Behavioral Health Operations Coordinator

Description:

Job Title: Behavioral Health Operations Coordinator

Department: Behavioral Health

Reports to: Senior Director of Behavioral Health

Work arrangement: Virtual

Job Summary:

The Behavioral Health Operations Coordinator provides administrative, scheduling, referral, and care coordination support to psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, and licensed therapists. The role helps patients access behavioral health services promptly and supports efficient provider workflows. The coordinator handles patient communications, referral and scheduling processes, medication refill routing, prior authorization follow-up, and accurate documentation within established procedures.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Patient Access and Scheduling

• Coordinate new patient referrals and schedule new and follow-up appointments.
• Match patients with appropriate providers based on location, licensure, availability, and clinical needs, following established workflows.
• Manage cancellations, rescheduling, waitlists, and provider schedule optimization.

Referral Coordination

• Review internal and external referrals, help patients access appropriate services, and coordinate external referrals when services are unavailable internally.
• Track referral status and follow up with patients and referral partners promptly.

Medication and Insurance Support

• Receive and route medication refill requests to prescribing clinicians for review and approval; monitor requests through resolution.
• Communicate with pharmacies and clinicians about prescription questions within approved administrative workflows.
• Initiate, track, and follow up on prior authorization requests; gather required documentation and communicate status with insurers, pharmacies, and providers.

Provider and Patient Support

• Monitor prescriber inboxes and patient portal messages, routing clinical questions to licensed clinicians.
• Support provider schedules, meetings, and administrative workflows.
• Serve as an administrative contact for patients; respond to scheduling and operational inquiries with professionalism and compassion.

Documentation and Improvement

• Document activities accurately in the electronic health record and protect patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and organizational policies.
• Participate in quality improvement and workflow enhancement initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Strong organizational, time management, and attention to detail skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, patient service, and team collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, healthcare operations, and care coordination workflows.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and healthcare technology platforms.
• Ability to use sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and escalate clinical questions to licensed staff.

Education and Experience:

• High School diploma or GED equivalent required. Associate degree preferred
• At least two years of experience in healthcare administration, behavioral health, psychiatry, medical office operations, or care coordination required.
• Experience scheduling patient appointments in an electronic health record required.
• Experience in telehealth or virtual care, supporting behavioral health providers, using athenahealth or a similar EHR, processing medication prior authorizations, or verifying insurance benefits preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer. Ability to communicate by phone and video, travel up to 25%, and perform occasional on-site work.