Central Intake Coordinator

Title of Position: Central Intake Coordinator

Location: Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center

Exempt/Non-Exempt : Non-Exempt

Union/Non-Union: Non-Union

Supervisor: Director of Business Development

Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, located in Los Angeles, is a non-profit organization that provides an array of comprehensive mental health services for Children, Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and Adults suffering from mental illness in the Greater Los Angeles area. The organization consists of a standalone fifty-five (55) )-bed hospital and six outlying outpatient facilities that have anywhere from fourteen (14) beds to one hundred and thirty-four (134) beds. The organization has approximately four hundred (400) employees.

Summary Of Position

The Central Intake Coordinator (intake coordinator) plays a critical role in facilitating access to Gateways programs and treatment services, exercising the highest level of customer service and consumer engagement. The role is pivotal in ensuring that individuals and referral sources seeking mental health and addiction treatment services are welcomed with care, professionalism, screened accurately and guided seamlessly into appropriate treatment and program services.

This position is responsible for conducting initial screenings, coordinating intake procedures, verifying Medi-Cal and private insurance eligibility, and serves as a resource to assist callers with navigating the mental health system and linking and connecting callers to other related community treatment and social support services.

Essential Duties

Client Intake & Assessment

• Conduct initial screenings to determine treatment needs and appropriateness for enrollment into Gateways’ programs and services.
• Obtain Medi-Cal and private insurance information and verify eligibility.
• Collect deductibles or self-pay portion of hospital payment from the client as required by their health plan at time of admission.
• Provide callers with a verbal overview of Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center’s full continuum of services and email program brochure the link to Gateways website to all callers.
• Complete the Gateways intake process and gather all client, referral source and payer information to facilitate client admission.
• Provide callers with appropriate referrals and linkages to other treatment programs and/or community support services if they do not meet Gateways enrollment / admission criteria.
  
  

Coordination & Scheduling

• Schedule client appointments for initial onsite assessment within 24-48 hours.
• Send appointment reminders via phone calls, texts and emails.
• Assist clients and families with overcoming barriers to initial assessment and access to treatment.
• Will reengage the client or referral source within 24-hours of any cancelled appointment.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of the intake process in the electronic health records (EHR) system.
  
  

Communication & Reporting

• Serve as a liaison between clients, families, referral sources, and treatment teams.
• Offer compassionate support and guidance to individuals navigating mental health and substance use paths to recovery.
• Intake coordinator is responsible for tracking and reporting intake & admission outcomes data and conversion rates.
• Will produce a monthly report tracking and reporting outcomes for every call and email inquiry.
• Participate in a weekly meeting with the Program Director and the Director of Business Development to review intake and admission activity.
• Will contact all key referral sources by phone or email to provide follow up and provide a disposition of referral and thank you.
  
  

Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure all intake procedures comply with HIPAA and all Gateways’ and regulatory agency requirements.
• Maintain organized records and contribute to data collection for reporting purposes.
• Participate in quality assurance and improvement initiatives as needed.
• Performs other additional tasks as directed.
  
  

Essential Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with both clients and referral sources.
• The ability to multitask
• In depth clinical understanding of mental health and substance use disorders to guide clients (adults and youth) into treatment and overcoming common barriers to access.
• Ability to handle sensitive situations with empathy and professionalism.
• Able to engage referral sources to ensure linkage to both Gateways and external services.
• Proficiency in Gateways EHR systems and Microsoft Office Suite.