Dental Front Desk/Receptionist I

Mallory-Community-Health; Lexington (MS); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Mallory Community Health Center Family Dental Clinic seeks a Dental Front Desk/Receptionist I to be the welcoming first contact for patients. You will handle registration, scheduling, payer verification, payments, and documentation in the EHR and practice-management system, while supporting the dentist and clinical team to improve patient access and experience.

Ideal candidates have an AA degree or a HS diploma with relevant experience, strong communication, and a customer-service orientation.

Qualifications

• AA Degree or equivalent combination considered; HS diploma with higher experience acceptable.
• Proficient in electronic health records and dental practice-management systems.
• Knowledge of insurance verification, patient registration, and scheduling workflows.
• Ability to explain financial responsibilities and sliding-fee options to patients.

Responsibilities

• Greet patients, register and check in/out, update demographics and payer information.
• Build and manage the dental schedule, monitor openings, cancellations, and confirmations.
• Coordinate treatment plans with the Dentist and staff, and follow up on outstanding care.
• Verify eligibility and explain patient financial responsibilities; collect payments and document accurately.
• Coordinate referrals and pediatric scheduling with relevant departments; maintain HIPAA-compliant records.
• Input and update patient information in Athena, Dentrix, and other systems; generate encounters as required.
• Participate in team meetings and ensure compliance with privacy, safety, and billing policies.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Communication

