Outpatient Director- Behavioral Health

Outpatient Director- Behavioral Health | Peak Behavioral Health | Las Cruces, New Mexico
About the Job:
LCPC, LCSW, LMFT, or similar license required

The Director of Outpatient Services is responsible for the management and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the outpatient department, planning, implementation, and evaluation of outpatient clinical care systems and for client health outcomes attributable to outpatient clinical practice. Provides direct supervision to outpatient staff and indirect guidance to other staff regarding clinical programming and treatment expectations to ensure effective & safe therapeutic practices are being provided. Leads all aspects of the outpatient counseling/social work programs including Psychosocial Assessments, conducting groups, facilitating family therapies, and developing, implementing, and reviewing Treatment Plans. Oversees all outpatient programs, monitoring the multidisciplinary treatment team process, monitoring discharge planning and community resource referral. May serve as Chief Health Care Disparities Officer - Outpatient.

Roles and Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Plans, develops and implements quality programming including all outpatient schedules, as part of the therapeutic environment. Reviews the progress, quality, and effectiveness of all outpatient clinical programs.
• Identifies and prioritizes issues of importance, including those priority issues as set by leadership. Collaborates with department leaders and corporate leaders, as needed.
• Communicates instructions, expectations and timelines clearly and concisely.
• Provides support and instruction as needed to direct care staff to ensure they adequately understand the treatment program and service delivery expectations to clients based on the clients' individual treatment plans and clinical needs.
• Ensures that all clinical programming, staffing, and documentation is in accordance with regulatory agencies and standards of care. Ensures that all programming is clinically relevant and appropriate to client needs.
• Establishes methods for evaluating clinical care practices, formulates plans for new programs and changes to existing programs, and initiates and/or utilizes studies and research applicable to the development of clinical services.
• As Chief Health Care Disparity Officer - Outpatient, is responsible for identifying and analyzing health care disparities for the outpatient populations served by the organization and leading activities to reduce those disparities, in coordination with the facility's Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement Committee (QAPI) and with the oversite by the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) and Governing Board.
• Leads a team of highly engaged members through hiring, orienting, performance assessment and management, motivating, training, scheduling, and coaching to meet department goals and ensure effective and efficient department operation.
• Maintains productivity levels that are aligned with client census, curtailing unnecessary overtime and/or excessive staff work hours.
• Manages staff scheduling and maintains an updated plan for contingency staffing.
• Maintains accountability expectations for self and staff in all areas of job performance.
• Engages staff in quality and safety basics to ensure sustained, measurable compliance.
• Identifies staff educational needs and ensures they are addressed with education programs that are attended by staff.
• Holds staff accountable for non-compliance and client safety concerns, as well as attendance, following policies, behavior, and adherence to code of conduct.
• Provides clinical consultation, oversight of case planning and care coordination.
• Ensures all clinical staff conduct individual, family and collateral contacts and document all contacts in the medical record.
• Monitors and reviews discharge plans and after-care for clients by the clinical staff. Ensures that they are arranged and appropriate.
• Reviews and audits charts for documentation - both quality and completeness. Reviews caseloads regularly to ensure appropriate utilization of services.
• Directs and oversees program operations, to include independent decision making for program requiring clinical expertise.
• Coordinates with marketing to develop and implement Community Relations and Referral Development Program for the facility. Offers suggestions to promote a positive, professional image, which helps to define an appropriately broad niche in the general and Behavioral Health Care marketplace.
• Responsible for a limited caseload and direct care coverage as needed.
• Maintains an awareness of community and market-related activities which includes knowledge of the activities of other providers, needs of local payors and the political climate related to mental health.
• May be required to provide onsite coverage for other programs when needed, develops, and executes new programs according to market needs and may provide training, case consultation and Administrator On Call coverage during and after program hours as needed.
• Performs Leadership Rounds as assigned to include observation and immediate identification of environment of care, safety, and infection control concerns, as well as real time education of new facility processes.
• Communicates and explains new directives, policies or procedures to managers; for major changes meets with staff to explain changes, answer questions and maintain morale.
• Regular documentation audits; utilization reviews; Census management; FTE and expense management.
• Plans, directs, controls, implements, evaluates, monitors and forecasts budgets and costs to achieve financial objectives, performance improvement and risk monitoring.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• Master's Degree from an accredited school in clinical, psychology or social service-related field required.
• Four or more years of experience as a licensed therapist required, excluding internship or volunteer experiences, with four or more years' experience with the specific population of the facility preferred in a PHP/IOP/OP setting
• Skills in therapy and assessment, considerable knowledge of social work principles and practice, social health and welfare programs and laws governing eligibility for these programs; regulatory standards.

LICENSES/DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS:

• State issued licensure required, with a strong preference for licensure status allowing for independent practice and supervision of other entry level clinicians.
• CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
• First aid may be required based on state or facility.

WORK LOCATION:

This position is onsite and is not a remote position.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

At least three years' supervisory/management experience in social/clinical services required.