Behavioral Health Patient Access and Placement Specialist

Position Objective

The Behavioral Health Patient Access & Placement Specialist ensures a seamless patient experience from initial contact through admission, scheduling, and transfer/placement. This non‑clinical role is responsible for accurate patient registration (demographic, financial, and insurance data) in the EMR, real-time insurance verification, and coordinating authorizations, acceptance, and transport for psychiatric/behavioral health placements. The Placement Specialist facilitates efficient information exchange between the hospital, external facilities, and care teams while maintaining high standards of empathy, professionalism, and compliance.

Essential Job Duties

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1.       Accurately obtain and process patient demographic, insurance, and medical information; correctly identify and register patients.

2.       Manage assigned Epic work queues; prioritize workload to meet departmental performance and productivity standards.

3.       Maintain a thorough understanding of downtime procedures and perform essential functions during system outages.

4.       Courteously answer and return patient related calls per HIPPA policies; provide warm, friendly greetings to patients and families/visitors.

5.       Insurance & Financial Coordination

a.       Identify insurance verification issues and take steps to resolve them.

6.       Placement, Transfer & Authorization Coordination

a.       Under the direction of Mental Health Clinicians and/or Psychiatric Providers, arrange and facilitate timely placement, acceptance, and transport for patients requiring transfer to external behavioral health facilities.

b.       Obtain authorizations for services; inform clinicians/providers of authorization status and any additional information requested.

c.        Facilitate secure transmission of faxed patient demographic and clinical information; verify receipt and completeness.

d.       Prepare and distribute transfer packets; identify missing documentation and initiate follow‑up.

e.       Arrange transportation, notify facility and unit staff of transfer arrangements as requested.

f.         Troubleshoot barriers to prevent delays in transfer or discharge.

7.       Systems, Documentation & Compliance

a.       Demonstrate proficiency in Epic and related administrative applications.

b.       Adhere to compliance policies; maintain confidentiality and data integrity.

c.        Stay current with department and hospital updates via meetings, in-services, and communications.

d.       Participate in process improvement initiatives and data collection.

e.       Assist with training and orientation of new staff.

Required Minimum Education

·         High School diploma or equivalent required.

·         Preferred: College coursework toward an AA/BS in a Behavioral Health field

Required Minimum Experience

·         One year experience in a healthcare setting (behavioral health preferred).

·         -Preferred:  Experience with patient registration and scheduling in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

·         Excellent customer service and communication skills.

·         Strong prioritization and problem‑solving abilities.

·         Proficiency with Epic/EMR applications.

·         Typing/word processing at 35 wpm or higher.

Licenses/Certifications

·         AHA BLS certification within 90 days of hire.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

·         Light work: up to 20 lbs occasionally, 10 lbs frequently.

·         No expected exposure to blood‑borne pathogens.