Primary Responsibilities
Description:
Primarily responsible for the ensuring patients understand and schedule for necessary treatment. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to, coordinating communications between doctors and patients, helping to build and maintain a doctor/hygiene schedule, assist with patient inquiries, including insurance questions, organize and present patient treatment plans with financial obligations and get patient agreement. May also be required to assist with general front office duties.
Specific Duties
Consultation Management
- Conduct patient consultation
- Calculate fees for treatment based on various fee schedules
- Assist patients with financing options, insurance questions and treatment concerns
- Maintain and follow-up with delayed treatment
- Notify patients when pre-estimates come back and schedule appointments after making proper financial arrangements
- Prepare in advance treatment consent forms, including surgical, endodontic, and general consents
- Record chart entries from phone or in-person conversations when appropriate
- Manage doctor charts for treatment plans, treatment conferences, letters and phone calls
- Prepare financial treatment plans and present plan options to patient at end of their appointment
- Assist with consultation appointment as directed by doctor—for example, treatment coordinator should be in the room with the doctor and patient for all or part of the consultation appointment
- Make all financial arrangements with the patient after doctor has left the consultation room
Patient Management
- If indicated, set up appointment for patient with specialist/general dentist. Coordinate with specialist’s /general dentist’s office; send explanatory letter, x-rays, study models, etc.
- Make sure that the office knows exactly where the patient is “in the system” at all times. For example, treatment coordinator should know whether patient has scheduled treatment, scheduled with specialist/general dentist, deferred recommended treatment, etc. and be aware of what the next step is and when it will occur
- Schedule patient for treatment at the appropriate time after the specialist/general dentist has completed treatment
- Take phone calls from patients or specialists/general dentists who have questions about treatment
- Meet with doctor briefly on a daily basis to review schedule, significant information and systems, items that need attention
Insurance
- Update insurance information on all patients at all times
- Organize supporting materials for claim forms, such as radiographs or written narratives, as directed by doctor
- Oversees account receivables and account payables
- Track cases and referrals to and from other doctors
- Be familiar with the office financial policy and be capable of attending a treatment conference and making a financial arrangement with a patient according to office financial policy
Insurance
- Update insurance information on all patients at all times
- Organize supporting materials for claim forms, such as radiographs or written narratives, as directed by doctor
- Assist insurance coordinator with posting correct treatment codes for billing insurance
- Verify patients benefit eligibility and dental treatment history as needed
Office Participation
- Be an active participant in staff meetings
- Perform other tasks as assigned by office manager
- Process payments
Personnel Requirements
Education/Experience
- High school diploma
- Legible handwriting for communications
- Knowledge of Dental Software a plus
- Office experience desired
Interpersonal
- Good interpersonal skills to maintain effective rapport with patients, dentists, other staff members and community
- Effective verbal skills to communicate with patients and staff
- Team player
- Able to adapt to office policy improvements (office is constantly striving for improved customer care/service)
- Conflict resolution experience
- Customer service or patient relations experience
- Quick response/accurate data entry
- Communicate all concerns to Office Manager
