state allows).
• Master's degree in a social services field (psychology, counseling, social work, sociology, health administration, nursing) or RN preferred.
• One or more years’ experience in mental/behavioral health working with individuals in a clinical or observational capacity preferred.

LICENSES/DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS:

• Current licensure, as preferred for the area of clinical specialty, as designated by the state in which the facility operates.
• CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
• First aid may be preferred based on state or facility.

We are committedtoprovidingequalemploymentopportunitiestoall applicantsforemploymentregardlessofanindividual’scharacteristicsprotected byapplicable state,federalandlocallaws.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the requirements of the job, management reserves the right to add or remove duties from particular jobs when circumstances (e.g. emergencies, changes in workload, rush jobs, or technological developments) dictate.

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