Intake Coordinator

What this role does in an ABA practice

• Answers new referral calls and web inquiries, often from parents who just received a diagnosis
• Runs verification of benefits: ABA coverage, deductibles, out-of-pocket costs, authorization requirements and diagnostic-report rules
• Collects the diagnostic evaluation, referral or prescription, insurance cards and intake packet
• Schedules the 97151 assessment once the payer approves it, then hands off to the authorization coordinator
• Keeps the waitlist accurate and tracks referral sources so leadership knows where growth comes from

What we screen for

• Mock intake call with a stressed parent: warmth, clarity and accurate expectations
• Benefits-verification accuracy: reading a payer response and spotting ABA-specific exclusions
• Medicaid vs. commercial eligibility and what each needs before an assessment
• Documentation inside your practice-management system, with no PHI leaving it
• Bilingual ability when you need it, tested rather than self-reported

Every candidate also completes HIPAA privacy and security training.

Sample interview and skills-test items

1. CallRole-play: a parent calls, upset about a four-month waitlist elsewhere. Their plan is a Medicaid managed-care plan. Walk them through next steps.
2. BenefitsHere is a benefits response. Is ABA covered? Is prior authorization needed for the assessment? What do you tell the family about cost?
3. JudgmentA referral is missing the diagnostic report. What do you do, and what do you avoid promising?