Admissions Specialist

Valley Behavioral Health System; Fort Smith (AR); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Valley Behavioral Health System in Fort Smith, AR seeks a clinical admissions professional to manage inquiries, conduct assessments, and oversee patient admissions to our facility according to policy timelines.

You will work with medical and psychiatric teams to determine appropriate levels of care, verify insurance benefits, secure pre-authorization, and ensure accurate admission documentation while maintaining a compassionate, safety‑first approach for all patients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science or related field; RN with associate degree acceptable; LPN/LVN training may meet minimum.
• Master's degree in a therapeutic field preferred in some states.
• One+ years clinical experience in a related capacity preferred.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate admissions and assessment processes for incoming patients.
• Respond to inquiries about the facility within policy timeframes.
• Schedule and complete pre-admission assessments and communicate recommendations.
• Collaborate with medical and psychiatric personnel to determine appropriate admissions.
• Coordinate admission and transfer between levels of care within the facility.
• Verify insurance benefits and communicate findings to patients and families.
• Ensure all admission documentation is gathered and pre-authorization secured.
• Assist therapists with concurrent insurance reviews to support continued treatment.
• Coordinate peer-to-peer reviews and share results with the treatment team.
• Provide ongoing assessment of patient status during admissions.
• Communicate treatment recommendations to treatment teams.
• Demonstrate empathy and professionalism, addressing complaints and prioritizing patient safety.

Skills

Admissions processes

Insurance verification

Customer service

Medical terminology

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science

RN with Associate degree in Nursing

LPN/LVN training

Job description

Purpose Statement

Clinical professional responsible for inquiries, assessments, and admissions to the facility.

6a-2p Mon through Fri

Monday & Tuesday 8p to 6a

Purpose Statement

Clinical professional responsible for inquiries, assessments, and admissions to the facility.

Essential Functions

• Facilitate admissions and assessment processes for incoming patients.
• Respond to inquiries about the facility within facility policy timeframes.
• Schedule and complete pre-admission assessments and communicate recommendations to patients or their families.
• Collaborate with other facility medical and psychiatric personnel to ensure appropriate recommendations and admissions.
• Coordinate admission and transfer between levels of care within the facility.
• Communicate projected admissions to designated internal representatives promptly.
• Perform insurance benefit verifications, disseminating the information gathered to the patient, their families, and other appropriate facility staff.
• Ensure all medical admission documentation is gathered from external sources prior to patient admission and secure initial pre-authorization for treatment and admission.
• Assist individual therapists with concurrent reviews with insurance companies to secure continued treatment.
• Coordinate and facilitate peer-to-peer reviews when needed and collaborate the results of reviews with the multi-disciplinary treatment team.
• Provide accurate and ongoing assessment of patient status in the admissions process.
• Communicate treatment recommendations to other treatment teams.
• 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.
• 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 in accordance with individualized supervision guidelines as needed.

Other Functions

• Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science, Social Services Field, may also be an RN registered nurse, in which case, an Associate's degree in nursing may be the minimum educational requirement or a licensed practical or vocational nurse, in which case, successful completion of an LPN or LVN training program may be the minimum requirement.
• For states in which a therapist may act in this role, a master's degree in a therapeutic field is preferred.
• One or more years' experience working with individuals in a clinical or observational capacity within the area of specialty for the facility preferred.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

• 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 required based on state or facility.

Additional Regulatory Requirements

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.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

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