Director of Admissions Acute

Shorewood Behavioral Health; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Shorewood Behavioral Health is seeking a Director of Admissions to lead the Admissions Department, align with strategic growth, and ensure compliant, high‑quality intake and evaluation services.

The role directs staff, partners with referral sources, and oversees budgets, policies, and program development to drive revenue and maintain patient satisfaction within our 120‑bed facility in Wisconsin.

Qualifications

• Requires leadership of admissions operations and teams.
• Must develop and implement admissions strategies and increase revenue.
• Experience with crisis triage, intake, and regulatory compliance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Admissions Department and integrate it with hospital goals.
• Direct the admissions process from inquiry to treatment admission.
• Oversee budgeting, policy development, and program improvement within the department.
• Recruit, train, and supervise admissions staff and ensure quality assurance.

Skills

Leadership

Admissions management

Budgeting

Stakeholder relationships

Regulatory compliance

Crisis management

Education

Master’s Degree in Human Services

RN license

Job description

Shorewood Behavioral Health is a 120-bed, state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital dedicated to providing compassionate, evidence-based mental health and addiction treatment services. Our programs serve adolescents and adults through inpatient and outpatient levels of care, helping individuals achieve recovery, stability, and lasting wellness. As part of Acadia Healthcare, the nation's largest stand‑alone behavioral healthcare provider, you'll have access to extensive leadership resources, best practices, and career advancement opportunities while maintaining meaningful influence at the local hospital level.

Purpose Statement

Direct the facility admissions activities by driving the admissions process, developing, implementing, and maintaining revenue‑generating strategies.

Essential Functions

• Provide leadership to the Admissions Department and cultivate the function of the department as an integrated team.
• Implement the strategic plan of the business development and marketing department as it pertains to admission to the facility and direct potential clients to treatment.
• Provide leadership in addressing quality management issues related to crisis triage, evaluation, intake, and admission to the facility.
• Assign/distribute scheduled evaluations, intakes, or admissions as dictated by request and hospital census.
• Conduct quality assurance and quality improvement programs for all crisis triage, evaluation, intake, and admission services.
• Perform follow‑up communication functions and generate recommendations for organization leadership.
• Develop and implement program policies and procedures that guide the provision of services.
• Responsible for the hiring decisions for Admissions Department personnel, providing orientation, in‑service, and continuing education programs for department staff and other internal positions responsible for crisis triage and/or evaluation services.
• Serve as a clinical liaison with referral sources.
• Work to improve efficiency and quality in delivering services within the department, responsible for developing and meeting departmental goals and objectives.
• Ensure that the department is up to date on and compliant with new laws and regulations.
• Recruit, train, and supervise staff.
• Manage the finances of the department, and prepare and monitor budgets and spending to ensure the department operates within allocated funds.
• Determine and implement admissions best practices, promote the hospital, and maintain a satisfied patient base.

Other Functions

• Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Human Services Field or RN nursing license required.
• Three plus years’ experience in healthcare‑related admissions preferred.
• Three years of work experience as a Director of Admissions in a Behavioral health facility preferred.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

• May require licensure by the state for this position.
• 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.

AHCORP