Dental Care Coordinator

POSITION SUMMARY

The Dental Care Coordinator serves in an expanded oral health role to collaborate with specialists, dental laboratories, members of the healthcare team and patients/families to ensure the delivery of quality, efficient and cost effective oral health services. They collaborate with a staff dentist to coordinate plan of care with patient/family, as well as monitor, and evaluate all options with the goal of optimizing patient’s oral health status.

They work with the clinical team internally and externally to utilize evidence based clinical guidelines, preventive guidelines and protocols to execute patient centered care plans.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Consults and communicates care objectives with dentists, specialists, dental laboratories and community resources to aid patient in achieving oral health goals.
• Assesses the healthcare, education and psychosocial needs of the patient/family.
• Identifies and maintains relationships with referral and community resources.
• Collaborates with dentists, patients, and the healthcare team, as well as community resources.
• Triages and resolves concerns for patients calling in.
• Provides resources and support related to referral process, including management of pre-authorizations from insurance companies.
• Works with dentist to determine an individualized plan of care with targeted interventions, monitors patient and family’s response to plan of care and consults with clinical team if modifications may be needed.
• Manages communication related to incoming and outgoing referrals.
• Maintains required documentation for all case management activities.
• Reviews current literature regarding engagement strategies, communication strategies and incorporates best practices into clinical setting.
• Maintains records and enters information into database as required.
• Collaborates with local emergency departments to reduce return visits to the ED for dental related conditions.
• Works with and manages our most complex patients to assure timely access to care and following treatment plan.
• Other duties as assigned. TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Work is performed in a clinical dental setting. Contact with patients and staff.
• Exposed to medicinal preparations, communicable disease, toxic substances, and other conditions common to a clinic environment.
• Requires at times, working in fast-paced clinical setting, in emergency situations or during irregular hours. TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or listen.
• The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to sit; reach with hands and arms and stoop and kneel.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in the dental field as a dental assistant or registered dental hygienist.
• Experience working in a dental front office and with dental insurance plans EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES:
• Demonstrates customer focused interpersonal skills to interact in an effective manner with practitioners, interdisciplinary health care team, community agencies, patients/families with diverse opinions, values as well as religious and cultural beliefs.
• Demonstrates excellent written, verbal/listening skills.
• Demonstrates positive relationship building skills and critical analysis skills.
• Demonstrates ability to work autonomously and be accountable for practice.
• Demonstrates ability to influence and negotiate individual and group decisions.
• Demonstrates ability to function in a fluid, dynamic, changing environment.
• Must have reliable transportation and valid driver's license to travel to office locations or other locations as assigned. Family Health Center has the right to modify the duties and functions of the job description based on the needs of the organization.