Intake Assistant (Part Time/Days & Hours TBD)

Cazenovia Recovery; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Cazenovia Recovery in Buffalo, NY is seeking an Intake Coordinator to support the referral and admission process across levels of care. You will screen calls, manage inquiries, and perform first contact with applicants, while maintaining electronic records and coordinating with intake staff.

The role emphasizes trauma‑informed communication, documentation accuracy, and adherence to confidentiality standards to ensure timely admissions and appropriate level‑of‑care determinations.

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree in Human Services or related field; Bachelor's preferred.
• Minimum six months' work experience in Substance Use, Behavioral Health, or Human Services.
• Valid New York State driver's license required.

Responsibilities

• Screens phone calls regarding referral process, waitlist status, and admission inquiries.
• Maintains the Intake fax folder, email inbox, and distributes messages to staff.
• Enters new referrals into the electronic record and conducts initial phone interviews.
• Assists with organizing and faxing admission notifications to Managed Care Organizations.
• Prepares Intake Assessments for Intake Coordinators.
• Completes Intake Assessments and determines level of care using LOCADTR.
• Ensures complete documentation required for admission is obtained.
• Complies with Federal Confidentiality (42 CFR Part 2), HIPAA, and related regulations.

Skills

Referral processing

Intake coordination

Documentation

Trauma-informed care

HIPAA compliance

Communication skills

Education

Associate's Degree in Human Services

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Tools

Electronic health records (EHR)

Job description

This position assists the Intake department in day‑to‑day processing of referrals and coordination of admissions for all levels of care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Screens phone calls regarding referral process, waitlist status, and other general admission inquiries.
• Demonstrates strong, trauma‑informed, professional communication techniques at all times.
• Maintains the Intake fax folder, email inbox, and distributes messages and items to the Intake Manager and Intake Coordinators or the appropriate staff.
• Processes documents and uploads them to the electronic record.
• Enters new referrals into the electronic record, makes first contact for phone interviews, and distributes information to the appropriate Intake Coordinator.
• Assists with organizing and faxing admission notifications to Managed Care Organizations.
• Assists the Intake Manager with coordination and scheduling of all external agency presentations.
• Assists in completing filing/organizational tasks for the Intake department.
• Prepares Intake Assessments for Intake Coordinators.
• Completes Intake Assessments as needed and upon completion determines level of care by completing the LOCADTR assessment tool.
• Ensures thorough completion of all required documentation necessary for admission.
• Completes the unique admission process for Unity House for Intake Coordinator review and subsequent reviews by the Quality Assurance Manager.
• Sends admission instructions to referring agencies for residents admitting to programs, and ensure they are received and understood.
• Sends admission packets to internal sites for residents admitting to programs, and ensure they are received.
• Requests court orders from Drug Court/Mental Health Court, etc. for residents that are court mandated to treatment and know the vernacular that needs to be included in a court order request.
• Monitors discharges from internal sites via the Friday Weekly Report to aid in filling vacancies in a timely, efficient manner to help maintain a utilization rate above 90% at each program.
• Sends fee agreement to referring counselors for residents to review, sign and send back to the Intake Department.
• Primarily responsible for completing the Thursday Weekly Report, which is sent to all internal sites for review regarding pending admissions.
• Actively works toward a credential such as CASAC, LMSW, LMHC, and/or completes clinical trainings to aid in utilizing Trauma‑Informed Care and Cultural Competency when interacting with applicants.
• Annually completes dead‑filing process and maintains accurate dead‑filing spreadsheet for resident charts in the Intake Department.
• Maintains accurate waitlists through the OASAS website for assigned sites.
• Completes HERDS reporting through the Health Commerce System.
• Provides referral contact information for referred applicants that are in need of a higher level of care.
• Provides ancillary treatment options to referring counselors when applicants have been deemed inappropriate for treatment with CRSI, in order to coordinate care.
• Mindful of and integrates Trauma‑Informed Care and its five principles in all duties and interactions with fellow staff, residents, and external partners.
• Maintains compliance with all required rules and regulations, including Federal Confidentiality (42 CFR, Part 2), HIPAA, Medicaid and/or HUD, and any others.
• Ensures that all job‑related requirements are met.
• Regular attendance at work location.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

• A minimum of an Associate’s Degree in Human Services or related field; Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• A minimum of six months’ work experience in Substance Use, Behavioral Health, or Human Services field. Intern experience will be considered.
• In addition, the qualifications above, a valid New York State driver’s license is required.