HIPAA compliance

Scheduling

Teamwork

Education

AA Degree in Business/Technical field

High School Diploma/GED + 3 years experience

Tools

Athena

Dentrix

Job description

Position Summary:The Dental Front Desk/Receptionist I is a high-trust, high-impact front-office position responsible for supporting the daily operation, productivity, patient access, and patient experience of Mallory Community Health Center Family Dental Clinic. The position serves as a primary point of contact for dental patients and performs registration, scheduling and confirmation, payer verification, payment collection, referral coordination, treatment-plan scheduling support, and accurate documentation in the electronic health record and dental practice-management system.This position requires proactive ownership of the dental schedule rather than passive appointment management. Open appointment time should be treated as an opportunity to provide needed care. The employee is expected to respond in a timely manner to cancellations and openings, help patients understand their administrative next steps and financial responsibilities, and work collaboratively with the Dentist, Dental Assistant(s), Billing, Pediatrics/Medical departments, and other designated staff to support continuity and completion of care.Duties & Responsibilities:1. Patient Reception, Registration & Communication:Greet patients and families courteously and professionally; answer telephone calls, address administrative questions, route messages, and refer clinical questions to licensed clinical staff.Check patients in and out; review and update demographics, contact information, payer information, consent/registration forms, and sliding-fee eligibility as applicable.Ensure patients understand their next scheduled appointment, administrative instructions, and appropriate next steps before leaving the clinic.Document relevant patient communications accurately and timely in approved systems.2. Dental Schedule Management & Optimization:Build and maintain an accurate, organized dental schedule consistent with established scheduling protocols, provider availability, appointment type and length, patient needs, clinic capacity, and organizational productivity expectations.Actively monitor openings, cancellations, no-shows, and unconfirmed appointments and take reasonable, timely action to fill available times from treatment, recall, referral, cancellation, or waiting lists.Perform required appointment confirmations and accurately document contact attempts and patient responses.Maintain awareness of upcoming schedules and communicate repeated openings, overbooking concerns, schedule gaps, or other operational issues to the Dentist and appropriate administrative personnel.Do not independently block, close, alter, or otherwise restrict the Dentist's schedule without appropriate authorization.Support approved extended-hour dental clinic operations and other scheduling initiatives as assigned.3. Treatment Plan Coordination:Work with the Dentist and dental team to help convert dentist-approved treatment needs into scheduled and completed care.Review the administrative aspects of dentist-approved treatment plans with patients in clear, understandable language and encourage patients to schedule recommended treatment before leaving when appropriate.Follow up with patients who have outstanding treatment plans and maintain appropriate follow-up systems for additional care.Identify administrative, scheduling, or financial barriers that may prevent treatment completion and assist within the authorized scope of the position.Refer all questions concerning diagnosis, clinical necessity, risks, benefits, alternatives, prognosis, or changes in treatment to the treating Dentist; never independently modify the Dentist's treatment plan or prescribed sequence of treatment.4. Insurance, Sliding Fee & Patient Financial Coordination:Verify patient eligibility and payer status, including Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, Self-Pay, and other applicable coverage.Explain estimated patient financial responsibility, including applicable copayments, deductibles, self-pay amounts, and sliding-fee amounts, based on available information and MCHC policy.Collect, accurately post, and document applicable patient payments; provide receipts and maintain/balance required cash-flow sheets and daily financial summary logs.Set up patient payment plans when authorized and coordinate with Billing or other appropriate departments when additional financial clarification is needed.Provide approved information regarding financial-assistance or sliding-fee procedures; do not guarantee insurance coverage or payment when final determination is made by the payer.5. Referral & Pediatric Patient Coordination:Process, track, and follow up on incoming and outgoing dental referrals promptly; contact referred patients and document whether the patient was reached, declined, requested a later appointment, or could not be reached.Coordinate with Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and other MCHC departments to facilitate dental access and reduce patients being lost to follow-up.Communicate appropriately with parents/legal guardians regarding pediatric scheduling; verify contact information and follow organizational authorization and consent procedures.Never document or represent that a parent or guardian requested, scheduled, confirmed, or authorized an appointment when such communication did not occur.Follow established procedures when referrals require review or prioritization by the Dentist and communicate unresolved issues appropriately.6. Dental Excuses & Administrative Documentation:Prepare routine dental excuse or other administrative documentation only in accordance with the treating Dentist's instructions and route documents for provider review/signature when required.Ensure dates, duration, restrictions, and other information accurately reflect what the Dentist authorized.Do not independently sign, authorize, determine, extend, modify, or otherwise change a dental excuse, clinical restriction, treatment document, clinical record, or other document requiring provider authorization.Input and update patient information in Athena, Dentrix, and other approved systems as applicable; scan required documentation into the electronic file and generate encounters as required.7. Team Coordination, Compliance & Other Duties:Participate in daily dental huddles and maintain timely communication with the Dentist, Dental Assistant(s), Front Office Manager, Billing, and other staff regarding scheduling, patient flow, treatment coordination, cancellations, referrals, and operational matters.Follow established dental workflows, chain of command, clinic procedures, reasonable work-related instructions, and MCHC policies.Cross-train within the dental department and assist with day-to-day operations while remaining within the authorized scope of the position.Participate in staff meetings, in-service training, quality improvement, risk management, compliance, privacy, safety, and infection-control activities as required.Perform other necessary duties as assigned by the Community Health Center to support accessible, high-quality primary and oral healthcare.Performance & Accountability Expectations: Performance may be evaluated based on the employee's proactive ownership, accuracy, timeliness, professionalism, and compliance in the following areas:Accuracy and utilization of the dental schedule; timeliness of efforts to fill cancellations and open appointment times; and appropriate management of unconfirmed appointments.Timeliness of referral scheduling/follow-up and treatment-plan scheduling/follow-up, including reduction of avoidable schedule gaps.Accuracy of patient communications, scheduling records, financial documentation, payment collection, and patient responsibility information.Appropriate coordination with the Dentist regarding treatment, clinical questions, dental excuses, and provider-authorized documentation.Responsiveness to patients, parents/guardians, clinical staff, and other departments; patient service and professionalism.Compliance with scheduling, billing, privacy, financial assistance, safety, and organizational policies, and collaboration with the dental team.Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, reliability, initiative, respect, and appropriate workplace conduct in all interactions.Complete assigned responsibilities accurately and within appropriate timeframes and communicate promptly when an assigned responsibility cannot be completed.Accept appropriate feedback, participate in performance-improvement activities when necessary, and address disagreements through appropriate organizational channels.Protect confidential patient information and maintain accurate and truthful scheduling, financial, referral, and patient communication records.Never falsify, fabricate, intentionally misrepresent, or knowingly enter inaccurate information into patient records, appointment schedules, confirmation records, referrals, dental excuses, financial documentation, or other organizational systems.Key expectation: This role is expected to actively manage schedules, identify problems, communicate concerns, and take appropriate action within scope to support patient access and efficient dental clinic operations.Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Strong interpersonal and customer-service skills in a dental healthcare setting, with the ability to work effectively with patients and families of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect Patient Health Information (PHI) in accordance with HIPAA and MCHC requirements.Knowledge of basic recordkeeping, filing systems, electronic health records, dental practice-management systems, patient registration, referral tracking, insurance verification, and appointment scheduling.Effective written and oral communication skills, including assisting patients with required forms and explaining approved administrative, scheduling, financial, and treatment-plan processes.Ability to organize multiple priorities, maintain attention to detail, use sound judgment within the scope of the position, and work effectively in a fast-paced community health center environment.Ability to recognize operational concerns, communicate them through the appropriate chain of command, and take timely action within established procedures.Required Education and/or Work Experience:AA Degree from a Business or Technical school with one year of experience, or High School Diploma/GED with three years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Previous dental office, healthcare front desk, patient access, or community health center experience preferred.Knowledge of electronic health records and dental practice-management systems, preferably Athena and Dentrix, preferred.Knowledge of dental terminology, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, referral processes, and patient financial coordination preferred.Ability to maintain accurate, detailed reports and records and communicate effectively verbally and in writing.Good organizational skills and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.Certifications/Licenses: N/ATravel Requirements: Occasional travel to other clinic sites and as necessary for optimum performance of duties and responsibilities.Equal Employment Opportunity/ADA:EEO Statement: Mallory Community Health Center is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace.Americans with Disabilities: Mallory Community Health Center is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations as applicable.The above information is intended to describe the most important aspects of the job. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required to perform the work. The Center reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as business needs arise.