General Summary of Position
Job Summary:
Medstar Health is looking for a Behavioral Health Spec to join our team! We are looking for a licensed social worker or professional counselor able to provide therapeutic interventions, assessment, evaluation, and disposition, and the well-established ability to make independent clinical decisions.
The Behavioral Health Spec will provide assessment, evaluation, and disposition services for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with psychiatric concerns or illness. Processes admissions to inpatient psychiatric units.
Join one of the largest healthcare systems in the Baltimore-Washington metro region, also recognized as one of the "Healthiest Maryland Businesses". Apply today and learn how MedStar Health can be your next great career move!
Primary Duties:

• Completes documentation relevant to activities. Complies with and ensures adherence to documentation standards. Complies with data collection, entry, and reporting requirements. Coordinates admission to programs and services within Behavioral Health Services and associated programs. Provides and coordinates referrals to internal or external resources as appropriate. Ensures accurate documentation to clinically substantiate the recommended level of care. Coordinates insurance authorization for higher levels of care. Ensures accuracy of legal paperwork.
• Works directly and effectively with the inpatient units at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center (MFSMC), MedStar Harbor Hospital (MHH), MedStar Union Memorial Hospital (MUMH), and MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital (MGSH) to coordinate admissions. Effectively communicates with other area hospitals and outpatient resources to effectively coordinate recommended level of care.
• Serves as liaison between MFSMC, MHH, MGSH, MUMH Inpatient Psychiatric Units and outside agencies and referral sources to coordinate/facilitate admissions to the inpatient units. Process referral information for review by inpatient unit/providers. Communicates effectively with referral sources, inpatient unit staff and admissions department to coordinate transfer/admission. Serves as liaison to referral sources, outside agencies, third-party payors, and other interested parties as appropriate and within limits of confidentiality.
• Participates in the management of aggressive patients as needed to ensure the safety of patient, self, and others. Recognizes early warning signs of escalating behaviors and intervenes as appropriate. Provides clinical assessment, evaluation, and disposition of persons presenting with behavioral health concerns or illness. Effectively assess, engage, and disposition patients with a wide variety of diagnoses and needs. Provides education to patients and families about inpatient and outpatient processes and resources. Collects information from family/other involved parties/referral sources regarding current presentation and past clinical history to integrate into an appropriate recommendation for necessary level of care.
• Communicates effectively with treating physicians, nurses, and community-based resources to ensure appropriate care. Provides timely and comprehensive documentation and ongoing assessments while patients are in the Emergency Department. Provides support to Emergency Department staff for behavioral health issues. Provides comprehensive crisis assessments.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in psychology, Social Work, or related field.
• Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical (LCSW-C), or Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC), or Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), or License Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), or Ph.D.
• 1-2 years' experience in the assessment and disposition of behavioral health disorders preferred.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications
Why MedStar Health?
At MedStar Health, we understand that our ability to treat others well begins with how we treat each other. We work hard to foster an inclusive and positive environment where our associates feel valued, connected, and empowered. We live up to this promise through:

• Strong emphasis on teamwork - our associates feel connected to each other and our mission as an organization. In return, our effective team environment generates positive patient outcomes and high associate satisfaction ratings that exceed the national benchmark.
• Strategic focus on equity, inclusion, & diversity - we are committed to equity for all people and communities. We continue to build a diverse and inclusive workplace where people feel a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to equitable care delivery and improved community health outcomes at all levels of the organization.
• Comprehensive total rewards package - including competitive pay, generous paid time off, great health and wellness benefits, retirement savings, education assistance, and so much more.
• More career opportunities closer to home - as the largest healthcare provider in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. region, there are countless opportunities to grow your career and fulfill your aspirations.

About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is dedicated to providing the highest quality care for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation, and research. Our team of 32,000 includes physicians, nurses, residents, fellows, and many other clinical and non-clinical associates working in a variety of settings across our health system, including 10 hospitals and more than 300 community-based locations, the largest home health provider in the region, and highly respected institutes dedicated to research and innovation. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University for more than 20 years, MedStar Health is dedicated not only to teaching the next generation of doctors, but also to the continuing education, professional development, and personal fulfillment of our whole team. Together, we use the best of our minds and the best of our hearts to serve our patients, those who care for them, and our communities. It's how we treat people.
MedStar Health is an Equal Opportunity (EO) Employer and assures equal opportunity for all applicants and employees. We hire people to work in different locations, and we comply with the federal, state and local laws governing each of those locations. MedStar Health makes all decisions regarding employment, including for example, hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, benefit eligibility, discipline, and discharge without regard to any protected status, including race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship status, sex, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliations, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local EO laws. If you receive an offer of employment, it is MedStar Health's policy to hire its employees on an at-will basis, which means you or MedStar Health may terminate this relationship at any time, for any reason.