Dental Office Specialist - Southwest - Adult Dental
About The Position
The Dental Office Specialist supports dental office operations and serves patients by greeting them in person and by telephone. The role handles appointment scheduling, insurance eligibility, patient registration and data entry, billing and collections, and report preparation while providing quality customer service. The position supports El Rio Health’s mission to provide comprehensive, quality health care that is affordable and accessible to people with health care needs. The specialist prepares and maintains the reception area, checks patients in, manages appointments and wait-time communications, handles patient messages and complaints, protects confidential information, collects payments, verifies insurance eligibility, and provides information about sliding fee programs and El Rio Health services. The position works with patients, providers, colleagues, and community members, and maintains a safe, clean, professional work environment in accordance with organizational policies and applicable compliance requirements.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED.
- Customer service experience.
- Experience handling money and credit card transactions.
- Current, valid Level I fingerprint clearance card in good standing, or application for the card within seven working days after beginning employment; required clearance documentation must be submitted before the hire or transfer date, with a Level One Non-IVP card received within 30 days after that date.
- Reliable transportation capable of meeting organizational operational reassignments during the workday.
- If driving during work hours, a valid driver’s license and compliance with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements.
- Ability to meet the essential job functions, with reasonable accommodations as applicable.
Nice To Haves
- Extensive public-contact work experience.
- Medical or dental front-office experience.
- Knowledge of dental terminology and procedures.
- Experience in dental insurance billing, computer data entry, and information retrieval.
- Bilingual English/Spanish ability to speak, read, and write in both languages.
- Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered when directly related to the job’s functions and responsibilities.
Responsibilities
- Prepare and maintain a professional, organized reception area, including preparing sign-in sheets and securing petty cash.
- Greet and check in patients and visitors, answer telephone calls courteously, record messages and complaints accurately, and direct them appropriately.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and complete required patient registration, demographic, and other information in El Rio Health’s EHR/EMR systems.
- Schedule and manage appointments, communicate wait times, notify back-office staff of walk-ins needing assessment, follow up on missed or no-show appointments, and accommodate same-day appointment requests.
- Provide consistently professional customer service, resolve complaints, explain center procedures, and build respectful working relationships with patients, visitors, providers, and team members.
- Provide patients with information about El Rio Health’s sliding fee programs, eligibility requirements, and community services; represent El Rio Health at community events as needed.
- Collect copayments and other payments, apply them correctly to patient accounts, and comply with money-handling policies.
- Verify insurance eligibility daily using SPSI exceptions, AHCCCS and commercial insurance websites, and update corresponding EMR/EHR records.
- Understand and apply the order of insurance billing, including AHCCCS, private insurance, grant-funded, and sliding-fee payers.
- Run reports as required and collect data for annual Federal reporting (Universal Data Sets).
- Assist with quality-improvement survey information collection and promote El Rio Health services through collaboration and good customer service.
- Maintain a safe, clean, hygienic work environment; follow health, safety, infection-prevention, HIPAA, compliance, and Joint Commission Certification requirements; report hazards and participate in safety programs as applicable.
- Model El Rio Behavioral Standards, respect diversity and multiculturalism, and comply with facility policies and procedures.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
