DHR Health - US:TX:Edinburg - Days
Summary:
FLSA STATUS: Exempt Non-Exempt
MISSION STATEMENT:
Our Mission is to improve the well-being of those we serve with a commitment to excellence: every patient, every encounter, every time.
VISION:
Our Vision is to create a world-class health system to advance medicine and increase access for the communities we serve by empowering caregivers to heal through compassion, knowledge, innovation, integrated care and excellence.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Forensic Services Liaison is responsible for coordinating forensic patient activities throughout the continuum of care, including admissions, transfers, and competency restoration processes, legal communications, court coordination, and discharge planning. The position serves as the primary liaison between the hospital, county and district courts, attorneys, law enforcement agencies, local mental health authorities, psychologists, and other stakeholders to ensure timely and legally compliant forensic services.
The Forensic Services Liaison monitors forensic case progression from admission through discharge, coordinates competency evaluations and restoration services, facilitates communication among interdisciplinary teams and judicial partners, and ensures compliance with all applicable Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 46B and 46C, CMS Conditions of Participation, and The Joint Commission standards.
POSITION EDUCATION/ QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Healthcare Administration, Nursing or a related field from an accredited college or university
- Related experience can be substituted for degree for a candidate currently enrolled in an acceptable Master’s Degree program.
- Current BLS Certification
- CPI training within 30 days of hire date and annually
- Must be able to be sensitive to cultural and bilingual issues
- Good written and verbal communication skills required
Ability to read, write and speak English (Spanish helpful)
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JOB KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:
Knowledge of:
- Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapters 46B and 46C
- Texas Administrative Code applicable to psychiatric hospitals
- Texas Health and Safety Code
- Competency restoration processes
- Experience working with Texas courts or county jail systems
- Experience with HHSC psychiatric hospital operations
- Court procedures related to forensic patients
- HIPAA and confidentiality requirements
- Electronic medical records
Ability to:
- Coordinate multiple forensic cases simultaneously
- Build professional relationships with judicial and community partners
- Exercise sound judgment in legally sensitive situations
- Interpret statutes, regulations, and hospital policies
- Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
- Manage competing priorities while meeting statutory deadlines
- Maintain strict confidentiality
Responsibilities:
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:
Forensic Case Management
- Coordinate all forensic admissions, transfers, and discharges.
- Monitor forensic patient status from referral through community discharge.
- Maintain an accurate forensic patient census and tracking system.
- Coordinate patient movement with county jails, courts, HHSC, transportation services, and referral sources.
- Ensure forensic patients meet legal admission requirements prior to acceptance.
Court and Legal Coordination
- Serve as the primary hospital liaison with:
- District Attorneys
- Defense Attorneys
- Judges and Court Coordinators
- County Clerks
- Sheriff's Offices
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Coordinate court appearances, hearings, and legal documentation.
- Maintain ongoing communication regarding competency restoration status and anticipated discharge dates.
- Ensure timely submission of legally required reports and documentation.
- Managing the hospital's forensic waitlist and admissions pipeline.
- Tracking all statutory deadlines under Chapter 46B.
- Coordinating discharge planning for forensic patients returning to county custody or community settings.
- Serving as the hospital's primary forensic resource during HHSC, CMS, and Joint Commission surveys.
- Developing forensic dashboards and monthly reports for leadership.
Providing education to hospital staff on forensic workflows, legal requirements, and competency restoration processes. These responsibilities mirror the emphasis placed by Texas HHSC on statewide forensic coordination, competency restoration, transitions of care, and collaboration with legal and clinical stakeholders.
Competency Restoration Coordination
- Schedule competency evaluations with licensed psychologists and psychiatrists.
- Monitor statutory timelines for competency evaluations and restoration.
- Coordinate interdisciplinary treatment team meetings related to forensic patients.
- Track restoration progress and notify appropriate parties when competency status changes.
- Coordinate restoration documentation and required reports for submission to the courts.
Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure forensic services comply with:
- Texas Administrative Code (TAC)
- Texas Health and Safety Code
- Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapters 46B and 46C
- HHSC forensic policies
- CMS Conditions of Participation
- The Joint Commission standards
- Hospital policies and procedures
- Maintain required documentation for regulatory surveys and audits.
