Dental Care Coordinator

Description:

MAJOR FUNCTION:

The Oral Health and Dental Care Coordinator is responsible for facilitating access to comprehensive, patient-centered preventive oral healthcare and coordinating dental services for pediatric and adult patients, with particular emphasis on identifying, addressing, and closing oral health care gaps.

Working collaboratively with dental providers, hygienists, dental assistants, pediatric and adult primary care teams, behavioral health professionals, population health staff, and community partners, the Oral Health and Dental Care Coordinator supports the integration of oral healthcare into comprehensive primary care services.

The position plays a critical role in improving access to preventive dental services, including routine dental examinations, dental cleanings, fluoride varnish applications, and other age-appropriate oral health interventions, while supporting organizational performance on applicable HRSA Uniform Data System (UDS), payer-specific, and other oral health quality measures.

Through proactive patient outreach, care-gap identification, appointment coordination, referral management, patient education, and systematic follow-up, the coordinator promotes timely access to oral healthcare, reduces barriers to dental services, and supports improved oral health outcomes across the lifespan.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• General understanding of preventive oral healthcare, dental terminology, and common dental services.
• Knowledge of patient navigation, referral coordination, and preventive healthcare practices.
• Ability to identify service gaps and coordinate appropriate follow-up.
• Familiarity with healthcare quality improvement and population health concepts, or demonstrated ability to learn.
• Strong organizational, time management, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with dental, medical, behavioral health, and administrative teams.
• Proficiency in electronic documentation and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to interpret basic care-gap reports, quality dashboards, and patient tracking information.
• Understanding of cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic barriers affecting access to oral healthcare.
• Demonstrated professionalism, compassion, accountability, and commitment to patient-centered care.
• Ability to manage multiple patient follow-up activities while maintaining accurate documentation and confidentiality

Quality Standards:

• Professionalism
• Positivity
• Productivity
• Promptness
• Kindness

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oral Health Prevention and Care-Gap Management

• Identify pediatric and adult patients with outstanding preventive dental needs through electronic health records (EHR), population health registries, referral tracking systems, and quality reporting tools.
• Collaborate with dental and primary care teams to implement targeted interventions addressing identified oral health care gaps.
• Coordinate proactive outreach to patients, parents, caregivers, and legal guardians to facilitate recommended dental services.
• Identify patients who are overdue for routine dental examinations, dental cleanings, or other recommended preventive oral health services.
• Prioritize outreach based on preventive care needs, clinical risk identified by providers, overdue services, and organizational quality improvement priorities.
• Support timely access to dental evaluations, preventive services, and follow-up care.
• Monitor incomplete appointments, missed visits, outstanding referrals, and unresolved dental care needs.
• Identify and help address barriers to dental care, including transportation, insurance coverage, appointment availability, language, health literacy, and social determinants of health.
• Pediatric Oral Health Coordination

• Collaborate with pediatric providers, nursing staff, and the Pediatric Care Coordinator to promote early and ongoing access to preventive oral healthcare.
• Identify children who have not established a dental home or who are overdue for recommended preventive dental services.
• Coordinate referrals and appointment scheduling for pediatric dental examinations, cleanings, and other age-appropriate services.
• Support early childhood oral health initiatives, including timely dental visits and preventive interventions for children at increased risk of dental caries.
• Facilitate coordination of fluoride varnish applications when clinically indicated and provided by qualified personnel.
• Conduct caregiver outreach to promote awareness of early childhood oral health, recommended dental visits, and the relationship between oral health and overall health.
• Track pediatric dental referrals and confirm completion of scheduled services.
• Collaborate with pediatric care teams to identify children requiring specialized dental services or additional support navigating care.
• Adult Oral Health Coordination

