A&R Intake Night - RN

A&R Intake Night - RN | Palms Behavioral Health | Harlingen, Texas

PURPOSE STATEMENT:
The Intake RN performs assessments 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.
• 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 staffs 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 follow all physician's orders in consultation with psychiatrist and in accordance with established hospital and licensing agency protocols. Educates patients on side effects, determines effectiveness of education; questions compliance and adjusts medications under psychiatrists' supervision as needed; monitors lab results to validate medication compliance.
• May maintain 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/admission into services, and appropriate follow‑up activity.
• Responds to inquiries about the facility within facility policy time frames.
• Performs insurance benefit verifications, disseminating the information gathered to patient, their families and other appropriate facility staff.
• Assists individual therapists with concurrent reviews with insurance companies to secure continued treatment.
• Provides accurate and ongoing assessment of patient status in the admissions process.
• Monitors patient acuity, census, staffing needs, and makes arrangements for coverage in the absence of the Director, following established guidelines.
• Coordinates and facilitates peer‑to‑peer reviews when needed and collaborates the results of reviews with multi‑disciplinary treatment team.

• Complies with organizational policies, procedures, performance improvement initiatives and maintains regulatory and industry standards.
• Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
• Accepts responsibility for professional growth and development of self and attends all mandatory facility in‑services and staff development activities as scheduled.
• Maintains professionalism and confidentiality of facility employees and patients.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Honesty:
  Works with integrity and fairness.
• Competence:
  Strives to be the best and hold selves accountable.
• Perseverance:
  Meets challenges with the resolve to succeed.
• Passion:
  Cares about what we do, each other and who we serve.
• Respect:
  Honors the human dignity of everyone we work with.
• Teamwork:
  Succeeds, and have fun, by pulling together.