Intake Clinician RN- Nights

Intake Clinician RN – Full-Time Nights

Palms Behavioral Health – Harlingen, Texas

The Intake RN performs the daily operations of patient intake and/or admissions, which may include screening, financial counseling, insurance verification and assessment at or outside the facility, depending on the needs of the patient or hospital. Screens and assesses admissions to evaluate clinical and medical appropriateness and communicates this information to a physician who makes the admissions and level of care decision.

Works closely with business office, nursing, and clinical staff as well as external parties to ensure the timely admission of patients. Responds to inquiries regarding admissions.

• Facilitates admissions and assessment processes for incoming patients. Provides initial evaluation and initiates the integrated assessment, documenting patient symptoms, functioning and needs.
• Collaborates with other facility medical and psychiatric staff to ensure appropriate recommendations and admissions. Communicates projected admissions to designated internal representative in a timely manner.
• Provides additional coverage for the Call Center Team – e.g. answers phones, processes admission requests, completes call center duties reviewing and accepting patients, verifies insurance, and assists with insurance pre‑certifications during times of high volume.
• Ensures all medical admission documentation is gathered from external sources prior to patient admission and secures initial pre‑authorization for treatment and admission.
• Reviews patient charts to determine medical necessity and staff each referral and assessment with appropriate physician to obtain orders, recommendations, and DSM‑V diagnosis, when appropriate.
• Communicates treatment recommendations to and coordinates with other treatment teams.
• May administer patients’ medications and follows all physician's orders in consultation with a psychiatrist and in accordance with established hospital and licensing agency protocols. Educates patients on side effects, determines effectiveness, questions compliance and adjusts medications under psychiatrists' supervision as needed; monitors lab results.
• Maintains accountability of administration, recording, control and security of medications, including narcotics. Assures completion of Adverse Drug Reaction forms as necessary. Maintains knowledge of the most common medications used for psychiatric patients.
• Advocates for the lowest level of care consistent with the patient’s needs. Coordinates admission and transfer between levels of care within the facility.
• Assures thorough, accurate documentation is completed for all patients on each shift and facilitates the response to requests for services, including the initial response, the assessment, and referral process, the designation of appropriate level of care, initiation and admission into services, and appropriate follow‑up activity.
• Responds to inquiries about the facility within facility policy time frames.
• Performs insurance benefit verifications, disseminates information gathered to patient, families and other appropriate facility staff. Provides accurate and ongoing assessment of patient status in the admissions process.
• Other duties as assigned, including assisting on patient unit.

• Graduation from an accredited school of nursing required. BSN preferred.
• One or more years’ experience in mental health or substance use disorder admissions preferred.
• Experience in clinical interviewing, patient assessment, referral, treatment planning, and communicating with external review organizations or comparable entities.
• Experience in the managed care pre‑certification process, level of care assessments and utilization.
• Outstanding interpersonal, interviewing and assessment skills. Skill in telephone etiquette and paging procedures.

• Valid current RN license from the state or from a compact state, where applicable.
• CPR and de‑escalation and restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by the facility).
• First aid may be required based on state or facility requirements.

This position is onsite at the facility and is not a remote position.

This position is an Individual Contributor.

Palms Behavioral Health is an equal opportunity employer. Veterans and military spouses are encouraged to apply.