Director of Behavioral Health - Social Work

GENERAL SUMMARY: 

Reporting to the Vice President, Behavioral Health Service Line, the Director of Behavioral Health, Social Work provides overall operational and strategic leadership for the acute medical and emergency department psychiatric social workers across the care delivery continuum. Responsible for oversight and standardization of social work best practices, multidisciplinary, collaborative practice of psychiatric care, patient care coordination (internal/external stakeholders). The Director works collaboratively with Henry Ford Health Service Line leadership, Clinical Councils, hospital senior leadership, medical directors, patient care teams, physicians (both employed and community), and outside agencies to provide state-of-the-art care in the community. Ensures continuous improvement in program quality, clinical efficiency, and patient throughput from all care levels. The incumbent facilitates implementation of service line objectives through his/her knowledge and expertise, matrix management skills.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Leads social work strategic/action planning, ensuring alignment of all psychiatric social workers and/or therapists and psychiatric case managers across all locations and care settings. 
• Facilitates proper supervision and compliance standards are maintained. 
• Leads initiatives, meetings, and communications to align with operating model and service line strategic plan. Prepares written and verbal presentations of findings, conclusions, and recommendations. 
• Designs and implements systematic, standardized processes spanning multiple regions that enhance operational effectiveness and the patient experience in the hospital setting in alignment with broader system strategy and goals. 
• Develops a process and leads a team that integrates information related to performance improvement priorities, measures region performance and advises leadership of opportunities. Identifies targeted opportunities for improvement then develops and implements action plans. 
• Conducts comprehensive analysis to assess the impact of social work/case management interventions on total cost of care, safety, quality, patient experience, and throughput. 
• Maintain a working relationship with local, state, and federal agencies, recognizing the hospital’s position in the community and its need for cooperation and assistance from such services. 
• Responsible for the ongoing development, formalization, and administration of the emergency department, inpatient, ambulatory social work programs. 
• Collaborates with senior leadership regarding patient flow, census management, patient care outcomes, throughput metrics, and financial performance indicators. 
• This position is also responsible for relationship building, as defined through targeted goals of the business plan, with insurance companies, self-insured employers, case management firms, and/or other health care networks.
• Oversight of utilization review/management for behavioral health services between emergency department, inpatient, and ambulatory. Develop and sustain workflow. processes to maximize reimbursement, appeals, and denials. 
• Monitors achievement of targets and strategic action plans on a regular basis. Communicates progress toward achievement of goals and actively solicits feedback from all stakeholders. 
• Understands the clinical care pathways and processes of the specific Service Line and the special psychosocial needs of these patients. 
• Effective management and delivery of diagnostic procedures and overall departmental services in accordance with all Hospital and regulatory agency standards. 
• Collaborates with all other Henry Ford Health regional administrators to ensure standardization and integration of best practices. 
• Demonstrated analytical skills required for the ability to develop and prepare analysis, reports, and presentations, and to manipulate database information from hospital systems. 
• Excellent problem solving, interpersonal, and communication skills to determine appropriateness of responses to physician concerns and for resolving conflicts and developing solutions to a variety of situations. 
• Interpersonal and communication skills necessary to effectively provide leadership, consultation, and technical support to Henry Ford Health management and personnel, to effectively convey results and recommendations, and to interact with outside consultants and vendors. 
• Must be proficient on the applicable software systems(s) and how to access and retrieve reports from EPIC and other applications. 
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of utilization review/management, billing, coding, and department charges, charge order set(s). 
• Ability to organize, establish priorities, and manage multiple projects at one time. 
• Performs duties with accountability, competency, innovation, collaboration, compassion, and respect to create the best possible clinical outcomes with exceptional customer experiences. 
• Extensive experience in effectively building programs and leading the achievement of successful outcomes in a heavily matrixed organization essential. 
• Performs all other duties as required.