100% Support Services Specialist
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Full-time
Health Care Provider
Posted on August 9, 2019
Job Duties:
Responsible for providing efficient and effective clinical operational support through the delivery of oral health care services within the College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics by scheduling patient appointments and providing front line collegiate support following the guidelines set forth by the College of Dentistry’s Clinic Administration department.
Provide Support Services to Clinical and Non-clinical Departments
- Responsible for scheduling patient appointments and visits within the College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, by interacting with patients on the phone and in person, using the electronic health record software Axium, This interaction can include answering questions, giving information, and otherwise representing the College’s clinical operations.
- Evaluates and independently interprets data from the patient management system (Axium), in order to schedule patients for initial and subsequent visits.
- Monitors reports and data to determine patient appointment needs and student experience needs. Contacts patients and appoints accordingly.
- Maintains integrity of patient management system (i.e. accuracy of patient treatment, billing, and appointment status) from appointment books and patient records.
- Coordinates appointments between all clinics within the College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, to include but not limited to: review and interpreting patient records, patient and appointment management, providing schedules and billing details to patients, practitioners, staff, and students on a daily basis to ensure accuracy of patient care.
- Coordinates and facilitates provider schedules (manages master schedules, creates daily templates for providers to include faculty, residents, hygienist, and pre-doctoral students, and makes daily clinic schedule modifications).
- Notifies Clinic Administration’s frontline supervisors of scheduling issues in a timely and effective manner.
Communicate/Collaborate with Internal and External Constituents
- Works collaboratively with other collegiate clinics, referring outside dental offices, Community Health Centers and other outside agencies such as Transportation Management Services (TMS).
- Attends clinic clerk and departmental staff meetings.
- Serves as an intermediary between patients, students, and faculty regarding scheduling concerns and dental needs.
- Negotiates appointments with patients and other collegiate clinics.
- Assists students in meeting requirements for educational advancements.
- Serves as service excellence ambassador for other staff, co-workers, patients, and visitors.
Develop Programs, Policies, Practices that Enhance Patient/Staff Environment
- Responsible for problem solving of scheduling conflicts, including unplanned absences and patient urgent care needs.
- Reinforces scheduling policies to others as needed through written and oral communications.
- Collaborates with peers and co-workers to enhance the delivery of oral health care.
- Provides feedback to management to maintain goals and service excellence protocol.
- Contributes ideas and seeks ways to improve current workflow processes.
Working Experience is defined as successfully completes diverse tasks of the job; applies and enhances knowledge and skill in both usual and unusual issues; needs minimal guidance in addressing unusual situations.
Human Resources Management
- Conducts student orientations in educating students about expectations regarding clinic workflow, policies, paperwork, and patient responsibility in each specialty clinic.
- Assist in training new staff and students regarding specific clinic protocol and procedures. This includes: proper telephone etiquette, appointing protocol, patient record management, financial guidelines and patient check-in processes.
Financial Management
- Obtains and/or confirms pre-authorizations prior to scheduling appointments.
- Post & review procedures for patient visit via the Electronic Health Record.
- Gathers and/or verifies insurance coverage; reviews applicable insurance coverage including DWP (Dental Wellness Plan) and Medicaid of Iowa prior to each appointment and informs provider and patient of changes in eligibility. Counsels patient of need to contact case worker in the event Medicaid coverage expires. Updates the Patient Accounting System as needed in light of insurance verification results; counsels provider on need to obtain patient signature for non-covered out of tier treatment/non-covered treatment PRIOR TO COMMENCEMENT OF CARE. Requires specialized knowledge of complex insurance payers and policy limitations.
- Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience is required.
- Experience scheduling for multiple providers in a healthcare environment
- Experience gathering and verifying insurance coverage
- Experience working in Windows based networked database using multiple data tools
- Customer Interaction – Working Experience
- Knowledge of and ability to utilize practices, tools, and techniques for communicating with a customer.
- Provides first line of customer support.
- Diagnoses circumstances and behaviors that generate customer dissatisfaction.
- Knowledge of tools and techniques for maintaining an environment where all understand, and are committed to, providing excellent service to internal and external customers.
- Ensures identification of customer needs and priorities.
- Monitors and reports on delivery of what was promised.
- Ensures resolution of customer problems, issues, or concerns.
Effective Communication – Working Experience
- Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
- Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.
- Listens to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness.
- Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors without offending the recipient.
Decision Making and Critical Thinking – Basic Experience
- Understanding of the issues related to the decision-making process; ability to analyze situations fully and accurately, and reach productive decisions.
- Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made.
- Identifies decision makers in own environment.
- Describes types of decisions for incumbent in own job or function
- Experience with dental terminology.
- Some knowledge of University policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Experience in a public health setting
- Experience working with students