Christopher LaFrate
Hillsdale,NJ
Summary
Seasoned professional focused on supporting emergency response and patient care needs in program. Well-coordinated, decisive and eager to make impact on established structures, improve service quality and contain costs in order to optimize program reach. Knowledgeable about working with committees to effectively manage traumatic incidents, crisis situations. Dedicated MAT professional with history of meeting company goals utilizing consistent and organized practices. Skilled in working under pressure and adapting to new situations and challenges to best enhance the organizational brand. To seek and maintain full-time position that offers professional challenges utilizing interpersonal skills, excellent time management and problem-solving skills. Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals. Experienced dually diagnosed Case Manager with over 18 years of experience in working in all levels of care. Excellent reputation for resolving problems and improving customer retention.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
MATS Grant Case Manager
St. Johns Riverside Hospital BHS, Behavioral Health Services
Yonkers, NY
02.2018 - 06.2022
- Working alongside Westchester County Drug Court completing assessments with participants diagnosed opiate use disorder
- Educating participants on Medication Assisted Therapies (MATS) and referrals expediting initiation on MATS of their choosing
- Acting as a one source contact to advocate patient with any issues that develops between
- Treatment, Drug court, insurance, MATS Provider and social services
- The purpose of this program is to expand/enhance access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services for persons with an opioid use disorder (OUD) seeking or receiving MAT
- The desired outcomes for this program are: l) an increase in the number of individuals with OUD receiving MAT; and 2) a decrease in illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid misuse at six-month follow-up (SPARS)
- Three years experience in reviewing court activities for compliance with laws, court rules or administrative directives; consulting with judges, attorneys and law clerks; evaluating case management systems; coordinating activities between agencies, government and enforcement units; and/or preparing and analyzing case processing statistical reports.
- Helped patients receive appropriate, high-quality care with reasonable results.
- Partnered with physicians, social workers, activity therapists, nutritionists and case managers to develop and implement individualized care plans and documented patient interactions and interventions in electronic charting systems.
- Identified care needs of individual patients and coordinated responses based on physician advice, insurance limitations and procedural costs.
- Evaluated treatment plans against individual goals and healthcare standards.
- Managed support services and fostered communication among social workers, therapists, hospital staff and patients.
- Managed caseload of [Number] children in welfare system to provide comprehensive, community-based care.many
- Consulted with clinicians to devise and manage ongoing care plans for at-risk patients.
- Increased referral rates by providing excellent service and building meaningful relationships with patients and caregivers.
- Collaborated with external agencies to meet educational and transitional needs of students.
- Educated patients and loved ones about different treatment options and outside care approaches to reduce burden on hospital resources.
- Developed positive relationships with parents to foster communication and encourage involvement for student growth.
- Developed and implemented transition services plan to facilitate movement from school to activities.1
- Participated in professional growth programs to support special education improvement efforts.
- Reduced care costs without sacrificing quality through service coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Developed and implemented transition services plan to facilitate movement from Drug Court and civilian activities.
- Worked with patient to address any delays in finishing program due to non-compliance with Drug Court/Grant policies.
- Conducted training for educational staff to properly identify learning disabilities and remediation strategies.
- Monitored patient progress and completed weekly reports for Drug Court.
- completed intake assessment using evidenced based screening tools.
- Collected special education enrollment data to generate statistic reporting in SPARS meeting all Grant policies.
Counselor
St. Johns Riverside Hospital OTP, Behavioral Health Services
Yonkers, NY
02.2013 - 02.2018
- Maintained a caseload of 50 program participants of individual and monitoring their progress on the program using evidenced Based Practice in both individual and group counseling of care.
Counselor, Treatment Program
Crouse Hospital, Chemical Dependency Treatment Services
Syracuse, NY
11.2009 - 11.2012
- Screening — Bio Psycho-Social for program candidates
- Intakes - Extensions of screening process to include formal offer of treatment
- Orientation — Familiarize client with rules, regulations, and goals of program
- Assessments — Know client's drug history and consequences of history
- Treatment Planning — Identify problems, agree upon treatment process, establish goals Counseling — Examine patient actions and problems, help client understand the consequences of his/her substance abuse and destructive behaviors Case Management - Coordinate resources and services for client
- Referral — Assist client in matching his/her needs with appropriate resources
- Record Keeping — Document administration and results of assessments and treatment Consultation — With staff and peers to ensure optimal client care and treatment
- DISTINCTIONS
- Completion rate 83% higher than Crouse CDTS average
- Drop out rate 48% lower than Crouse average
- Works with population consisting of 80% of clients diagnosed with occurring Disorders
- Keys to Success
- Patient Retention- Approach tailored to individualized client needs
- Include client's financial responsibilities as part of treatment plan
- Team player, work with supervisor and others to coordinate client care
- Consider communication with referral sources a solid business practice
- Identified risk and resiliency factors within individual youth, peer group, family, school and community and developed strategies for intervention
- Worked with prescribing professionals to get patients necessary medications.
- Kept abreast of new and developing information in mental health field by attending professional conferences and workshops.
- Developed service plans to maintain intact families and improve family functioning.
