Certified Behavioral Health Specialist

Who We Are:

As the only independent and physician-led faculty practice plan of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Clinical Health (UCH) offers best-in-class clinical care through a network of 175+ providers across 19 specialties to meet the healthcare needs of the Mid-South community. UCH is a not-for-profit, non-tax-supported group practice and is here to serve the community while providing medical excellence to our patients.

Position Summary:

The Behavioral Health Specialist provides coordination, counseling, education, and outreach services to patients and their families/guardians. The Behavioral Health Specialist supports the delivery of care coordination/case management services by removing barriers to the process if they fall within the realm of social work and enlists community resources. Behavioral Health Specialists will work in support of both the primary care providers and the patients by providing quality clinical mental health consultation to providers and patients as requested by the providers. The Behavioral Health Specialist works as an integral part of the primary care team providing direct services. Primary responsibilities include assessing social service needs, identifying and addressing social barriers to members achieving optimal health care status, such as lack or inaccessibility of housing, transportation, utilities, or food. Additional responsibilities include assisting providers in accessing medically necessary specialty care services and ensuring members access appropriate preventive services.

Key Results Areas (KRAs):

• Completes psychosocial assessments
• Identifies care needs and goals based upon:

o Assessment findings

o Analysis of claims data

o Provider input

o Patient and parent/caregiver expressed goals

• Provides quality clinical consultation to providers and staff in areas of individual, family, child and adolescent, regarding mental and behavioral health related issues that are directly connected to the patient's medical condition.
• Evaluate patients in crisis situations to determine appropriate course of intervention and facilitate external referral when necessary.
• Employ empirically- supported, focused interventions to treat commonly occurring mental health conditions and psychosocial components of chronic medical illness and to assist patients in successfully achieving their health goals.
• Provides follow up appointments to deliver psychotherapeutic care related to the mind/body connection with medical problem presentations.
• Promotes a smooth interface between medicine and specialized mental/behavioral health care throughout the organization.
• Collaborates and co-manages the patient's behavioral health care with consistent, expeditious feedback to referring providers.
• Documents the clinical behavioral health aspect of patient interventions and tracks the patient referrals to specialty behavioral health care systems. Completes and submits in a timely manner all encounter forms for billing purposes.
• Attends both medical and behavioral health department staffing.
• Facilitate didactic sessions and discussions with presentations for Project Echo, PCMH, MIPS, and UPL.
• Convenes and facilitates meetings to ensure communication and coordination between patient, parent/caregivers, and key healthcare and support service providers.
• Consult with Quality Engagement Advisors, as appropriate, concerning:

o Scheduling appointments

o Linking patient and family/guardian to community-based organizations and services

o Follow up with/support for patient and family/guardian

• Maintains and ensures the confidentiality of all Personal Health Information (PHI) collected and disseminated according to HIPAA requirements.
• Participates in relevant continuing education offerings to enhance the knowledge base needed to oversee care for specialty populations.
• Participates in all program-specific training programs.
• Adheres to the policies and procedures of University Clinical Health
• Maintains strict confidentiality of client, company, and personnel information
• Perform other work related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education & Experience:

• A graduate degree in counseling or social work from an accredited program or related discipline appropriate to the position.
• Possess a current, valid and unrestricted license to practice in the state of Tennessee- LCSW or LPC. Maintains that license during term of employment.
• A minimum of two (2) years of Case Management experience is strongly preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and analytic skills required to accomplish assessment calls and coordination/prioritization of interventions.