Director of Intake

Director of Admissions - Join Our Team at North Star Behavioral Health

***$15,000 Sign on Bonus***

***$10,000 Relocation Bonus***

North Star Behavioral Health, Alaska's premier mental health facility, is on a mission to provide hope and healing to individuals facing psychiatric or substance abuse challenges. We provide acute inpatient and residential levels of care for children and adolescents. We also provide voluntary services to adults through our Arctic Recovery detox program, and specialize in military-specific care for first responders, service members, veterans, and their dependents through the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital. Our commitment is to prioritize patient care, offering excellence, comfort, and security during their most vulnerable moments. Join us, and you'll become part of a supportive network of peers and leaders dedicated to continuous learning and industry excellence. At North Star, your career can thrive through robust education opportunities and advancement within the Universal Health Services (UHS) network.

Who is North Star

At North Star Behavioral Health, we are dedicated to delivering a level of care that not only meets but exceeds expectations. Our vision is simple yet profound: to provide care that patients enthusiastically recommend to their family and friends, care that physicians prefer for their patients, and care that our employees take pride in delivering every day.

• Service Excellence
• Continuous Improvement
• Employee Development
• Ethical and Fair Treatment
• Teamwork
• Compassion
• Innovation

Our commitment to excellence isn't just a slogan—it's a way of life at North Star Behavioral Health. If you share these values and are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of individuals and families facing mental health challenges, we invite you to join our team. The Director of Patient Access plans, organizes, supervises and directs the activities of the Intake and Admissions Department. Responsible for implementing, monitoring and evaluating the clinical patient assessment and referral process.

Together, we can continue to provide the highest level of care and create a brighter future for those we serve .

Key Responsibilities

1. Manages and supervises the Intake & Admissions staff to achieve effective delivery of service.
2. Manages the daily operations of the Intake & Admissions Department.
3. Maintains extensive knowledge of community resources and makes care decisions that best address the patient needs.
4. Represents the Intake & Admissions Department in hospital matters and supports hospital goals and objectives.
5. Knowledgeable and able to communicate considerations relative to Patient Rights, Involuntary Detentions, Duty to Warn, Abuse Reporting, Advance Directives and COBRA/EMTALA.
6. Maintains documentation for calls and services received; prepares and submits timely, complete and accurate reports weekly and monthly.
7. Analyzes call data for demographic patterns, clinical trends, and other management considerations.
8. Interacts effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary team including physicians, other clinical staff, business office staff, professional liaisons and referral sources; provides prompt, effective communications supporting the organization’s ongoing marketing and referral communication efforts.
9. Supports the organization’s strategic marketing plan; proactively identifies and responds effectively to opportunities for improving the organization’s public image and improving the service delivery system.
10. Functions as the organization’s patient advocate; rapidly and effectively investigating and resolving patient complaints.
11. Performs duties delineated for Intake Counselors, as needed.
12. Assists HR Department with hiring and selection processes through screening, interviewing and making recommendation for hire. Anticipates staffing trends and needs and proactively offers staffing solutions.
13. Oversees the productive and efficient staffing of units based on a thorough understanding of the correlation between patient census and FTE standards.
14. Provides feedback to staff on performance, reinforcing desired behaviors and teambuilding efforts and intervening promptly in deficiencies to reduce turnover rate and formal performance measures.
15. Instructs and guides Intake staff in responsibilities and assignments.
16. Reviews safety, risk management, infection control and incident reports to identify and discuss trends with Intake staff.
17. Performs personnel management activities including direct staff supervision, orientation/training/development, performance management and employee relations functions; adheres to HR policies/procedures, and applicable employment laws, standards and regulations.
18. Completes performance evaluations for staff in a timely manner, including initial and 90-day competencies, and annual performance evaluations.

Qualifications

To excel in this role, you should have:

• Clinical Expertise: A Master's degree in Psychology, social work (licensed preferred) or a related discipline field OR Active RN Licensure.
• Experience: 3 years experience in Intake counseling in a Mental Health Setting or equivalent role in a clinical setting.
• Leadership: 1 year of supervisor experience managing personnel and clinical integrity of work product
• Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package
• Generous PTO, 401(k) with company match and discounted stock plan
• Education Assistance
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth
• A supportive and collaborative work environment
• Access to ongoing training and educational opportunities

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skillset and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. We take pride in creating a highly efficient and best in class candidate experience. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. The recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you are suspicious of a job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, let us know by contacting us at: or View phone number on click.appcast.io.