Administrative Assistant Engagement Specialist

Full Time - In office

General Purpose

The Administrative Assistant: Engagement Specialist serves as the primary point of contact for individuals seeking community behavioral health services. This role is responsible for coordinating client intake, eligibility verification, enrollment, insurance authorization, and referral management while ensuring a positive and supportive experience for clients and families. The AA Engagement Specialist works collaboratively with clinical, administrative, and community partners to ensure timely access to behavioral health services and compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements.

The position supports clients from their initial request for services through successful completion of the initial assessment and warm handoff to the appropriate clinical team. The AA Engagement Specialist helps clients navigate the administrative requirements necessary to begin services, including completion of intake documentation, collection and entry of required information, scheduling, payer-source identification and research, and proactive follow-up when information or required steps remain incomplete. The position identifies and reports barriers to access, recommends opportunities to improve operations, and supports efforts to improve access to care and performance related to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic data measures. The position provides non-clinical administrative engagement and does not provide clinical services or case management.

To perform this job successfully, and individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Provides professional, respectful, and client-focused administrative support to clients, staff, and members of the public in person, by telephone, electronically, and through other approved communication methods.
• Organizes and prioritizes large volumes of information, telephone calls, client needs, administrative tasks, and assigned client engagement responsibilities.
• Accurately, quickly, and courteously receives incoming emergency and non-emergency calls, responds to inquiries, takes messages, and appropriately routes or addresses routine and non-routine questions.
• Works cooperatively with other Administrative Assistants to provide telephone, scheduling, front-office, and general administrative coverage as operational needs require.
• Accurately and efficiently utilizes the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and other approved systems to enter and maintain client information, schedule appointments, document administrative activities, and support continuity of services.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for individuals and families seeking community behavioral health services, coordinating administrative activities from the initial request for services through engagement, successful completion of the initial assessment, and transition to the appropriate clinical team.
• Guides assigned clients through administrative intake requirements and helps clients understand what information, documentation, appointments, and actions are necessary to begin services.
• Coordinates client intake and enrollment activities, including completion of required documentation, eligibility verification, appointment coordination, payer identification, insurance authorization, referral management, and follow-up on outstanding requirements.
• Provides clients and families with clear explanations, responsive communication, and supportive assistance throughout the intake and engagement process to promote a positive experience and reduce barriers to accessing care.
• Collects, reviews, tracks, and assists with completion of required registration documents, consents, releases of information, demographic information, insurance information, financial documentation, and other required intake materials.
• Ensures required client information and documentation are collected and entered accurately and timely to support organizational requirements, state reporting requirements, payer requirements, and other applicable administrative standards.
• Performs insurance eligibility verification and conducts detailed payer-source research when insurance coverage or payer information is incomplete, conflicting, inactive, unclear, or requires additional investigation.
• Coordinates administrative insurance-authorization requirements within the scope of the position, including gathering required information, submitting or routing authorization requests through approved processes, tracking authorization status, and escalating unresolved issues that may delay access to services.
• Uses approved payer portals, eligibility systems, client-provided information, and other available resources to identify and verify appropriate payer sources and resolve insurance-related discrepancies within the scope of the position.
• Coordinates referral management activities by receiving and reviewing referrals, confirming required information, communicating with referral sources and internal teams, tracking referral status, and supporting timely connection to appropriate behavioral health services.
• Communicates proactively with clients to obtain missing information or documentation, provide appointment reminders, clarify administrative requirements, and address incomplete steps that may delay access to services.
• Tracks assigned clients through required screening, scheduling, intake, and initial assessment activities and follows up when appointments are cancelled, missed, delayed, or when the client becomes difficult to engage.
• Supports efforts to improve access to care by monitoring assigned clients’ progression through referral, intake, enrollment, scheduling, and initial service connection and promptly addressing or escalating delays.
• Accurately documents and maintains information needed to support applicable Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic data measures, organizational access goals, and required reporting.
• Uses available reports, work queues, and client-level information to identify incomplete activities, missed follow-up, access delays, and opportunities to improve successful engagement in services.
• Identifies administrative barriers that may interfere with a client's ability to complete the intake process and works collaboratively with the client and appropriate internal staff to address, resolve those barriers.
• Reports recurring barriers to access, enrollment delays, referral concerns, authorization issues, and other operational challenges to the Program Supervisor.
• Identifies and recommends practical workflow or operational improvements that may reduce barriers, strengthen client engagement, and improve timely access to care.
• Collaborates with screening staff, clinicians, administrative staff, billing, enrollment resources, community partners, referral sources, and other involved parties to coordinate intake, eligibility verification, engagement, insurance authorization, referral management, and timely access to behavioral health services while maintaining responsibility for administrative follow-through.
• Maintains awareness of outstanding requirements for assigned clients and follows identified issues through completion, resolution, or appropriate escalation.
• Documents client contacts, outreach attempts, payer-source research, outstanding requirements, administrative barriers, actions taken, and other relevant engagement activities in the appropriate organizational system.
• Supports a clear transition following successful completion of the initial assessment so that ongoing administrative needs may be managed through the standard Administrative Assistant workflow and clinical responsibility transitions to the appropriate clinical team.
• Maintains and updates client and organizational records and retrieves information from files or electronic systems as needed.
• Handles confidential and non-routine information appropriately and explains organizational procedures and administrative requirements when necessary.
• Drafts written responses and communicates by telephone, electronic communication, or other approved methods when necessary.
• Responds to regularly occurring requests for information and serves as an information resource to clients, staff, and the general public.
• Works independently and collaboratively with team members on special, nonrecurring, and ongoing projects.
• Participates in job-related training, education, and professional development activities necessary to maintain competency in administrative processes, payer-source research, technology, client engagement practices, and organizational requirements.
• Attends required staff meetings and contributes to team communication, workflow improvement, and coordination of client services.
• Maintains prompt and regular attendance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Duties (if any)

