Behavioral Health Intake Specialist: Drive Access & Appointments

South Coast Community Services; California (MO); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

South Coast Community Services is seeking a Behavioral Health Intake Specialist to be the first point of contact for individuals and referral partners across two intake systems (Medi-Cal counties and managed care/ commercial insurance). The role aims to schedule the first appointment and drive conversion, with performance measured by conversion rate, call quality, and documentation accuracy.

Responsibilities include intake screening, eligibility verification, scheduling, crisis escalation when

Qualifications

• Associate degree or higher in psychology, social work, healthcare administration, or related field.
• Minimum two years of direct behavioral health or social services experience.
• Knowledge of Medi-Cal, county contracts, and managed care; real-time benefits verification via payer portals.

Responsibilities

• Answer inbound calls from individuals, families, school district partners, hospital discharge planners, county case managers, and payer representatives seeking SCCS services across two counties.
• Conduct standardized needs screens to determine program fit, payer eligibility, geography, and level-of-care alignment.
• Schedule eligible callers for assessments and ensure authorization requirements are confirmed.
• Escalate crisis when needed and document all crisis contacts in MyEvolve/EHR.

Skills

Active listening

De-escalation

Strong writing/communication

Telephone etiquette

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Associate’s degree or higher in psychology, social work, healthcare administration, public health, or related field

Tools

MyEvolve/EHR

Availity

Navinet

Job description

South Coast Community Services is seeking a Behavioral Health Intake Specialist to be the first point of contact for individuals and referral partners across two intake systems (Medi-Cal counties and managed care/ commercial insurance). The role aims to schedule the first appointment and drive conversion, with performance measured by conversion rate, call quality, and documentation accuracy.

Responsibilities include intake screening, eligibility verification, scheduling, crisis escalation when