PATIENT COORDINATOR, School of Dental Medicine, Clinical Affairs

Boston University•Boston, MA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting directly to the Clinic Practice Manager, the Patient Coordinator, working as part of a team within the Group Practice Model, ensures excellent customer service for both patients and students. This position strives to make each phase of the patient treatment a very positive experience from the initial phone call through the completion of the dental treatment care. Provides support in the function of scheduling patient appointments, updating patient information, payment collections, billing inquiries, answering the telephone, running reports, and overall support to the Group Practice Team with their patient care management. Acts as the primary point of contact for patients within the Group services provided, provides patients with appointment cards, notifies patients of required payment due at the next session, and verifies session close. This role involves providing support to student providers by contacting patients and booking all patient appointments; assisting student providers and patients with patient questions and concerns, escalating unresolved issues to the Practice Manager or Practice Leader; and answering calls. Responsibilities include managing voicemails and responding to patient emails. The role involves running and maintaining patient waitlist reports and reviewing scheduling opportunities, including emergencies and backfilling patients into student provider open slots. It also includes reviewing phone call and utilization reports to aid in the optimal use of chair time, updating scheduled patient appointment status to indicate cancelled or no-show appointments, and sending patient follow-up letters based on established discontinuance protocols for patients who have become hard to contact, have consecutive failed appointments, or have selected self-discontinuance, as established by the Office of Clinical Affairs. Perform patient check-in duties including updating patient demographics, updating patient insurance information, verifying patient eligibility, verifying consent, verifying signed treatment plan, accepting payment and providing the patient with a receipt, and notifying the provider of the patient's arrival. Perform check-out duties including booking follow-up appointments if needed, collecting outstanding balances resulting from the appointment, processing bills/invoices, and providing a walk-out statement. Perform closing duties including ensuring all charges have been processed for the day, reconciling daily payment transactions (cash/check/credit card), and bringing the collection bag to the cashier in the Office of Finance at the end of each day. Other duties and assignments of work in support of clinic operations and patient care services, as needed. Experience may be substituted by advanced specific education in a certificate-based program from an accredited organization and experience in a similar type role.

Requirements

High School Diploma required
1-3 years' experience working in a customer service environment with heavy customer/patient interaction
Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, meet deadlines, and manage competing demands
Ability to identify problems/issues, critically thinking through problems (gather and analyze information skillfully) and presenting potential solutions in a timely manner
Ability to maintain confidentiality, remain open to others' ideas with willingness to try new things
Must be able to successfully collaborate and work in a team environment while also being an individual contributor
Excellent time management and organizational skills demonstrating the ability of accuracy and thoroughness
Monitor own work to ensure quality
Ability to multi-task with the ability to work under pressure, maintain composure and meet deadlines
Strong interpersonal skills that includes strong verbal communication skills with the ability to demonstrate courtesy, respect and professionalism at all times to patients, students, staff
Must be adept and comfortable working in a systems driven faculty environment
Able to adapt to changes in the work environment, manage competing demands and is able to deal with frequent instructions, respond to management direction and solicits feedback to improve performance
Consistently at work and on time

Nice To Haves

Associate degree preferred
Prior experience in healthcare private practice office, hospital, clinic or dental practice preferred
Ability to be flexible and adapt to changes in the work environment including delays and unexpected
Experience may be substituted by having had advanced specific education in a certificate-based program from an accredited organization and experience in a similar type role

Responsibilities

Scheduling patient appointments
Updating patient information
Payment collections
Handling billing inquiries
Answering the telephone
Running reports
Providing overall support to the Group Practice Team with patient care management
Acting as the primary point of contact for patients
Providing patients with appointment cards
Notifying patients of required payment due at the next session
Verifying session close
Contacting patients and booking all patient appointments
Assisting student providers and patients with patient questions and concerns
Escalating unresolved issues to the Practice Manager or Practice Leader
Answering calls
Managing voicemails and responding to patient emails
Running and maintaining patient waitlist reports
Reviewing scheduling opportunities, including emergencies and backfilling patients into student provider open slots
Reviewing phone call and utilization reports to aid in optimal use of chair time
Updating scheduled patient appointment status to indicate cancelled or no-show appointments
Sending patient follow-up letters based on established discontinuance protocols
Performing patient check-in duties (updating demographics, insurance information, verifying eligibility, consent, treatment plan, accepting payment, providing receipt, notifying provider of arrival)
Performing check-out duties (booking follow-up appointments, collecting outstanding balances, processing bills/invoices, providing walk-out statement)
Performing closing duties (ensuring all charges processed, reconciling daily payment transactions, bringing collection bag to cashier)
Other duties and assignments of work in support of clinic operations and patient care services, as needed