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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Intake Coordinator

💰 $40,000 - $65,000

IntakeClient ServicesAdministrationOperationsHealthcare

🎯 Role Definition

The Intake Coordinator is the frontline point of contact responsible for screening, enrolling, routing, and documenting new clients, patients, or referrals. This role combines client-facing intake interviews, accurate data capture in CRM/EHR systems, benefits and eligibility verification, appointment scheduling, and cross-functional coordination with clinical, case management, and external partner teams. The Intake Coordinator ensures timely access to services, protects privacy and regulatory compliance (HIPAA), and drives measurable intake throughput and quality metrics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Customer Service Representative or Call Center Specialist
  • Medical Receptionist / Front Desk Associate
  • Referral Specialist or Program Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Intake Supervisor / Lead Intake Coordinator
  • Case Manager or Enrollment Specialist
  • Clinical Coordinator or Program Manager
  • Operations Manager (Intake & Access)

Lateral Moves:

  • Referral Coordinator
  • Scheduling Coordinator
  • Patient Access Representative

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct comprehensive initial intake interviews (phone, video, in-person) to collect demographic, clinical, insurance, and social determinants information, ensuring all required fields are captured accurately in the CRM/EHR.
  • Triage incoming referrals and requests to determine urgency, clinical need, and appropriate service pathway; escalate urgent/safety concerns immediately to clinical leadership.
  • Verify insurance coverage, benefits, and eligibility prior to enrollment or appointment scheduling; document verification outcomes and explain benefits/coverage to clients.
  • Enter and maintain accurate client records in electronic health record (EHR) systems, CRMs, or case management platforms with strict attention to data integrity and audit trails.
  • Schedule appointments, intake assessments, and follow-up visits using scheduling software while optimizing provider availability and minimizing no-shows and wait times.
  • Coordinate multi-agency referrals and warm handoffs to internal departments (clinical, case management, financial counseling) and external community partners, tracking status until resolution.
  • Obtain and process consent forms, release of information (ROI), and other required paperwork; ensure documents are uploaded and indexed according to policy.
  • Screen callers and referral sources for eligibility criteria and program-specific intake rules; provide clear next steps or alternative referrals when programs are not a fit.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA and organizational privacy policies while handling protected health information (PHI).
  • Perform follow-up outreach by phone, email, and secure messaging to collect missing documentation, confirm appointments, and reduce barriers to engagement.
  • Manage waitlists and prioritize admissions based on program criteria, triage scoring, and available resources; proactively contact candidates as openings occur.
  • Document decision-making rationale and case notes clearly, concisely, and contemporaneously to support continuity of care and compliance audits.
  • Provide crisis triage and immediate resource referral for clients presenting with safety risks, suicidal ideation, or acute needs; coordinate with crisis teams as required.
  • Generate and maintain intake metrics and weekly/monthly reports (volume, time-to-intake, conversion rates, no-show rates) to inform operational improvements and leadership decisions.
  • Conduct eligibility checks and pre-authorization requests for specialty services and coordinate with billing/insurance teams to resolve coverage issues prior to service delivery.
  • Implement and adhere to standardized intake protocols, scripts, and checklists to ensure consistent service quality across channels and staff.
  • Train and mentor new intake staff on intake workflows, documentation standards, CRM/EHR navigation, and customer service best practices.
  • Audit intake records regularly for completeness, compliance, and quality; identify trends, gaps, and corrective actions with recommendations to management.
  • Facilitate language access and cultural competency supports (interpreters, translated materials) during intake to ensure equitable access and accurate information collection.
  • Respond to inbound phone, email, and online inquiries related to program eligibility, referrals, and enrollment with timely, professional communication.
  • Collaborate with clinical teams, social workers, and program managers to close the loop on referrals, provide intake disposition updates, and resolve care coordination barriers.
  • Maintain current knowledge of community resources, benefit programs, and referral partners to make effective warm referrals and provide resource navigation.
  • Participate in continuous improvement projects to streamline intake forms, reduce redundant questions, and improve client experience from first contact to assignment.
  • Support ad-hoc projects such as data clean-ups, system migrations, and the rollout of new intake forms or digital self-service portals.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist in developing and updating intake templates, online intake forms, and knowledge base articles to improve user experience for staff and clients.
  • Contribute to the creation of training materials, SOPs, and onboarding checklists for intake operations to scale team capacity.
  • Support quality improvement initiatives and regulatory readiness activities, including internal reviews and external audits of intake processes.
  • Provide backup coverage for front desk reception, general administrative support, and basic billing follow-up when needed.
  • Participate in cross-functional meetings (operations, clinical, IT) to translate intake pain points into system requirements and user stories for development teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency with EHR/EMR systems (e.g., Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth) and CRM or case management platforms.
  • Strong data entry speed and accuracy with attention to validating fields and reducing duplicate records.
  • Experience with insurance verification, eligibility checks, and prior authorization workflows.
  • Familiarity with scheduling platforms and calendar management tools (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar, Athena Scheduling).
  • Knowledge of HIPAA, PHI handling, and privacy/security best practices.
  • Skilled at generating operational reports and dashboards using Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP) or BI tools.
  • Ability to complete structured intake assessments and use triage protocols or screening tools.
  • Competence with telephony systems, call routing, and basic CRM telephony integrations.
  • Experience working with interpreter services and multilingual intake processes.
  • Comfortable using ticketing systems or task management tools (e.g., Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Asana) to track referrals and follow-ups.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal and written communication with callers, clinicians, and partner agencies.
  • Strong customer-service orientation and empathy when working with vulnerable populations.
  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced intake environment.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy for documentation and eligibility verification.
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving to resolve complex referral and coverage issues.
  • Ability to remain calm and decisive during crisis triage and urgent escalations.
  • Cultural competence and sensitivity to diverse backgrounds, languages, and needs.
  • Team collaborator who shares information, escalates appropriately, and supports peers.
  • Time management and follow-through to ensure timely completion of intake tasks.
  • Adaptability to changing policies, systems, and program criteria.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Healthcare Administration, Human Services, Public Health, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Social Work
  • Psychology
  • Human Services
  • Public Health
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–3 years of client-facing intake, patient access, referral coordination, or customer service in healthcare, social services, behavioral health, or legal aid.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years experience in an intake, patient access, or case coordination role with documented experience using EHR/CRM systems, performing eligibility verification, and managing referral pipelines.
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