Administrative Assistant

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for maintaining appearance and order of dental office, patient scheduling and patient management

SPECIFIC DUTIES

Reception Management

o Open and close dental office according to office protocol

o Check the daily schedule for accuracy and provide schedule to dental team as appropriate

o Answer and respond to telephone calls with professionalism

o Review supplies for reception and provide order to business manager

o Maintain petty cash

Patient Management

o Maintain a professional reception area/office (organize patient education materials and magazines, straighten up the facility, oversee cleaning service schedule and duties, etc.)

o Greet and welcome patients and visitors to the practice

o Check in patients according to office protocol, verifying and updating health information

o Providing and documenting HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices according to office policies and procedures

o Manage recall and inactive patient system

o Confirm upcoming appointments

o Schedule patients for efficient use of doctor and staff time

o Check patient back up list to try to fill in cancellation and no-show appointment times

o Collect payment from patients at time of treatment

o Schedule follow-up appointments as directed

Records Management

o Gather and accurately record dental, medical and insurance information from patients

o Securely store and handle records in compliance with legal requirements, including HIPAA regulations

o Manage and update patient information via electronic health record system

o Arrange patient information (charts, x-rays, etc.) for the next day’s appointments

o Track cases and referrals to and from other doctors

Insurance

o Keep patients’ insurance information up to date

o Submit treatment plans for predetermination of benefits

o Prepare claim forms for patients with dental insurance

o Organize supporting materials for claim forms, such as radiographs or written narratives

o Submit claim forms from office to dental benefits plans

o Assist in the resolution of problems with third-party payers

Billing

o Prepare and send billing statements promptly and accurately

o Prepare and send overdue account letters as directed by the dentist

o Contact patients with accounts overdue

o Post checks received each day

Communications

o Sort, organize and distribute mail

o Coordinate and send the following:

* New patient and referral thank you notes

* Other correspondence as directed by the dentist

* Work with external vendor to coordinate automatic patient appointment and recall

reminders

Inventory Management

o Monitor inventory and order dental office supplies as needed

o Monitor and make sure all office equipment (copy machine, fax, phones, computer system, etc.) is functioning and properly maintained; follow up on staff complaints and submit appropriate repair requests

Office Participation

o Be an active participant in team meetings

o Perform other tasks as assigned by the dentist

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience

o High school diploma or equivalent

o 2 years’ office experience preferred

o Working knowledge of computers for word processing, scheduling, insurance claims processing and records management [list software experience required including dentrix dental software]

Interpersonal

o Good interpersonal skills to maintain effective rapport with patients, dentists, other staff members and community

o Effective verbal skills to communicate with patients and staff