- Monitor forensic performance metrics, timeliness of evaluations, court reporting deadlines, and patient movement.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Collaborate with:
- Medical Staff
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Nursing
- Social Services
- Therapy Department
- Utilization Review
- Case Management
- Risk Management
- Administration
- Participate in treatment team meetings regarding forensic patients when necessary.
- Assist with development and implementation of forensic operational processes.
Quality Improvement
- Develop forensic tracking tools and workflow improvements.
- Analyze forensic performance indicators.
- Participate in quality assurance and performance improvement activities.
- Assist in policy development related to forensic services.
- Provide education regarding forensic processes to hospital staff.
Documentation
- Maintain confidential forensic records.
- Ensure accurate documentation of legal communications.
- Prepare reports for administration regarding forensic operations.
- Maintain logs for court deadlines, evaluations, restoration milestones, and discharges.
Other information:
LINES OF REPSONSIBILITIES:
(Chain-of-command)
1. Associate Director of Behavioral Operations 2. Director of Behavioral Operations 3.Vice President of Behavioral Health
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Provide excellent customer service to all DHR customers. All employees are required to attend the DHR C.A.R.E.S program which outlines the Customer Service Principals including: Commitment, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Service.
AGE SPECIFIC:
Employees must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served in his/her assigned unit. The individual must demonstrate knowledge of principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient’s status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirement relative to his or her age.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: (ADA):
A. Essential Duties: Indicated by bold print within performance standards, preceding individual numbered criteria.
The following table provides physical requirements that will be associated with, but not limited to, this position:
Light/moderate lifting up to 20 lbs, from the floor to shoulder height.
Must be able to assist other employees with lifting more than 20 lbs.
Light/moderate carrying up to 20 lbs.
Dual simultaneous grasping
Operating office equipment
Operating mechanical equipment
Ability to read and write
Ability to hear verbal communication without aid
Operating Personal Vehicle
Ability to comprehend written/verbal communication
Other: Ability to deal with stress
B. Working Conditions: The individual spends over 95% of his/her time in an air-conditioned environment with varying exposures to noise. There is protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes. The position does have low exposure to malodorous, infectious body fluids from patients and some minimal exposure to noxious smells from cleansing agents.
C. Occupational Exposure: This position has minimal to no exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues and is an OSHA Category III (although situations can be imagined or hypothesized under which anyone, anywhere, might encounter potential exposure to body fluids). Person who performs these duties are not called upon as part of their employment to perform or assist in emergency medical care or first aid or to be potentially exposed in some other way.
D. Aptitudes: HIGH 1 2 3 4 5 6 LOW
Intelligence: General learning ability: The ability to “catch on” or understand instructions and underlying principles. Ability to reason and make judgments. 3
Verbal: Ability to understand meanings of words and ideas associated with them, and to use them effectively. To comprehend language, to understand relationships between words, and to understand meanings of whole sentences and paragraphs. To present information or ideas clearly. 3
Numerical: Ability to perform arithmetic operations quickly and accurately. 2
Spatial: Ability to comprehend forms in space and understands relationships of plane and solid objects. Frequently described as the ability to “visualize” objects or two or three dimensions, or to think visually of geometric forms. 2
Form Perception: Ability to perceive pertinent details and objects or in pictorial or graphic material to make visual comparisons and discriminations and see slight differences in shapes and shadings of figures and widths and lengths of lines. 3
Clerical Perception: Ability to receive pertinent details and verbal or tabular material. To observe differences in copy, to proofread words and numbers, and to avoid perceptual errors in arithmetic computation. 2
Motor Coordination: Ability to coordinate eyes and hands to fingers rapidly and accurately in making precise movements with speed. Ability to make a movement response accurately and quickly. 3
Finger Dexterity: Ability to move hands easily and skillfully. To work with fingers in placing and turning motions. 3
Manual Dexterity: Ability to move hands easily and skillfully. To work with hands in placing and turning motions. 3
Eye-Hand-Foot Coordination: Ability to move the hand and foot coordinately with each other in accordance with visual stimuli. 3
Color Discrimination: Ability to perceive and respond to similarities or differences in colors, shapes, or other values of the same or different color. To identify a particular color, or to recognize harmonious or contrasting color combinations, or to match color adequately. 3
I have read and reviewed my job description with my supervisor or designee and I understand the job I am expected to perform.
If applicable ____________ certification will be completed within _________ time frame of hire/transfer date.
Employee Signature: ________________________________ Date: ____________________
Transfer/Hire Date Effective: ________________________.
