Job Description

The Access Manager coordinates the placement of admissions and transfers in accordance with clinical standards and guidelines to promote timely and appropriate access to care. This position partners with the Central Admissions team, treatment programs, and other departments to support efficient client placement throughout the continuum of care. The Access Manager also supports bed management, data analysis, process improvement, staff consultation and training, and collaboration across facilities and external stakeholder groups to support organizational objectives

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee daily census management activities, including monitoring admission, transfer, and discharge volumes, maintaining census accuracy across systems, analyzing occupancy trends, and partnering with operational leaders to maximize capacity utilization and support organizational growth objectives.

• Lead discharge planning processes to ensure timely, safe, and coordinated transitions of care by collaborating with clinical, transportation, and community partners, removing barriers to discharge, tracking discharge performance metrics, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and organizational standards

• Coordinate and optimize intake and placement processes for residential programs.

• Manage client transfers in accordance with approved transfer protocols.

• Facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of processes supporting effective bed management.

• Identify opportunities to collect, analyze, and utilize data to improve access, placement, and operational processes.

• Prepare and communicate key data in an actionable format to support operational decision-making.

• Participate in the planning, design, and implementation of organizational access, assessment, transportation, and case management functions.

• Ensure the accuracy of bed management systems and information related to bed availability.

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with staff across departments and facilities.

• Support organizational intake, census, and profitability objectives through effective access and placement processes.

• Collaborate across departments to support organizational and business objectives.

• Review assessment outcomes to ensure individuals are recommended for and have access to the appropriate level of care based on ASAM and other applicable assessment criteria.

• Coordinate with treatment programs to support seamless transitions from inquiry through assessment and treatment across the continuum of care.

• Collaborate with Community Relations to identify and address the needs of external stakeholders.

• Consult with and provide training to staff across departments and facilities to support programmatic objectives, change management, and process improvement.

• Identify quality concerns and potential risks and escalate them to the appropriate resource for resolution.

• Must exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality with regard to all company information. 

• Completion of all required trainings as designated by the company and accreditation/licensing entities. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities unless otherwise assigned. The Access Manager provides functional leadership, consultation, training, and coordination across departments and facilities in support of access, placement, and process improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications

Licensure, Education, & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a human services field required.

• Experience in a health or human services agency, preferably in a drug and alcohol setting.

• Previous utilization, case management, or bed management experience preferred.

Job Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Knowledge of admissions, access, assessment, utilization, case management, and bed management processes.

• Knowledge of ASAM criteria and other applicable assessment and level-of-care criteria.

• Ability to collect, aggregate, analyze, and report data to support system and process improvements, care pathways, and placement activities.

• Ability to identify quality concerns and potential risks and appropriately escalate concerns for resolution.

• Strong leadership, consultation, and staff training skills.

• Excellent oral, written, interpersonal, and social communication skills.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively and interact professionally with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

• Ability to gather and analyze information, identify solutions, and demonstrate initiative in individual and group problem-solving situations.

• Ability to effectively manage crisis situations and respond appropriately.

• Ability to exercise objective and ethical decision-making.

• Ability to remain calm and decisive during challenging or crisis situations.

• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and adapt to changing organizational and operational needs.

• Ability to foster a collaborative team environment and support continuous improvement initiatives.

• Ability to maintain professionalism, consistency, confidentiality, and sound judgment when interacting with clients, staff, visitors, external stakeholders, and the public.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to operate computers, office equipment, and technology, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch, or twist. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and seldom lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

This position primarily operates in a professional office and behavioral healthcare environment with regular use of computers, admissions and bed management systems, telephones, virtual meeting platforms, and other office technology. Regular interaction with Central Admissions, treatment programs, clinical and operational teams, Community Relations, and external stakeholders is required. Occasional travel to facilities, meetings, or other organizational locations may be required based on operational needs. Employees may be exposed to communicable illnesses and emotionally sensitive or traumatic situations while visiting behavioral healthcare facilities.

Compensation
This position may be subject to state or local wage transparency requirements. Where required by law, a compensation range will be provided. For candidates applying in jurisdictions with such requirements, the applicable range will be disclosed either in this posting or during the interview process. Please note that compensation may vary depending on factors such as geographic location, experience, qualifications, and internal equity. To inquire about the salary range for your specific location, please contact our recruitment team.

The starting compensation for this role is $40,000/year; final compensation will be determined based on skills, experience, and qualifications.