Behavioral Health Masters Clinician - Inpatient Psych Services, Per Diem - Cheshire Medical Center

Functioning as a member or the Behavioral Health Team, the Master's Level Clinician, in collaboration with physicians and multidisciplinary team members, this position is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the clinical management of an assigned population throughout the continuum of care. Will contribute to the development and maintenance of a care delivery system which is sensitive to patient needs and expectations, promote effective utilization of resources, and support physician practice, while emphasizing care coordination across the continuum. Perform utilization management activities as necessary to ensure that medical necessity is appropriate to the patient's level of care. Provide hospital issued notices as defined by CMS when appropriate. Monitor specialty referral patterns. Facilitate the discharge planning process for assigned caseload to link the patient/family with the appropriate institutional or community sources post discharge. Participate in the development and application of interdisciplinary care paths/protocols to facilitate the achievement of desired clinical and financial outcomes. Perform concurrent and retrospective monitoring and analysis of variations in the processes of care. Identify and recommend opportunities for improvement as appropriate. Monitor the patient's transition and variations from plan of care both across and within care settings, e.g., home, clinic, SNF, rehabilitation, acute care, long term care, home care, etc. Identify and pursue opportunities for professional development. Attend and participate in seminars and/or workshops, certification, participation in scholarly research and publication. Complete appropriate psychosocial assessment and referrals for assigned patient populations, including the substance use disorder. Complete appropriate psychosocial assessments and referrals in cases involving suspected cases of abuse (substance or physical) or violence. Intervene in situations of critical illness or death to provide crisis intervention and supportive services. Facilitate resolution of legal issues within scope of practice (POA, guardianship, patient rights, adoption). Make referrals and consults as necessary. Identify patients in need of social work services and discharge planning through case finding and collaboration with team members on assigned units. Identify and takes into account cultural, educational and developmental influences on patient/family understanding of and response to illness/hospitalization. Qualifications/Experience Requirements: Masters Degree in Social Work, Counseling Psychology or related behavioral health field required (e.g. addiction counseling , clinical psychology ). Two years recent clinical/hospital experience in the Behavioral Health Field. Experience in development of research-based critical pathways and outcome measurement preferred. Experience in case management, utilization review and discharge planning preferred. Knowledge of JCAHO/NCQA standards and HCFA regulations Ability to modify counseling techniques and the therapeutic approach in response to the ages(s) and psychosocial needs of the patient, family and/or significant other License in field preferred.