Patient Access Specialist Senior - Behavioral Health Screening
Elar Cx · Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Inova Peterson Life with Cancer is seeking a compassionate, organized, and detail-oriented Patient Access Specialist Senior to support behavioral health intake, patient access, and care coordination for individuals and families affected by cancer. This role is full-time, Monday-Friday, office hours 8:00am-5:00am
This position serves as a primary point of contact for patients and caregivers seeking oncology-focused counseling services. The role is responsible for coordinating behavioral health referrals, conducting structured intake assessments, reviewing mental health screening results, managing patient scheduling, and facilitating communication between patients, caregivers, and clinical teams.
The ideal candidate will have strong Epic proficiency, experience in behavioral health or mental health services, knowledge of PHQ-9 depression screenings and C-SSRS protocols, and the ability to manage sensitive patient interactions with professionalism, empathy, and discretion.
Inova is consistently ranked a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience. We are also proud to be consistently recognized as a top employer in both the D.C. metro area and the nation.
Featured Benefits:
- Committed to Team Member Health: offering medical, dental and vision coverage, and a robust team member wellness program.
- Retirement: Inova matches the first 5% of eligible contributions – starting on your first day.
- Tuition and Student Loan Assistance: offering up to $5,250 per year in education assistance and up to $10,000 for student loans.
- Mental Health Support: offering all Inova team members, their spouses/partners, and their children 25 mental health coaching or therapy sessions, per person, per year, at no cost.
- Work/Life Balance: offering paid time off and paid parental leave.
Job Responsibilities
Behavioral Health Intake and Patient Coordination
- Serve as a primary point of contact for patients and caregivers seeking oncology-focused counseling services.
- Conduct structured intake assessments to gather information regarding patients' psychosocial needs, cancer-related concerns, mental health history, and current support services.
- Manage incoming referrals through Epic workqueues, departmental email inboxes, and telephone inquiries.
- Review intake information against established program eligibility criteria to identify patients who may be appropriate for short-term, cancer-focused counseling services.
- Collaborate with licensed behavioral health professionals when additional clinical evaluation or determination of service appropriateness is needed.
- Coordinate referrals to outpatient counseling services and appropriate community behavioral health resources.
- Facilitate intake paperwork, consent forms, and patient communications through DocuSign.
- Coordinate patient scheduling and communication with clinical teams to ensure timely access to services.
Mental Health Screening and Safety Coordination
- Review and monitor PHQ-9 depression screening results submitted through patient intake documentation.
- Identify elevated PHQ-9 scores and positive responses to question 9 requiring additional screening or follow-up.
- Conduct structured follow-up conversations with patients to gather additional information regarding emotional distress and immediate support needs.
- Administer Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) screenings when indicated, in accordance with established clinical protocols, training, and role authorization.
- Recognize potential suicide or self-harm concerns and promptly escalate findings to designated licensed behavioral health professionals.
- Document PHQ-9 and C-SSRS screening results, patient communications, and follow-up actions accurately in Epic.
- Coordinate access to appropriate behavioral health resources, crisis intervention services, and community support programs in accordance with established protocols.
- Collaborate with clinical staff to ensure patients requiring additional evaluation receive timely follow-up.
Pediatric Behavioral Health Coordination
- Manage the Life with Cancer pediatric referral inbox and monitor incoming pediatric counseling requests.
- Communicate with parents and caregivers to gather information regarding children's emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial needs related to cancer.
- Conduct structured pediatric intake conversations to identify presenting concerns and facilitate appropriate next steps.
- Coordinate parent consultations with pediatric oncology therapists.
- Schedule pediatric appointments in Epic and facilitate communication between families and clinical teams.
- Support appropriate referral pathways for pediatric patients requiring specialized behavioral health services, psychoeducation, or community resources.
- Maintain accurate pediatric referral documentation and ensure timely follow-up.
Epic Documentation and Referral Management
- Monitor and manage assigned Epic referral workqueues to ensure timely processing, appropriate routing, and follow-up.
- Maintain accurate patient records, intake documentation, screening results, and referral information.
- Route oncology nurse navigator referrals to the appropriate clinical teams, identifying time-sensitive requests such as fertility preservation.
- Utilize Epic SmartPhrases, flowsheets, In Basket messaging, telephone encounters, and scheduling tools to support efficient workflows.
- Track referral status and communicate updates to appropriate clinical and administrative staff.
- Ensure compliance with HIPAA, organizational policies, and documentation standards.
Patient Access and Administrative Support
- Provide front desk coverage and serve as a welcoming point of contact for patients, families, and visitors.
- Assist with patient scheduling, appointment coordination, telephone inquiries, and general patient access operations.
- Respond to patient and caregiver questions regarding available services, referral processes, and appointment scheduling.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to support efficient daily operations and continuity of patient services.
- Assist with invoice processing, administrative documentation, and other operational responsibilities as assigned.
- Identify opportunities to improve patient access, referral management, workflow efficiency, and service consistency.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience - 2 years of patient access experience
Education - High school or GED
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in healthcare, patient access, behavioral health, mental health services, or clinical care coordination.
- Experience communicating with patients experiencing emotional distress or complex psychosocial needs.
- Working knowledge of behavioral health intake processes and mental health screening tools, including PHQ-9.
- Proficiency in Epic electronic medical records, including referral management, documentation, and scheduling.
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Ability to manage sensitive patient information with discretion and professionalism.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities, manage competing demands, and collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to recognize concerns requiring clinical escalation and follow established procedures for timely intervention.
- Associate's or bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, behavioral health, healthcare administration, or a related field.
- Experience in oncology, outpatient behavioral health, or psychosocial support services.
- Experience with PHQ-9 screening review, C-SSRS administration, and established suicide-risk escalation protocols.
- Experience coordinating pediatric behavioral health services.
- Knowledge of community mental health resources and referral pathways.
- Experience with DocuSign, Microsoft Office, and administrative healthcare workflows.
- Experience supporting multidisciplinary clinical t