Behavioral Health Clinical Support Specialist (Bilingual)

POSITION TITLE:  Behavioral Health Clinical Support Specialist 

LOCATION: HOPE Clinic

REPORTS TO: Behavioral Health Director

EDUCATION: High School Diploma; Certified Medical Assistant preferred

WORK EXPERIENCE: 4 years or more in healthcare experience preferred

SALARY RANGE: $15 - $18, based on experience

FLSA STATUS: Hourly - Non-exempt

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time

LANGUAGE: Bilingual in English and Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or other languages is required

HOPE Clinic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Behavioral Health Clinical and Administrative Support Specialist is an empathic individual with competent observational, clinical, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills to meet patient needs and contribute to a positive patient care experience and work environment. Supports BH team with greeting, registration, checking in and out of patients and processing payments. Additionally, assists with processing psychotropic medication prior authorization. Takes part in the daily review and process of internal and self referrals for behavioral services. Provides coordinated care to a variety of patients enrolled in Psychiatric and Counseling services with Hope Clinic, and functions as part of the interdisciplinary care team by providing education and case management directly to patients, and support to Psychiatrists and Behavioral Providers. Performs intake triage, assists patients with mental health screenings, vitals, and referrals to labs. Coordinate with clinic managers regarding psychiatric and counseling services. 

MAJOR DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Greet patients, answer their questions in a friendly, professional manner. Performs registration, makes appointments, check patients in and out and process payments all within the parameter of excellent customer service;
• Provides office services by implementing administrative systems, procedures, monitoring administrative projects;
• May advocate, coordinate on behalf of patients with schools;  
• Manages BH provider schedules to ensure department productivity;
• Maintains organization and patient confidentiality;
• Coordinates billing/credentialing issues with finance and HR department as needed;
• Performs intake triage, vitals, and assists patients with mental health screenings;
• Provides support to BH Providers and coordinates psychotropic medications requests for refill; 
• Collects urine for drug screens, blood draws, and performs injections;
• Documents as appropriate vitals, screening and patient history personal information as needed;
• Is responsible for daily review and process referrals queue to BH services (internal and self referrals). Closes referrals and fills structured data;
• Responsible for prior authorization of psychotropic medications; 
• Responsible for PMP reports from Psychiatric patients. Reports must be printed for all patients before their visit;
• Performs other duties as deemed necessary by supervisors;
• When needed and as appropriate, interview patients to determine their needs and refers them to appropriate community agencies and services (i.e. housing, legal aid, emergency shelter, domestic violence, employment, adult education, food/clothing, etc);
• Coordinate and arrange translation services for patient care;
• Coordinates all logistic support to department, including supplies and equipment;
• Abides and sustains workflow expectations established by supervisor;
• Attend on-site/off-site community engagement activities and on-site/off-site clinic events as needed;
• Perform other duties as assigned to support HOPE Clinic’s Mission, Vision and Values.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work independently with strong sense of focus, task-oriented; 
• Ability to work with culturally-diverse families and communities with the ability to be culturally sensitive, appropriate and non-judgmental;
• Comprehends fundamental medical terminologies in medical care delivery; 
• Previous behavioral health care or medical assistant experience preferred;  
• Work well under pressure and maintain a consistently pleasant and professional demeanor when communicating with the public and staff;
• Be able to maintain a calm and professional attitude even in the face of crisis and dramatic presentation;
• Ensure that work assignments and information gathered from day to day work is not shared with anyone and protects all patient and agency information;
• Is knowledgeable of and maintains HIPAA standards of privacy and confidentiality;
• Strong interpersonal communication and written skills;
• Able to work in different work settings and environments;  
• Adhere to agency policy, procedures and the professional code of ethics;
• Basic casework skills (referrals, advocacy).

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• High School Diploma or GED required; Medical Assisting Certification or working towards getting a certification is preferred;
• Experience working with persons in crisis is preferred

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:

• Bilingual (Chinese, Arabic and/or Spanish with English);
• Above average skills in language ability as well as public speaking and writing; 
• Must have good transportation and a valid Texas Driver’s license.