ASST PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Assistant Program Director of Behavioral Health - Northport, Alabama

Horizon Health is seeking an Assistant Program Director of Behavioral Health to work on the inpatient psychiatric units in the Northpoint Medical Center, in Northport, AL. The Assistant Program Director is responsible in assisting the Program Director in the maintenance of the Horizon Health / Client hospital contractual relationship(s) and in coordination with the client, the overall administration of patient care for the Program. This position is designed to provide the employee with an orientation to the business philosophy and operational policies and procedures of Horizon Health. The Assistant Program Director will receive hands-on training in a number of areas including marketing and referral development, clinical programming, customer relations and operations. The duties and responsibilities are designed to prepare the employee for a future Program Director position and, as such, they closely resemble the Program Director duties and responsibilities.

Clinical Program Directors work in close contact with patients who have moderate to severe psychiatric concerns and / or behavioral issues. There is the possibility this position could be exposed to violent behavior from patients and / or behavioral issues as part of their daily duties.

Key Responsibilities :

• Performs as liaison between Program, Hospital and Horizon; communicating information and needs appropriately
• Supports Hospital and Horizon missions, goals and objectives
• Provides leadership and direction in accordance with Hospital guidelines
• Provides clinical supervision for Program nursing, counseling, patient support and administrative staff
• Develops, in coordination with assigned VP, Clinical Practice, implements and updates all policies and procedures for the Program
• In coordination with the Hospital, ensures the Program meets and maintains all federal, state, local and accrediting bodies' regulations and standards
• Develops a 24-hour call process to handle emergency situations
• Defines the philosophy, goals and objectives of the treatment program under the direction of hospital administration, Horizon's clinical and operations staff, and in conjunction with the Medical Director
• Works with divisional and national support staff to ensure that the client hospital realizes maximum value from Horizon services
• Understands client hospital's expectations of Horizon and works to meet these expectations
• Directs departmental staff involved in multidisciplinary teams to address process improvements involving patients, employees, other customers or teams appropriately
• Promotes and develops positive, professional interaction with client hospital, senior management, peers and staff through effective written and verbal communication, listening and providing feedback in times of organizational change
• Collaborates with medical and clinical staff in coordinating and managing the medical and psychosocial treatment plans
• Participates in assessing and reassessing the program needs of the patient
• Supervises all patient care and sets guidelines for accurately reporting and recording of patient symptoms, reactions, and progress
• Develops processes to audit and coordinate ongoing education to ensure all staff are trained on proper documentation of all aspects of the patient's care
• Establishes a compassionate environment by providing emotional and psychological support to patients, families and friends
• Maintains patient privacy and confidentiality; and protects operations by keeping patient and program information confidential
• Provides recommendations to the Hospital to ensure sufficient staff to provide for patient care needs in keeping with appropriate regulatory requirements and staffing plan
• Operates within ethical standards
• Communicates and reviews Horizon and Hospital policies with staff
• Assures quality of care by adhering to therapeutic standards, measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and regulatory standards
• As needed, and using approved methods, assists in safely placing patients in seclusion or restraints; observes suicide / seclusion precautions; including physical requirements for physical holds and safe transport of patients
• Maintains continuity by documenting and communicating actions, irregularities, and continuing needs to the Hospital, VPO and VP, Clinical Practice
• Protects patients and employees by adhering to safety standards
• Completes all required staff competencies per program regulations in a timely manner
• Ensures operations of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs; and evaluating new equipment and techniques
• Provides feedback to supervisor on ongoing basis in regards to concerns, improvements, changes, etc.
• Ensures employee folders are complete and in compliance with Hospital, Horizon, state and Federal requirements
• Serves on assigned committees and attends all Program, Hospital, Horizon, provider and staff meetings as required
• Recruits, interviews, and selects qualified staff for the Program. Provides for professional growth and development of staff through identification of needs, development of individual training plans and participation in training programs
• Monitors personnel performance on a continuous basis
• Conducts regular performance evaluations for staff
• Develops and submits annual Quality Improvement Plan; this plan is based on the identified clinical performance issues, internal clinical audit findings, recommendations from the VPCE and needs of the hospital
• Collaborates with the Medical Director in the maintenance of the program milieu
• Leads an aggressive referral development program that produces an appropriate census for the Program; adheres to productivity targets
• Manages Program budget development and monitoring as required by the hospital and Horizon
• Displays good working knowledge of contractual relationship, understands the goals of the client hospital administration and works to meet these goals
• Implements quality improvement goals and objectives on the Program in a timely fashion
• Provides feedback to client hospital on an ongoing basis in regards to concerns, improvements, changes, etc.
• Prepares and disseminates written reports and completes required follow up on activities as defined by Horizon guidelines
• Prepares and submits all operational tasks / documentation (census report, PIORS) as required by Horizon
• Ensures all marketing reports are completed in an accurate and informative fashion, and meets designated time constraints
• Ensures Horizon Plus is used properly
• Together with Horizon divisional and support center staff, conducts formal marketing research, develops program design, and creates proposals for needed specialty programs
• Collects data to provide input and / or feedback to customers (i.e., teams, supervisors, co-workers, nursing agencies, hospital administration) to improve work quality and / or productivity
• Follows procedures of CQI +, if applicable

This is a full-time position, and hours of work and days are subject to the needs of the program which operates on a 24 hour; seven days a week basis.

Benefit Highlights :

About Universal Health Services : One of the nation's largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. has built an impressive record of achievement and performance, growing since its inception into a Fortune 500 corporation. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has 99,000 employees. Through its subsidiaries, UHS operates 28 acute care hospitals, 331 behavioral health facilities, 60 outpatient and other facilities in 39 U.S. States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.

About Northpoint, AL : Northport, AL, offers a relaxed, suburban feel with the added benefit of being a short distance from the amenities of Tuscaloosa. It offers an affordable cost of living, a vibrant arts scene, family-friendly attractions, and easy access to outdoor recreation on Lake Tuscaloosa. Northport was ranked as one of the best places to live in Alabama.

Qualifications : Graduate degree. Clinical background in social work, clinical counseling, or nursing highly preferred. 5+ years of leadership within an inpatient, acute care psych setting preferred with appropriate education. CPR certification.

EEO Statement : All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support