Our Mission is to improve the well-being of those we serve with a commitment to excellence: every patient, every encounter, every time.
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.
The Intake Coordinator State Services is responsible for the coordination, oversight, and facilitation of all state service admissions to the hospital, ensuring timely placement, effective communication, and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. This position serves as the primary operational liaison between state hospitals, referral agencies, Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs), county partners, internal hospital departments, and leadership to coordinate admissions from referrals through patient arrival. The Intake Coordinator State Services proactively manages the state admissions pipeline by coordinating patient placements approximately two to three weeks in advance, monitoring anticipated admissions, validating required documentation, communicating admission expectations, and collaborating with clinical and operational teams to ensure the hospital is prepared to safely receive patients. This position works closely with the Forensic Services Liaison to coordinate forensic-related admissions, transfers, competency restoration referrals, and other legally mandated services to ensure continuity of care and compliance with applicable Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requirements, contractual obligations, and hospital policies. The Intake Coordinator State Services supports efficient patient flow, optimizes bed utilization, promotes regulatory compliance, and contributes to the delivery of high-quality psychiatric services within a secure behavioral healthcare environment.
- Master’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, Psychology 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.
- Any one of the below licenses is required:
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Master Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor and LPC-Associate will be considered. If licensed in another state, it must be transferable to a Texas license.
- 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 and Spanish
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JOB KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:
- The intake coordinator will demonstrate skill in determining and documenting medical necessity for admission; have an understanding of TJC and CMS guidelines as they relate to access to care in a mental health facility.
- The Intake Coordinator is expected to function well as a member of the interdisciplinary team and participate in community relation activities, performance improvement activities and hospital sponsored events.
- One year clinical experience in a position primarily responsible for assessment, crisis intervention and disposition of mental health patients in crisis.
- Experience working with state psychiatric systems, forensic populations, or government healthcare programs
- Experience working in a hospital setting or emergency room and acting as a liaison between physicians a plus
Responsibilities:
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:
All duties are applicable in all units throughout the hospital including adult, adolescent, child, geriatric, state, civil, and state forensic units.
Promotes the facility mission, vision and values by effectively communicating them to others. Considers mission, vision and values in developing services, standards and practices
- Serve as the primary coordinator for all state service admissions to the hospital.
- Manage and maintain an accurate forecast of upcoming state admissions, anticipated transfers, and scheduled patient arrivals. Coordinate admissions approximately two to three weeks in advance to support operational readiness. Communicate admission timelines and requirements with referring facilities, state partners, and internal departments.
- Ensure admission information is complete, accurate, and available prior to patient arrival. Coordinate with hospital leadership regarding anticipated admissions, bed availability, staffing needs, and operational considerations.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for state referral sources and external partners. Review incoming referrals to ensure required documentation and clinical information are received.
- Facilitate communication between referral sources and hospital departments regarding admission expectations and patient needs.
- Maintain professional relationships with: State psychiatric facilities, Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs), County agencies, Community providers, Hospital departments
- Coordinate admission logistics, including:
o Admission dates and times, transportation arrangements, required documentation, clinical information transfer, unit placement coordination.
o Identify potential barriers to admission and communicate concerns promptly to leadership, assist in improving admission workflows to promote timely access to treatment.
- Assist with coordination of competency restoration admissions, court-ordered placements, and forensic referrals.
- Support seamless transitions for forensic patients entering the hospital system.
- Regulatory Compliance and Documentation
- Maintain accurate admission tracking records and reports.
- Ensure documentation related to referrals, communications, and admissions is complete and available for review.
- Develop and maintain admission tracking tools and dashboards.
- Monitor admission trends, delays, barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
- Provide routine updates to leadership regarding: Upcoming admissions, admission volume, Referral status, operational barriers
- Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders
- Manage competing priorities and deadlines
- Build collaborative relationships with state agencies and community partners
- Maintain accurate records and documentation
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: ________________________.
