Job Summary: The Dental Practice at Project HOME prides itself on the highest quality care and efficient access for persons experiencing homelessness and for adults and children in our North Philadelphia neighborhood, including people who lack dental insurance coverage.  The Dental Practice Manager supports a team of three general dentists and one Public Health Dental Hygienist at two locations (Stephen Klein Wellness Center and Hub of Hope).  The Dental Practice Manager provides leadership, role modeling, and supervision for the front desk staff, Dental Assistants, and Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs).   This position carries primary responsibility for a staff of nine (9) who maintain, monitor, and conduct scheduling, registration and outreach to maximize patient access, provider productivity, treatment completion sand revenue.  The Dental Practice Manager is responsible for recruiting, training, developing and evaluating staff, as well as setting standards for patient-centered, hospitable care. The Dental Practice Manager also ensures the Dental Assistants and EFDAs follow clinical standards for quality and safety set by the Dental Director. The Dental Practice Manager collaborates closely with the billing team to support revenue cycle management processes are well supported in the dental practice. This position ensures the dental department is working to its highest capacity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Supervise, lead, and support the Dental Team by:

• Hiring, orienting, and supporting Dental Assistants (DAs), Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs), and Dental Receptionists
• Assisting in administrative supervision of dental students, dental hygiene students, dental assistant students, and other interns/volunteers present at clinic
• Responding appropriately and timely to performance challenges and successes
• Set performance goals with direct reports and measure progress towards goals
• Hold direct reports accountable for their job duties, responsibilities, and goals
• Work with Human Resources (HR) to address any disciplinary action that may be necessary, including but not limited to verbal warnings, written warnings, performance improvement plans, and termination
• Assisting with or leading in-service, ongoing training of staff, and regular team meetings with a focus on customer service, teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution for the dental team
• Contributing to team effort and leading in collaboration, support, and effective communication with all members of dental team

• Ensure patient access to dental care by:

• Assisting the Dental Director and the Director of Operations in continually reviewing and trending clinic productivity and scheduling procedures
• Monitoring punctuality, staff schedules, and time off requests to ensure sufficient coverage for all dental schedules and timeliness of dental care
• Ensuring appropriate DA and EFDA support staffing for Stephen Klein Wellness Center and Hub of Hope and assist in scheduling with part-time providers (i.e. specialists, volunteers, students)
• Coordinating a schedule for coverage when team members are out, which may include providing coverage for the dental reception team and performing all functions of the receptionist as needed
• Performing quality reviews of scheduled appointments to ensure compliance with policies and procedures
• Tracking and trending recurring scheduling errors and determine appropriate plans for training and resolution
• Managing patient schedules to ensure appropriate appointment availability returning patients to complete phase one treatment plans while allowing sufficient access for new patients and dental emergencies
• Ensuring required patient treatment is scheduled in a timely manner and patient recalls are scheduled
• Tracking and managing completion of dental referrals or follow up care 
• Monitoring lab sheet daily to ensure accurate updating by staff; Ensuring that lab cases are completed and returned timely; Following up with lab for overdue cases; Ensuring patients are scheduled when cases are ready; Ensuring established workflows are being followed

• Ensure financial sustainability of Dental Department by:

• Collaborate with the Business Office including Revenue Cycle and Revenue Integrity team to assure that dental coding, charge capture, reimbursement, billing and collections meet standards, expectations and regulations for Dental Services. 
• Overseeing check in and check out process for patients
• Ensuring accurate patient insurance eligibility and financial liability verifications are performed on a consistent basis
• Ensuring sliding fee assessment and application processes are followed for uninsured patients and uncovered services in a uniform manner
• Ensuring that procedures are followed to request and collect appropriate fees at check-in and document receipt of payments
•  Managing preauthorization process and oversee timely completion and submission of Benefit Limit Exceptions (BLEs)
• Approving invoices for dental office and clinic supplies, dental lab work, employee expenses, and additional services as needed in accordance with Accounting Department policies and procedures
• Overseeing the timely inventory of dental department and conservation of supplies, keeping orders within budget restrictions, and discouraging waste by supervisees
• Assisting in the reduction of no show rate
• Ensuring a productive work environment in the dental department, with all staff working to their top of their skills or license even in the presence of no shows

