Director of Intake - RN

Oceans Healthcare; Waco (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Oceans Healthcare seeks an Intake Director to lead the patient intake process for the hospital, including calls, referrals, and eligibility verification. You will develop relationships with referral sources and ensure compliance with Joint Commission and state regulations.

The role requires strong leadership, organizational skills, and experience in psychiatric settings, with a focus on accurate data, staff development, and cross-department collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a clinical area (e.g., counseling, social work) or RN licensure with relevant experience.
• Minimum three years’ experience in the mental health field or equivalent educational background and experience.
• Clinical experience in psychiatric settings and crisis intervention preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plans, directs, and controls patient intake, registration and admitting operations.
• Responds to inquiry calls and referrals in a timely manner.
• Determines initial clinical eligibility and insurance information for benefits verification.
• Refers patients to appropriate resources when not suitable for facility programs.
• Oversees intake staff, trains personnel, and ensures competency.
• Manages admission forms and EMR data accuracy daily.
• Coaches staff to improve performance and productivity.
• Resolves customer concerns and escalations without blame.
• Reports census and pending admissions daily for accuracy.
• Tracks department performance and conducts audits for seamless processes.
• Collaborates with Community Liaison team and other departments.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Organization

Interpersonal skills

Crisis intervention

Education

Bachelor’s degree in clinical field

Tools

MS Office

EMR/EHR systems

Coding software

Job description

The Intake Director is responsible for the patient intake process for the hospital to include implementing, monitoring and evaluating the process. This position will be responsible for all patient intake calls and referrals, providing information to individuals, agencies, facilities, and professional staff, i.e., physicians, consulting professionals, requesting information regarding potential admissions, developing and/or maintaining relationships with ongoing sources of referral to alternate treatment sources when appropriate. All duties to be performed in accordance with Joint Commission, Federal and State regulations, Oceans’ Mission, policies and procedures and Performance Improvement Standards.

Essential Functions

• Plans, organizes, directs, and controls hospital patient assessment, registration and admitting operations.
• Responds to inquiry calls and referrals in a timely manner.
• Completes inquiry forms accurately, schedules assessments in a timely manner and documents follow-up calls made regarding pending assessments.
• Determines initial clinical eligibility and insurance information to FI for verification of benefits.
• Refers patients who are not appropriate for facility programs to appropriate resources.
• Oversees Intake department and employees; trains employees on all department processes and procedures; ensures staff competency; analyzes data and reports.
• Manages employees to ensure admission forms and EMR information are completed accurately on a daily basis. Coaches and counsels intake staff, when appropriate, to improve or improve performance and productivity.
• Responsible for resolving customer concerns and dissatisfaction without assigning blame.
• Attends Flash daily reporting meaningful, accurate and current census and pending admission data.
• Tracks performance and conversion rates of department and by individual staff; performs audits to ensure processes are seamless.
• Works closely with Community Liaison team and communicates daily as needed.
• Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

Educational / Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a clinical area, such as counseling, social work or RN licensure and at least three years’ experience in the mental health field or equivalent education and experience.
• Clinical experience in psychiatric setting; situational evaluation and crisis intervention experience preferred.

Qualifications / Skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to explain complicated concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Demonstrates effective interpersonal skills and communication internally with patients, families, and referral sources.
• Conducts business and communication in a professional, empathetic and effective manner demonstrating Oceans core convictions with all internal and external customers.
• Strong organization skills to ensure that information is coordinated with medical records and other hospital departments.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office products, as well as coding and classification software and EHR systems.
• Anticipates the needs and expectations of all customer groups.
• Displays service recovery skills. Displays insight and self-accountability. Seeks input and guidance when needed, utilizing available internal and corporate resources.
• Must successfully complete BLS certification and an Oceans approved behavioral health de-escalation program.

Work Environment

Subject to many interruptions. Occasional pressure due to multiple calls and inquiries. This position can be high paced and stressful; must be able to cope mentally and physically to atmosphere. Work requires spending approximately 90% or more of the time inside a building that offers protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.