Behavioral Science Jobs in Fort Smith, AR (NOW HIRING)

PRN Admissions Specialist 

Join a mission-driven team where your work directly impacts patients at some of the most critical moments in their lives. As an Admissions Specialist, you will serve as the first point of contact for individuals seeking behavioral health support-guiding patients and families through the intake process with compassion, efficiency, and clinical insight.

In this fast-paced inpatient environment, you'll play a vital role in ensuring timely access to care by coordinating assessments, verifying benefits, and collaborating closely with a multidisciplinary team. Your ability to balance urgency with empathy will help create a seamless and supportive admissions experience while prioritizing patient safety every step of the way

At Valley Behavioral Health Hospital, you will be part of a healing environment: The focus is on personalized and compassionate care. 

Join a team with purpose: If you're passionate about mental health and want to help reduce stigma, employees at Valley live that purpose daily.

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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