Position Summary
Mara’s Lighthouse Counseling Center is seeking an organized, dependable, and patient-focused Intake Coordinator/Scheduling Specialist to join our Patient Access team.
This position coordinates the new patient onboarding process—from the initial referral through successful completion of the first appointment and transition into ongoing care. Responsibilities include processing referrals, scheduling appointments, verifying insurance benefits, collecting required documentation, maintaining accurate patient records, and helping patients navigate the onboarding process.
The ideal candidate is a strong communicator who can manage multiple priorities, maintain close attention to detail, and provide an excellent experience for prospective and current patients.
Primary ResponsibilitiesReferral and Intake Coordination
- Respond to new referrals within one business day.
- Conduct initial phone screenings and collect demographic information.
- Explain available services, onboarding requirements, and practice policies.
- Create new patient charts in the electronic health record (EHR).
- Send intake paperwork and monitor its completion.
- Follow up on incomplete or aging referrals.
- Document all patient contact and outreach attempts.
- Maintain referral logs and the shared Intake Assignment Spreadsheet.
- Coordinate with Intake Clinicians and the Patient Access Manager regarding intake recommendations.
- Schedule patients with ongoing providers based on clinical recommendations, insurance requirements, availability, and management approval.
Scheduling
- Schedule therapy and medication management appointments.
- Schedule recurring appointments whenever possible.
- Accurately select appointment types, CPT codes, providers, and locations.
- Coordinate scheduling based on patient preferences, provider recommendations, insurance requirements, and scheduling restrictions.
- Monitor provider schedules and identify openings or gaps.
- Maintain provider waitlists and contact patients to fill same-day and future openings.
- Reschedule missed or canceled appointments promptly.
- Coordinate patient transfers between providers when needed.
- Communicate relevant scheduling updates, patient preferences, and special considerations to providers.
- Ensure patients successfully transition from their intake evaluation to ongoing treatment.
Insurance Verification and Appointment Readiness
- Verify insurance eligibility, benefits, copayments, deductibles, and authorization requirements.
- Obtain required authorizations before appointments.
- Communicate benefit information clearly and accurately to patients.
- Escalate insurance or eligibility concerns requiring management review.
- Review upcoming appointments to confirm that:
- Insurance has been verified.
- Required documentation is complete.
- Authorizations have been obtained.
- The appointment has been confirmed.
- The provider has the necessary intake information.
Patient Communication and Support
- Answer incoming calls and respond to emails and patient portal messages.
- Confirm appointments and provide appointment reminders.
- Educate patients about attendance expectations, financial policies, and onboarding requirements.
- Assist patients with accessing the patient portal and completing electronic paperwork.
- Follow up regarding missing consent forms, assessments, identification, insurance information, or other required documents.
- Provide professional, compassionate, and responsive customer service.
Documentation and Administrative Support
- Document patient interactions and scheduling activity in the EHR on the same business day.
- Upload, scan, and maintain required patient documentation.
- Keep demographic and insurance information current.
- Maintain accurate referral tracking and scheduling records.
- Respond to patient portal scheduling requests.
- Protect patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, practice policies, and applicable regulations.
Qualifications
- Associate degree preferred.
- At least two years of customer service, medical office, or healthcare scheduling experience preferred.
- Behavioral health experience is strongly preferred.
- Experience verifying insurance eligibility and benefits preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Comfortable working with electronic health records, patient portals, and scheduling systems.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.
- Dependable, patient-focused, and committed to timely follow-through.
Performance Expectations
Success in this position will be measured through standards such as:
- Responding to at least 95% of new referrals within one business day.
- Completing insurance verification before scheduling at least 98% of the time.
- Maintaining a referral-to-scheduled appointment conversion rate of 80% or higher.
- Maintaining at least 98% appointment scheduling accuracy.
- Filling at least 75% of same-day cancellations.
- Completing patient and referral documentation on the same business day.
- Ensuring intake paperwork is completed before at least 95% of appointments.
- Documenting 100% of referral contact attempts.
- Meeting departmental standards for referral aging, waitlist utilization, appointment confirmations, and response times.
- Maintaining a patient satisfaction score of 90% or higher.
What We’re Looking For
We are looking for someone who takes ownership of the patient onboarding experience, communicates effectively, follows through on outstanding tasks, and understands the importance of accuracy and compassion in a behavioral healthcare setting.
Pay: $18.00 - $22.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