• Identify adult patients who are overdue for preventive dental services or have outstanding dental referrals.
• Coordinate appointments and follow-up for recommended dental examinations, cleanings, and preventive services.
• Collaborate with primary care providers and care management staff to facilitate dental services for patients with chronic medical conditions that may affect oral health or dental treatment planning.
• Support access to appropriate dental care for pregnant patients, older adults, and individuals with complex healthcare needs.
• Facilitate timely referrals and follow-up for patients requiring specialty dental care, including periodontal, endodontic, oral surgical, and other services when ordered by a dental provider.
• Assist patients with navigating available dental benefits, coverage limitations, and community resources.
• Track appointment completion and communicate unresolved access barriers to the appropriate care team.
• Medical-Dental Integration and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Serve as a coordination resource between medical and dental care teams to support integrated, whole-person healthcare.
• Collaborate with pediatric, family medicine, women's health, behavioral health, and care management staff to identify patients requiring oral health services.
• Facilitate communication between dental providers and referring medical professionals to promote timely follow-up.
• Support the integration of oral health referrals and preventive care needs into population health workflows.
• Assist with obtaining and sharing authorized clinical documentation needed for dental referrals and continuity of care.
• Participate in interdisciplinary case discussions, team huddles, and care coordination meetings.
• Escalate urgent oral health concerns or identified clinical risks to the appropriate licensed dental or medical professional.
• UDS, Payer Quality Measures, and Population Health Improvement

• Support organizational performance on applicable HRSA UDS oral health measures and payer-specific dental quality indicators.
• Maintain working knowledge of assigned oral health quality measures, eligible populations, required services, and documentation expectations.
• Utilize EHR registries, quality dashboards, and population health reports to identify patients with unmet oral health needs.
• Coordinate targeted patient outreach and service navigation to improve completion of assigned quality measures.
• Support initiatives to increase preventive dental utilization and improve access to oral healthcare among underserved populations.
• Collaborate with Quality and Population Health staff to validate documented services and reconcile outstanding care gaps.
• Track progress toward preventive dental care and quality improvement targets.
• Participate in quality improvement activities, including workflow assessments, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, and evaluation of outreach effectiveness.
• Identify trends, service barriers, and opportunities to improve medical-dental integration and patient access.
• Referral Management and Continuity of Care

• Coordinate internal and external dental referrals based on established workflows and provider recommendations.
• Track referral status from initiation through appointment scheduling, completion, and communication of outcomes.
• Follow up with patients who have missed appointments or have not completed recommended dental care.
• Assist patients requiring specialty dental services with navigating referral processes.
• Collaborate with community dental providers and external organizations to facilitate access when services are not available internally.
• Maintain accurate documentation of referral outcomes and unresolved barriers.
• Support continuity of dental care for patients transitioning between pediatric and adult services.
• Patient and Family Education and Engagement

• Build trusting and respectful relationships with patients, parents, caregivers, and legal guardians.
• Provide approved, culturally and linguistically appropriate educational information regarding preventive oral health, routine dental visits, and available services.
• Reinforce the importance of maintaining a dental home and receiving recommended preventive care.
• Support patient understanding of the relationship between oral health and overall health.
• Use patient-centered communication and motivational interviewing techniques, within the scope of the position, to encourage engagement in recommended services.
• Assist patients and caregivers with navigating appointments, referrals, and community-based resources.
• Respect patient preferences and promote shared decision-making with licensed dental and medical professionals.
• Documentation, Tracking, and Communication

• Document patient outreach, appointment coordination, referrals, care-gap interventions, and follow-up activities accurately and promptly in designated systems.
• Maintain current tracking records of assigned patients, unresolved care gaps, missed appointments, and pending referrals.
• Communicate unresolved access barriers and coordination needs to dental and medical team members.
• Monitor assigned outreach lists and provide routine updates to Population Health leadership.
• Participate in dental team meetings, quality improvement discussions, and organizational training activities.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, organizational policies, and applicable privacy standards.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

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Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Completion of a recognized Dental Assistant or Medical Assistant training program preferred.
• Associate degree in healthcare, dental health, public health, human services, or a related field preferred but not required.
• Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Community Health Worker, or comparable certification preferred but not required.

Experience

• Minimum of two years of experience in dental healthcare, medical office operations, patient navigation, care coordination, or a comparable healthcare support position preferred.
• Experience working in a dental practice, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), primary care organization, or community health setting strongly preferred.
• Experience in dental appointment scheduling, patient outreach, referral coordination, or preventive health initiatives preferred.
• Experience working with electronic health records, dental practice management systems, or patient tracking applications preferred.
• Familiarity with oral health quality measures, UDS reporting, or population health principles are desirable.