Verona, NJ - Behavioral Health Specialist

Behavioral Health Specialist - Join Our Verona, NJ Team

About Us: Vanguard Medical Group is an independent primary care group practice with 11 offices in Northern and Central New Jersey. We are committed to providing evidence-based healthcare that achieves quality outcomes that improve the health and safety of our patients and the populations we manage. We also strive to take care of our people, and that's not just patients. We want to ensure that our clinical and administrative staff have a good work-life balance, are engaged at VMG, and experience joy at work.

Position Type: Part-Time

Location: Verona, NJ

Working Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm. 

Compensation: $22.00 - $25.00 per hour, depending on years of experience

About the role: The Behavioral Health Specialist (BHS) is focused on patient-centered care while supporting quality outcomes in the primary care setting. This is a key role as part of a multidisciplinary team, which includes Primary Care providers, nurse care coordinators, and social workers. The BHS will manage patient outreach and outcomes, connecting patients to providers in the medical neighborhood. This is a part-time, in-person position (24 hr/wk) located in our Verona, NJ site.

Job Responsibilities: 

• Through telephonic care coordination, BHS facilitates successful transitions between levels of care providing screening, referrals, and scheduling for patients using VMG BH criteria and workflows
• Establishes collaborative relationships with acute care hospitals, treatment facilities, individual providers, and community agencies to support fluid, bidirectional communication
• As a subject matter expert in behavioral health-related programs, provides referral information regarding facility-based BH services, community BH health options, and substance abuse treatment referrals. Innovative thinking expected.
• Collects, tracks and acts on clinical data using the EHR, payer reporting, hospital portals, web apps and spreadsheets
• Effective participation in practice initiatives related to Population Health goals to reduce BH utilization and cost
• Provides patient education and is knowledgeable in professional care modalities (eg: CBT Therapy) and best practices which support BH integration in primary care
• Familiar with resources in the medical neighborhood which address social determinants of health
• Attends VMG and departmental meetings/trainings; may need to travel to various VMG sites for collaboration purposes
• Able to prioritize and balance work responsibilities in a high-volume environment and across all practice sites.
• Effectively communicates problems or concerns to Manager appropriately and promptly
• Treats people with respect; keeps commitments; inspires the trust of others; works with integrity and ethically; upholds organizational values.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or LCSW credential
• Experience/training in Motivational Interviewing preferred
• Independent and fluid skills using Microsoft Outlook tools, specifically Excel
• Has experience working in the field of behavioral health; experience providing care coordination a plus

Life at Vanguard:

We are the innovators and visionaries in medical science, with the health of our patients as the ultimate goal. To take care of our patients, we hire warm and caring professionals who value and respect others, and who seek to achieve excellence in all they do. We take care of our team too! We offer a unique work environment where you can maximize your capabilities and contributions and we value everyone’s input. Some of our benefits include medical, dental and vision insurance, generous paid time off, 401(k) plans with employer match, and leadership opportunities.