Dental Patient Representative - Bilingual

University of Minnesota; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 34,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages and benefits

Generous paid time off

Tuition benefit program

Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy

Flexible spending accounts

HSA contributions

Disability and life insurance

Employee wellbeing program

Retirement plans with employercontrib

PSLF opportunity

Financial counseling services

Employee Assistance Program

Transit Pass

Job summary

The University of Minnesota CUHCC Dental Clinic is hiring for a Dental Front Desk role focused on intake, registration, scheduling, and care coordination. The position is 100% in-person in Saint Paul, MN, working Monday through Friday, 8:45 am to 5:15 pm, with language differential potential and union representation.

Responsibilities include greeting patients, EMR data entry, verification of insurance, and coordinating referrals and appointments.

Qualifications

• Total four years of combined education/clerical experience with public contact.
• Experience in a medical, dental, administrative, social services, or customer service setting.
• English fluency and proficiency in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese or Cambodian (language skills tested).
• Negative TB test and Hepatitis B vaccination required on hire.

Responsibilities

• Dental intake/reception/scheduling duties (80%).
• Greet patients, answer phones, check in appointments, and explain estimates.
• Register/update patient demographics and insurance in EMR; manage referrals and imaging.
• Dental care coordination tasks including recalls, OB/pediatric scheduling, and prior authorizations.
• Support staff development, quality assurance, and compliance activities.

Skills

English fluency

Customer service

Medical front desk

EMR/EHR familiarity

Education

Four years of combined education/clerical experience

Tools

EMR/EHR systems

Phone systems

Job description

OBJECTIVE / OVERVIEW

This position is located in the U of M Community-University Health Care Center Dental Clinic (CUHCC). This employee will help with dental registration, scheduling and care coordination. The position will also participate on various quality initiatives and other committees as assigned. This position is union represented through the AFSCME Union.

ABOUT THE POSITION

This position reports to the Patient Services Supervisor.

PAY RANGE

The pay range for this position is between $24.73/hr (step 5) - $26.23/hr (step 8), which equates to between $51,438.40/annually - $54,558.40/annually for 1.0 FTE, depending on qualifications, plus $.50/hr for language differential upon passing the language test.

WORKING HOURS & LOCATIONS

This is a 100% in-person position that will work in the CUHCC Dental Clinic. The general working schedule will be Monday - Friday, from 8:45 am to 5:15 pm.

This is an AFSCME Healthcare position. Bargaining unit consideration begins on and ends on 10/23/2026 - 10/29/2026.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & PERCENTAGE FOR EACH FUNCTION

Dental intake/reception/scheduling (80%)

• Schedule and check in appointments through EMR and EDR
• Greet patients
• Answer phones and check voicemail daily
• Collect payments and provide estimates to patients
• Register and update patient demographic, insurance and financial information in EMR
• Monitor order-tracking in EMR
• Triage dental walk-in patients
• Fax records and referrals as needed
• Email x-rays as needed
• Follow-up on external referrals
• Gather signatures for consents and waivers as needed
• Make confirmation calls as needed
• Make sure we have labels or patient identification on all records/documents
• Scanning documents
• Assisting with lab slips as needed

Dental care coordination (10%)

• Call and offer appointments to patients who are due for recalls
• Print and manage the unfinished treatment plan reports
• Scrub the OB and pediatric provider schedules weekly
• When able, do warm-hand offs with RN team and schedule dental visits for OB and WCC patients during medical visits
• Prior authorization work

Participate in staff development, quality assurance, compliance, etc. (10%)

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Business college, office skills training, university level education, clerical experience involving contact with the public, in combination, totaling four (4) years.
• Experience in a medical, dental, administrative, social services, or customer service setting
• Fluency in English AND either Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese or Cambodian. (We will test for speaking skills in English and other language.)
• This position requires a negative TB test, and a Hepatitis B vaccination upon hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience working with community health intake projects involving data collection and patient relations.
• Strong skills and experience in Insurance verification data collection and data capture in electronic medical record (EMR).
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills and detail oriented.

About the Department

CUHCC serves nearly 11,000 patients a year through over 55,000 visits annually. The patient population comes from over 12 different racial and ethnic groups that span five continents. CUHCC's mission is to seek health equity in our community by advancing the well-being of diverse people. Candidates must be able to adapt behaviors to others' styles; interact with people who have different values, cultures, or backgrounds; be of service to difficult people; optimize the benefits of having a diverse workforce.

Teamwork is an essential skill to promote synergy within the organization. Candidates must be able to share due credit with coworkers; display enthusiasm and promote a friendly group working environment; work closely with other departments as necessary; support group decisions and solicit opinions from coworkers; display team spirit.

Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to clearly present information through the spoken or written word; read and interpret complex information; talk with customers or clients; listen well.

Staff is expected to demonstrate a high level of service delivery; do what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; deal with service failures and prioritize customer needs.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $24.73/hr (step 5) - $26.23/hr (step 8), which equates to between $51,438.40/annually - $54,558.40/annually for 1.0 FTE, depending on qualifications, plus $.50/hr for language differential upon passing the language test.

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Civil-Service & Non-Faculty Labor Represented Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important to note that most of the time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. This approach ensures that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions of each candidate while maintaining equity within our organization. As part of our commitment to fair and equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered to incoming candidates will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.