Intake Registered Nurse- Acute

Intake Registered Nurse- Acute

Creekside Behavioral Health in Kingsport, Tennessee is seeking an Intake Registered Nurse for its acute care unit. The Intake RN performs the daily operations of patient intake and/or admissions, which may include screening, financial counseling, insurance verification, and assessment at or outside the facility, depending on the needs of the patient or hospital. Screens and assesses admissions to evaluate clinical and medical appropriateness and communicates this information to a physician who makes the admissions and level of care decision. Works closely with business office, nursing, and clinical staff as well as external parties to ensure the timely admission of patients. Responds to inquiries regarding admissions.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Essential functions include:

• Facilitating admissions and assessment processes for incoming patients. Provides initial evaluation and initiates the integrated assessment, documenting patient symptoms, functioning, and needs.
• Collaborating with other facility medical and psychiatric staff to ensure appropriate recommendations and admissions. Communicating projected admissions to designated internal representatives in a timely manner.
• Providing additional coverage for the Call Center Team – e.g. answering phones, processing admission requests, completing call center duties reviewing and accepting patients, verifying insurance, and assisting with insurance pre-certifications during times of high volume.
• Ensuring all medical admission documentation is gathered from external sources prior to patient admission and securing initial pre-authorization for treatment and admission.
• Reviewing patient charts to determine medical necessity and staffing each referral and assessment with appropriate physician to obtain orders, recommendations, and DSM-V diagnosis, when appropriate.
• Communicating treatment recommendations to and coordinating with other treatment teams.
• May administer patients' medications and follow all physician's orders in consultation with psychiatrist and in accordance with established hospital and licensing agency protocols. Educating patients on side effects, and through discussions determining the effectiveness of education; questioning compliance and adjusting medications under psychiatrists' supervision as needed; monitoring lab results to validate medication compliance.
• May maintain accountability of administration, recording, control, and security of medications, including narcotics. Assuring completion of Adverse Drug Reaction forms as necessary. Maintaining knowledge of the most common medications used for psychiatric patients.
• Advocating for the lowest level of care consistent with the patient's needs. Coordinating admission and transfer between levels of care within the facility.
• Ensuring thorough, accurate documentation is completed for all patients on each shift and facilitating the response to requests for services, including the initial response, the assessment, and referral process, the designation of appropriate level of care, initiation/admission into services, and appropriate follow-up activity.
• Responding to inquiries about the facility within facility policy timeframes.
• Performing insurance benefit verifications, disseminating the information gathered to patient, their families, and other appropriate facility staff. Providing accurate and ongoing assessment of patient status in the admissions process.
• Other duties as assigned, including assisting on patient unit.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements:

• Graduation from an accredited school of nursing required. BSN preferred.
• One or more years' experience in mental health or substance use disorder admissions preferred.
• Experience in clinical interviewing, patient assessment, referral, treatment planning, communicating with external review organizations or comparable entities.
• Experience in the managed care pre-certification process, level of care assessments, and utilization.
• Outstanding interpersonal and interviewing and assessment skills. Skill in telephone etiquette and paging procedures.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications:

• Valid current RN license from the state or from a compact state, where applicable.
• CPR and de-escalation and restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
• First aid may be required based on state or facility requirements.

This position is onsite at the facility and is not a remote position.

This position is an individual contributor.

Creekside Behavioral Health offers a comprehensive benefit plan and a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume. Creekside Behavioral Health is an EOE.

Veterans and military spouses are highly encouraged to apply. Summit BHC is dedicated to serving Veterans with specialized programming at our treatment centers across the country. We recognize and value the unique strengths of the military community in supporting our mission to serve those who have served.