• None

Job Qualifications

Ability to comprehend and apply organizational practices, policies, procedures, rules, and regulatory requirements related to administrative operations and client services.

Ability to provide professional, respectful client-focused customer service to individuals with diverse needs and backgrounds.

Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with clients, staff, outside organizations, payers, and members of the public.

Ability to establish rapport with clients while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and the non-clinical scope of the position.

Ability to organize, prioritize, and manage multiple administrative responsibilities and assigned client engagement activities in a fast-paced environment.

Ability to independently identify outstanding administrative needs, initiate appropriate follow-up, and maintain responsibility for tasks through completion, resolution, or appropriate escalation.

Ability to recognize administrative barriers that may interfere with a client's progression through the intake process and work collaboratively to address those barriers.

Ability to coordinate intake, eligibility verification, insurance authorization, referral management, and related follow-up activities across multiple systems and partners.

Ability to collaborate effectively with clinical, administrative, payer, referral, and community partners to support timely access to behavioral health services.

Ability to perform detailed research, review multiple sources of information, identify discrepancies, and use sound judgment to resolve or escalate payer-source and insurance-related issues.

Ability to learn and effectively use insurance eligibility systems, payer portals, electronic resources, and other tools necessary to research and verify payer information.

Proficiency in the use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR), including client information management, scheduling, documentation, and review of relevant administrative information.

Ability to operate telephone, computer, and other standard or specialized communication equipment.

Proficiency with Windows-based operating systems and common office software and applications.

Ability and willingness to learn and appropriately use new technology adopted by the organization, including approved artificial intelligence-enabled tools, automation, and other technology designed to support administrative efficiency and client services.

Ability to handle confidential, sensitive, and non-routine information in accordance with organizational policies and applicable privacy requirements.

Ability to think and respond quickly, calmly, and effectively in tense, high-volume, or unexpected situations.

Ability to follow written and verbal instructions while also exercising appropriate independent judgment within established policies and procedures.

Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to maintain accurate documentation.

Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary and administrative team.

Ability to recall, locate, and synthesize information from multiple resources.

Ability to prioritize decisions and actions based on multiple criteria, established procedures, client needs, and operational requirements.

Ability to adapt communication and administrative support to meet the needs of clients who may be experiencing stress, behavioral health concerns, disability, or other barriers to navigating services.

Ability to type accurately and efficiently and perform routine data-entry responsibilities.

Ability to manage telephone communications, including use of a headset when required.

Ability to remain alert, attentive, engaged, and responsive throughout the workday.

Ability to view and work from a computer monitor for extended periods of time.

Ability to work and multi-task effectively in a busy, fast-paced, and occasionally high-stress healthcare environment.

Education or Formal Training:

High school diploma or equivalent.

Experience:

Minimum of two years of administrative experience.

Strong customer service experience required; experience in healthcare, behavioral health, medical office, or human services settings preferred.

Electronic Health Record (EHR) experience required.

Experience working with insurance eligibility, payer information, or benefits verification preferred.

Experience researching, resolving, or escalating complex administrative or payer-related issues preferred.

Demonstrated experience managing multiple priorities, following through on incomplete tasks, and communicating proactively with clients or customers.

Experience using common office technology and ability to learn new systems, including organization-approved AI-enabled tools and automation, required.

Experience coordinating client intake, enrollment, eligibility verification, insurance authorization, or referral-management activities preferred.

Experience working with behavioral health access requirements, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic measures, healthcare quality measures, or other program-reporting requirements preferred.

Experience collaborating with clinical teams, administrative departments, payers, referral sources, or community partners to coordinate access to services preferred.

Working Conditions and Other Conditions of Employment

Working Environment:

This job operates in a fast-paced, professional office environment and routinely requires the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers. The position may require travel to conferences, meetings and branch locations on a regular or intermittent basis. Work may involve moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises. In the health center environment, there is potential for contact with blood-borne pathogens and communicable diseases, as well as potential for contact with dissatisfied or abusive individuals. There could be interaction with persons who are mentally ill, disabled, elderly and emotionally upset.

Physical Activities:

These are representative of those which must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This is a largely sedentary role but can involve standing or sitting for extended periods of time, bending at the waist, and using hands and fingers to handle and file papers or operate assigned equipment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus. Employee may also have to lift 10 to 25 lbs. unassisted.

Conditions of Employment:

Annual TB, federally required drug screening, and Influenza vaccination or compliance with policy and procedure.

Required possession of a valid state driver's license.

Successful candidate must submit to and pass, post-offer drug screen.

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job.