Patient Resource Specialist

The Patient Resource Specialist plays a key role in the Behavioral Health (BH) Service Line and Collaborative Care Team by providing essential care coordination and helping to identify and reduce barriers to mental health referrals and care transitions.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Resource Navigation and Coordination
  • Thorough chart review for all referrals to ascertain medical and BH diagnosis, BH history, BH medications, past/present treatment for BH diagnosis, clinical question/concern and barriers to care.
• Collaborative Care Model
  • Effectively collaborate with other members of the Collaborative Care Behavioral Health Team, including primary care physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, patients, and families and promote a team-based approach to care and productive communication.
  • Effectively prepare for case review with the Collaborative Care Behavioral Health Team, by identifying community resources available to patients.
  • Collaborate with other members of the Collaborative Care Behavioral Health Team on resource identification and navigation for patients, as part of achieving their treatment goals.
  • Contact patients to follow up with and/or confirm they have contacted specialists or established connections with the resources recommended to them as part of their treatment plan.
• Independent Care Coordination
  • If necessary, provide clarification to the PCP regarding services available based on patient chart review.
  • Support patients and families in identifying and accessing community resources to promote strong biopsychosocial supports for patients. Provide direct phone number to patients and families for future support.
  • Provide resources and tools to help patients and families navigate self-referred services in the community as needed depending on insurance network, location, and other specifications as well as identify and reduce barriers to care to these services.
  • Educate patients and families on resources available to them at InterMed and in the community to address their psychosocial needs. Communicate with clinical staff and physicians regarding status of patients in referral and resource identification process.
  • Contact patients to follow up with and/or confirm they have contacted specialists or established connections with the resources recommended to them.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert in community behavioral healthcare options, trends, availability, and referral processes at all levels of care.
  • Ensure referrals (including supporting documents/records as required) are successfully sent for services in the community that require them and direct patients to these services based on availability, insurance network, and/or other specifications as needed. These services may include neuropsychological evaluations, psychiatric providers, partial hospitalization programs, and other community programs.
  • Administer a Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale for patients of concern, following the InterMed Managing Patients Presenting with Suicidal Ideation
• Operations
  • Answer incoming calls from internal customers, patients, and specialist offices
  • Enter referral data in EMR system
  • Respond to messages from patients, community resources, and discharge planners.
  • Create and maintain a spreadsheet of community mental health facilities and practitioners, what they specialize in, what insurances they accept, etc. as a resource to the Collaborative Care Behavioral Health Team.
• Community Relationships
  • Facilitate referrals for clinically indicated services outside of the organization evidence-based psychosocial treatments (e.g. problem-solving treatment or behavioral activation) as clinically indicated.
  • Build a rapport with mental health facilities and practitioners to ensure collaboration between InterMed behavioral health and community resources
  • Work collaboratively with patients to reduce barriers to accessing behavioral health services.
  • Be familiar with types of insurance plans and how they affect referrals.
• Referrals
  • Process behavioral health referrals independently as well as directed by the Collaborative Care Behavioral Health Team on behalf of InterMed patients.
  • Work collaboratively with patients to verify their insurance benefits, confirm insurance statuses and find in-network behavioral health providers.
• Maintains strict confidentiality in alignment with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) guidelines and InterMed policies.
• Perform other duties to support the mission, vision and values of InterMed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Education:
  • Degree from an accredited institution with a specialization in psychology, behavioral health, social work, special education, counseling, rehabilitation, nursing, or closely related field, preferred
• Experience:
  • At least one year of experience in a mental or behavioral health setting, required
  • Previous experience in care coordination, care management or case management, preferred
• Intermediate proficiency of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and webmail
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to multitask in a fast paced, team oriented, busy clinical environment
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and plan work independently as well as take direction from multiple sources
• Committed to excellence in customer service and clinical care
• Ability to meet scheduling needs of patients in efficient and friendly manner
• Ability to demonstrate good decision making and professional judgment skills
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality as defined in the InterMed privacy policy and HIPAA
• Excellent communication skills; both oral and written

InterMed is an equal opportunity workplace and prohibits discrimination or harassment of any kind. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.