Intake RN

Intake RN - Full Time | Highland Hospital | Charleston, West Virginia About the Job Purpose Statement:

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. The RN 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.

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

• Facilitates admissions and assessment processes for incoming patients and provides initial evaluation, initiating the integrated assessment and documenting patient symptoms, functioning, and needs.
• Collates information and collaborates with facility medical and psychiatric staff to ensure appropriate recommendations and admissions, and communicates projected admissions to designated internal representatives in a timely manner.
• Provides additional coverage for the Call Center Team, answering phones, processing admission requests, completing call‑center duties, reviewing and accepting patients, verifying insurance, and assisting with insurance pre‑certifications during times of high volume.
• Ensures all medical admission documentation is gathered from external sources before 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 the appropriate physician to obtain orders, recommendations, and DSM‑V diagnosis, when appropriate.
• Communicates treatment recommendations and coordinates with other treatment teams.
• May administer patients’ medications and follow all physician orders in consultation with a psychiatrist and in accordance with established hospital and licensing agency protocols, educating patients on side effects, assessing effectiveness of education, questioning compliance, adjusting medications under psychiatrist supervision, and monitoring lab results to confirm medication compliance.
• Maintains accountability of medication administration, recording, control, and security, including narcotics; completes adverse drug reaction forms; and keeps 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.
• Ensures thorough, accurate documentation for all patients on each shift and facilitates event responses, including initial response, assessment, referral process, designation of appropriate level of care, admission into services, and appropriate follow‑up activities.
• Responds to inquiries about the facility within policy time frames.
• Performs insurance benefit verifications, disseminating the information to patients, their families, and other appropriate facility staff; provides ongoing assessment of patient status during admissions.
• Other duties as assigned, including assisting on patient units.

• 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 management.
• Outstanding interpersonal, interviewing, and assessment skills, with 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 does not qualify as a remote position.

This position is an Individual Contributor.

Highland Hospital offers a comprehensive benefit plan and a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Highland Hospital is an EOE. Veterans and military spouses are highly encouraged to apply. Highland Hospital is dedicated to serving veterans across the country.