Clinical Director - Substance Use

Job Description

Job Description

Benefits:

• Competitive salary

Clinical Director — Full-Time or Part-Time  Contractual PositionBetter Path Community Outreach Center

Windsor Mill, MD

Position Summary

Better Path Community Outreach Center is seeking an experienced, licensed Clinical Director to provide clinical leadership, regulatory compliance oversight, and day-to-day programmatic guidance across our PHP, IOP, and OP levels of care. This is a full-time or Part-Time contractual position responsible for ensuring the program operates in full compliance with Maryland state licensing regulations (COMAR), Medicaid billing and documentation standards, and recognized industry practice (ASAM Criteria), while providing clinical supervision, quality assurance, and a consistent leadership presence across all program sites and levels of care.

Employment Type & Compensation

• Status: Full-time, contractual (1099 or contract-for-services basis, per agreement)
• Compensation: $95,000–$130,000 annually - full time, 50,000-75,000 annually - part time (or equivalent contracted rate), commensurate with licensure, years of clinical leadership experience, and scope of oversight responsibilities. This range reflects current market data for substance use treatment clinical directors/program directors in Maryland and nationally; final rate is negotiable based on candidate qualifications and program funding structure.
• Schedule: Full-time or Part-Time; on-call/emergency availability expected given clinical oversight responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Oversight

• Provide clinical and administrative leadership across PHP, IOP, and OP levels of care
• Ensure consistent clinical presence and decision-making authority across all shifts/sites
• Oversee treatment planning, level-of-care placement (using ASAM Criteria), and treatment plan reviews
• Supervise multidisciplinary clinical staff, including licensed clinicians, counselors, case managers, and peer recovery specialists

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure ongoing compliance with COMAR behavioral health licensing requirements
• Maintain compliance with 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality regulations for substance use records
• Ensure documentation and billing practices conform to Medicaid medical necessity and reimbursement requirements
• Serve as the program's primary point of contact during state licensing surveys, audits, and monitoring visits

Quality Assurance

• Develop, maintain, and periodically update written policies, procedures, and standard operating guidelines
• Conduct or oversee chart audits, clinical supervision, and outcome tracking
• Monitor staff-to-client ratios for compliance with COMAR standards at each level of care
• Lead or support efforts toward accreditation (e.g., CARF International, The Joint Commission, or ACHC)

Court & External Partner Liaison

• Serve as (or designate) the program's representative to drug court teams, probation/parole officers, and other referral partners
• Ensure timely reporting of client progress, discharge plans, and any administrative or AMA/ATA discharges per court/referral partner expectations
• Represent Better Path at court staffing's, hearings, and partner meetings as needed

Required Qualifications

• Active, unrestricted Maryland clinical license — one of the following (or equivalent): LCSW-C, LCPC, LCADC, CAC-AD, CSC-AD, or Maryland-licensed psychologist
• Minimum 3–5 years of clinical experience in substance use/co-occurring disorder treatment, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or program leadership role
• Working knowledge of the ASAM Criteria for level-of-care assessment and treatment planning
• Demonstrated understanding of COMAR behavioral health regulations and Maryland Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) licensing requirements
• Experience with Medicaid billing, documentation, and medical necessity standards
• Experience working with justice-involved populations and/or drug court referrals strongly preferred
• Strong working knowledge of 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA confidentiality requirements
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly for court reporting and regulatory documentation

Reference: Regulatory & Industry Standards Context

(Included for applicant/candidate reference — this reflects the regulatory environment the Clinical Director will be responsible for navigating.)

What is COMAR?

COMAR stands for the Code of Maryland Regulations — the official compilation of all regulations issued by Maryland state agencies. For behavioral health and substance use treatment programs, the relevant COMAR chapters (administered by the Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration) set licensing requirements covering staff-to-client ratios, clinical documentation standards, facility/safety requirements, treatment planning requirements, and staff credentialing. A program's state license to operate is contingent on ongoing COMAR compliance, and BHA conducts periodic on-site licensing reviews to verify it.

What is Medicaid (in this context)?

Medicaid is the joint federal-state health insurance program covering low-income individuals, and it is a primary payer for substance use treatment services in Maryland. For a treatment program to bill Medicaid, it must be an enrolled, eligible Medicaid provider, and every billed service must meet Medicaid's medical necessity criteria — meaning the level of care and services provided must be clinically justified and properly documented (often using the ASAM Criteria as the clinical justification framework). Improper documentation or billing for services that don't meet medical necessity standards can result in denied claims, recoupment, or loss of Medicaid provider status.

What are "industry standards" in this field?

Beyond state licensing, several nationally recognized standards shape how reputable programs operate:

• The ASAM Criteria (American Society of Addiction Medicine) — the standard framework for assessing appropriate level of care and treatment planning, now in its 4th Edition
• Accreditation bodies such as CARF International , The Joint Commission , and ACHC — voluntary but widely recognized accreditations that many payers, courts, and referral partners view as a quality benchmark
• 42 CFR Part 2 — federal confidentiality regulations specific to substance use disorder treatment records, which are more stringent than general HIPAA requirements

State of Maryland licensing & auditing standards

Maryland behavioral health programs are licensed and monitored by the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) , under the Maryland Department of Health. Licensing involves:

• Initial licensure review covering staffing, facility, clinical protocols, and policies
• Periodic (typically annual or biennial, depending on program type) on-site licensing surveys/audits
• Ongoing monitoring of complaints, incident reports, and corrective action plans when deficiencies are found
• Coordination with Medicaid program integrity audits, which may occur separately from BHA licensing reviews and focus specifically on billing/documentation compliance

The Clinical Director is expected to be the person most directly responsible for ensuring the program is "audit-ready" at all times across both of these regulatory tracks — not just prepared for a scheduled visit, but maintaining ongoing documentation and practice standards that would hold up to review at any time.

To Apply

Please send a resume, copy of current Maryland licensure, and a brief cover letter describing your experience with COMAR-licensed programs and/or drug court partnerships to:

Cassie Johnson Better Path Community Outreach Center 2925 Lord Baltimore Drive, Ste. 100, Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Phone: View phone number on ziprecruiter.com Email: View email address on ziprecruiter.com Website: betterpathcoc.com