Front Office

Description:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Scheduling and Patient Management

• Schedule and confirm hygiene appointments, periodontal maintenance visits, and recall appointments.
• Maintain a productive hygiene schedule by minimizing openings and filling cancellations promptly.
• Manage patient recare and recall systems to ensure patients remain current with preventive care.
• Contact overdue patients and assist in reactivating inactive patients.
• Coordinate appointments with doctors and hygienists when treatment is needed.

Patient Communication

• Provide outstanding customer service to patients in person and over the phone.
• Educate patients on the importance of routine preventive care and periodontal maintenance.
• Answer patient questions regarding appointments, hygiene recommendations, and financial and office policies.
• Manage appointment reminders through phone calls, text messages, emails, and other communication platforms.
• Address patient concerns and resolve scheduling conflicts professionally.

Insurance and Financial Coordination

• Verify dental insurance information provided is accurate.
• Explain preventive care benefits and coverage to patients.
• Assist patients with understanding various hygiene plans and payment options.

Schedule Optimization

• Monitor daily hygiene schedules to identify opportunities for productivity and efficiency.
• Fill cancellations and no-show openings through patient call lists and recare lists.
• Balance hygienist schedules to maximize patient flow and production.
• Monitor hygiene department goals, including reappointment rates and patient retention.

Administrative Functions

• Maintain accurate patient records including updating health history, and demographic information once a year per patient.
• Document patient communications in the account through practice management software.
• Generate and review recall reports, overdue patient lists, and schedule utilization reports.
• Assist with daily, weekly, and monthly hygiene department reporting.

Team Collaboration

• Communicate effectively with hygienists, doctors, and administrative staff.
• Support office goals related to patient retention, production, and quality care.
• Participate in team meetings and staff training.
• Assist with special office events, patient appreciation activities, and community outreach programs.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Excellent communication and customer service abilities.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced dental environment.
• Proficient computer and data entry skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Knowledge of dental insurance and scheduling procedures preferred.

Requirements:

• Maintain a hygiene reappointment percentage of office-established goals.
• Minimize unscheduled hygiene hours.
• Call and leave voicemail and text patients that are 5 minutes or later.
• Charge out missed appt code under hygienist if they fail an appt. Code is 09986. On the third missed appt, the patient will be deactivated and no longer to be seen in the office.
• Be aware of patients that require premeds and verify they are taking them as prescribed for their upcoming hygiene visit and document in the patient's account.
• Support patient retention and recall program effectiveness.
• Provide exceptional patient service and professionalism at all times.
• Contribute positively to team culture and office growth.
• Complete the closing tasks and duties on Wednesdays. This includes balancing the payments from the day and closing the day through the practice management software.
• Confirming goes as follows
• 2-week confirmations text (automatic)
• 2-day confirmation text sent by Hygiene. Coordinator
• 1 day confirmation call to unconfirmed patients before 12:00 noon by hyg. Coord.

Typical Work Hours: Monday 8:15 am to 4:15pm, Tuesday 8:15 am – 4:15pm, Wednesday 8:15 am to close, Thursday 7:00 am – 2:30pm, and Friday 7:00 am- 1:30pm (when the office is open for patients and staff). These hours may be modified as the practice needs to evolve. Wednesday is the day the hygiene Coordinator closes the practice; the hygiene coordinator cannot leave the practice until all the patients have left.

Physical Requirements: Ability to sit, stand, walk, communicate effectively, and use office equipment throughout the workday.

This job description is intended to outline the general responsibilities and qualifications of the Hygiene Coordinator and may be modified as practice needs to evolve.