- Aided parents in arranging medication evaluations and psychological testing.
- Offered expert testimony for legal consultations and court hearings.
- Communicated closely with other counselors to devise programs and activities based on developmental and academic levels.
Recovery Coordinator
Onondaga County Child Protective Services
Syracuse, NY
07.2007 - 11.2009
- Investigators, interviewing people in their homes who have been accused of child neglect or abuse involving drug and alcohol issues Completed the Global Assessment of Individual Needs (GAIN Q) and referred clients to appropriate level of care
- Documented progress through program, from Prevention through Treatment
- Worked with assigned Recovery Coach's offering guidance to any barrier to TX that may occur while maintaining a long term professional relationship with the Individual
- Passed required security clearance.
- Maintained daily contact with project managers and IT personnel to deliver timely status updates.
- Developed, implemented and operated network system infrastructure and procedures.
- Received, recorded and addressed incoming and outgoing communication via telephone and email.
- Scheduled patient appointments in respective doctors' calendars and followed up with reminder phone calls.
- Organized and maintained patient chart filing system to promote quick data finding for staff.
- Completed administrative patient intakes with case histories, insurance information and mandated forms.
- Frequently double-checked patient histories and current information while scheduling follow-ups and other appointments.
- Coordinated referrals through insurance and other medical specialists and documented details in patient charts.
- Contacted hospitals to confirm patients medical histories and prevent inaccurate diagnoses and treatments.
- Accurately completed insurance and Medicaid billing and OASIS documentation for patient visits.
Case Manager
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Residential Services
Syracuse, NY
01.2007 - 07.2008
- Worked with client and primary out-patient counselor to refer all available community resources that meet individual needs, including:
- Abstinence — BAC, Drug screens, 12- step participation
- Physical Health /Dental — Locate primary care and guidance with insurance
- Mental health - Locate primary care and guidance with insurance
- Family — Collateral family sessions
- Housing — locate suitable housing and community resources after program
- Vocational/educational assessments and support
- Financial — Formulate a workable budget, open savings/checking account Legal — provide all support with referral source if needed
Counselor
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Men's Halfway House
Syracuse, NY
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Worked with client and primary out-patient counselor to refer all available community resources.
Halfway Houses Residence Manager/Counselor Aid
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Men's and Women's
Syracuse, NY
03.2003 - 12.2005
- Transitioned client from homelessness to productive member of society, focusing on barriers to long term sobriety
- Maintained a limited case load while meeting all requirements (contact hours and educational training) for CASAC certification
- Maintained the physical plant of four separate HWH properties
Education
Bachelor of Science - Community/Human Services (CHUS), Substance Abuse
SUNY Empire State College, CHUS
Saratoga Springs, NY06.2022
Skills
- Organization and Time Management
- Advising Patents
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Coordinating Recoveries
- Persuasion Techniques
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse
- Taking Client Histories
- Medical Recordkeeping
- Enrollment Processing
- Equipment Troubleshooting and Maintenance
- Medical Report Preparation
- Cleaning and Sterilizing
- Schedule Recovery
- Performance Goals
- Customer Accounts Management
- Performance Strategies
- Individual Therapy
- Group Activities
- Debt Recovery
- Outbound Calls
- Therapeutic Exercise
- Scheduling Tests and Procedures
- Patient Eligibility Requirements
- Patient Database Maintenance
- Message and Report Transcription
- Prescription Refills
- Maintaining Financial Records
- Medical Coding
- Patient Referral
- Staff Leadership
- Referral Verification
- Outpatient Procedures
- Office Management
- Regulatory Documentation
- Insurance Authorizations
- Patient Health Information Access
- Documentation Review
- Pharmacy Correspondence
- Collecting Patient Specimens and Tests
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Adaptable and Flexible
- Medical Records Verification
- Patient Interviews
- Office Coordination
- Regulatory Guidelines
- Skilled community-based case manager
- Excellent managerial techniques
- Case confidentiality
- Grant reporting
- Writing case histories
- Case oversight
- Case planning and management
Certification
DEDICATED, COMPASSIONATE, STRATEGIC PROBLEM SOLVER
Certification/specific expertise in:
CASAC
Dual Diagnosis
Motivational Interviewing
GAIN-Q, CAGE-AID, MSSI-SA,
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Person Centered Practices
and ASSIST Assessments
MRT Certified
Timeline
MATS Grant Case Manager
St. Johns Riverside Hospital BHS, Behavioral Health Services
02.2018 - 06.2022
Counselor
St. Johns Riverside Hospital OTP, Behavioral Health Services
02.2013 - 02.2018
Counselor, Treatment Program
Crouse Hospital, Chemical Dependency Treatment Services
11.2009 - 11.2012
Recovery Coordinator
Onondaga County Child Protective Services
07.2007 - 11.2009
Case Manager
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Residential Services
01.2007 - 07.2008
Counselor
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Men's Halfway House
01.2006 - 01.2007
Halfway Houses Residence Manager/Counselor Aid
Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, Men's and Women's
03.2003 - 12.2005
Bachelor of Science - Community/Human Services (CHUS), Substance Abuse
SUNY Empire State College, CHUS
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