Dental Receptionist

TEAMS Constructions; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 29,797 - 33,103; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top Workplace recognition

Paid lunch during shifts

Generous vacation and holidays

Sick leave and personal time

Job summary

Community of Hope is seeking a Dental Receptionist to support patient flow and create a positive experience at the Marie Reed Health Center in NW Washington, DC. This on-site role handles front desk operations, insurance verification, registrations, payments, and coordination with dental staff.

The position requires a high school diploma and dental-practice experience is preferred. We offer competitive hourly pay and a comprehensive benefits package in a mission-driven nonprofit environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Experience in a dental practice preferred (minimum 1 year).
• Strong organizational and customer service skills.
• Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Outlook; basic Internet skills.

Responsibilities

• Greet patients in person and by phone in a polite, professional manner.
• Answer calls, check voicemail daily and direct to the appropriate staff.
• Register new patients in eClinical Works and verify complete registrations.
• Verify insurance and document eligibility; update charts accordingly.
• Enforce late arrival policy (15 minutes) and de-escalate non-clinical issues.
• Process payments and postings; reconcile end of day cash with records.
• Assist with prior authorizations and referrals to external dentists.
• Support Dental Director and Manager with referral contacts.
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

Computer skills

Flexibility with schedule

Travel to other sites

Bilingual (English/Spanish or Amharic)

Education

High school diploma/GED

Tools

eClinical Works

Open Dental

Job description

Description

Washington, DC | On-Site | $21.63 - $24.03 per hour | Washington Post Top Workplace (8x Winner)

Community of Hope is seeking a Dental Receptionist to help ensure smooth patient flow at the front desk and overall positive experience for all patients when visiting or calling COH. This position is located at our Marie Reed Health Center in NW, Washington, DC.

Our Approach and Values

We celebrate people’s strengths and acknowledge the impact of trauma on people’s lives.

We embrace diversity, welcome all voices, and treat everyone with respect and compassion.

We lead and advocate for changes to make systems more equitable.

We strive for excellence and value integrity in all that we do.

What You'll Do

• Greets patients in a polite and professional manner on the telephone and in person.
• Answers phone calls and retrieves voicemail messages daily, returning calls as needed within 1 business day. Directs phone calls to the appropriate staff members.
• Registers new patients in eClinical Works and verifies that registration is complete and appropriate documents are obtained and scanned into the patient account.
• Maintains knowledge of insurance benefits, including insurance eligibility verification. Completes insurance verification between 1 to 2 business days prior to each visit and records in chart for reference.
• Enforces late policy when patients arrive more than 15 minutes late for an appointment.
• Effectively uses de‑escalation skills to manage any customer service problems with patients on non‑clinical issues, troubleshoots the problem works to find a solution, and contacts the Dental Practice Manager, Associate Dental Director or Dental Director for further assistance if an immediate solution is not available.
• Collects payments and co‑payments, posts in eClinical Works and provides receipt to patient. At the end of every business day, reconciles payments received with eClinical Works report and drops collection in the drop safe with a witness present.
• Works with the providers to complete prior authorizations within a week by submitting via web portal to insurance companies and appealing all denied authorizations.
• Works with the Dental Director and Dental Practice Manager to ensure that referral contacts are in place for outside dentists.
• Performs other duties as requested by supervisor.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• High school diploma/GED.
• Experience working in a dental practice for at least one year.
• Strong organizational skills and commitment to working in a professional environment.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, Internet).
• Ability to travel to work at other sites as needed.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.
• Proof of required vaccinations is required. This includes, but may not be limited to, Flu. COH will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for anyone who cannot be vaccinated for a religious or medical reason, subject to applicable law.

Nice-to-Haves

• eClinical Works and Open Dental knowledge.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish/Amharic.
• Experience with dental/medical practice software.

Why You'll Love Working Here!

At COH, we prioritize the following well‑being and work‑life balance‑centered benefits:

• 8 x Washington Post 150 Top Workplaces winner.
• 8‑hour workdays with paid lunch.
• 3 weeks vacation (additional week after two years), 2 weeks sick leave, + 11.5 paid holidays and one personal floating holiday on an annual basis.
• Annual performance‑based raises, up to 5% of your annual pay.
• Tuition reimbursement & loan repayment (NHSC & DCHPLRP), Licensing reimbursement & CEU funding.
• Medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance + 403(b) retirement.
• Leadership development, internal promotions and career growth opportunities.
• A culture grounded in equity, compassion, and well‑being.

About Us

Community of Hope is a mission‑driven, innovative, rapidly growing nonprofit, and Federally Qualified Health Center. For over 45 years, we have provided health and housing services, perinatal care coordination, and community support services to make Washington, DC more equitable. Community of Hope also strongly emphasizes maternal and child health, with midwifery practice and the only free‑standing birth center in DC. We are honored to be one of DC’s largest providers of housing and homelessness prevention services for families and individuals throughout DC. Through our Family Success Center, our WIC nutrition centers, and our various partnerships, we have reached hundreds and believe that everyone in DC deserves to be healthy, housed, and hopeful. With the help of our amazing staff, we have successfully provided:

• 50,000+ medical visits
• 6,300+ dental visits
• 17,000+ emotional wellness visits
• 1,384 families and 220 individuals with housing/homelessness prevention services

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete an employment application or for general questions about employment with Community of Hope, contact a Recruiting Coordinator. Email: [e-mail] Phone: [phone]. Community of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.