• Ensure high quality customer service and patient satisfaction by training and supervising staff to:

• Maintain a calm atmosphere in waiting area by managing patient flow and triaging ?walk ins,? being attentive to the patients and guests in the waiting area, and assisting in de-escalation efforts when patients or visitors become upset or agitated
• Documenting patient complaints and following complaint process in a timely manner to ensure resolution and an excellent customer service experience
• Maintaining patient confidence and protecting operations by keeping information confidential 
• Treating all staff, patients, and guests with courtesy and respect
• Constantly striving to achieve excellence in the day-to-day operations of Project HOME Dental Services

• Ensure quality patient dental care in Dental Department by:

• Overseeing patient flow and ensuring all patients are taken care of in a timely manner
• Working with Dental Director to ensure supportive and direct patient care by Dental Assistants and Expanded Function Dental Assistants meets clinical standards; Assist in training and privileging when needed
• Working in conjunction with Dental Director to provide feedback on clinical performance
• Working with Dental Director and Staff Dentists to oversee and manage performance of patient care activities by Dental Assistants and Expanded Function Dental Assistants
• Assisting with Quality Committee Meetings as needed; Assisting in developing workflows, conducting quality improvement projects known as PDSA cycles (Plan, Do, Study, Act), and monitoring quality metrics for Dental Department
• Assisting with oversight and implementation of in Quality Improvement and Quality Assurance Initiatives for Dental Department as designated to meet goals of Quality Dashboard and other goals as new projects arise
• Identifying areas of risk and developing strategies to improve. Thoroughly and timely reviewing incidents, as well as submitting incidents for review when appropriate
• Exercising good judgment in bringing any issues necessary to the attention of the supervising Staff Dentist or Dental Director
• Working in compliance with all policies and with standards such as OSHA, HIPAA, and funding body regulations
• Oversee the dental assistants and EFDAs in the maintenance of the Dental Department by:
• Supervising the maintenance of a safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations and ensuring all maintenance is completed and recorded either directly or through a designee
• Ensuring proper operation of dental equipment by overseeing preventive maintenance requirements; following manufacturer's instructions; troubleshooting malfunctions; requesting repairs; maintaining equipment inventories; learning new equipment and techniques; recording maintenance in logs
• Overseeing instrument and equipment sterilization and maintenance
• Overseeing the maintenance of dental lab work area and storage of lab cases
• Working with Property Management team by entering work orders for the Dental Department and following up to ensure timely completion

• Manage administrative functions of Dental Department by:

• Overseeing accurate input of patient data in an Electronic Dental Record to maintain thorough documentation of dental care provided, including oversight and review of proper procedural coding and charting by DAs and EFDAs
• Ensuring all lab, clinic, and office supplies are ordered in a timely manner; maintaining dental supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies; placing and expediting orders for supplies
• Documenting receipt of dental supplies, dental lab work, repairs, and additional services
• Setting up patient schedules for providers, students, and residents
• Blocking appointment schedule as needed for provider time off, administrative meetings, and cancellations
• Ensuring timely completion of accurate scanning
• Approving timesheets daily and responding to time off or leave requests
• Allowing clinic access to staff, patients, identified visitors or delivery people only

Project HOME offers a competitive compensation package which includes health, prescription, dental, and vision coverage at minimum cost to our employees, company funded life and disability insurances, paid parental leave, spending accounts, and 401Kplan with 100% matching contributions up to 5% of compensation. Additionally, we offer generous PTO accruals which includes paid sabbatical leave.

The information contained herein is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the job. Management may, at its sole discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.  

Education and Experience Minimum Requirements:

Minimum Experience

• At least three years of supervisory experience in a dental practice management setting
• Prior experience in the use of Electronic Health Records and Practice Management software
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with a focus on Excel skills
• Demonstrate the ability to skillfully manage and motivate a team
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to handle stressful situations while providing exceptional customer service
• Ability to understand the overall purpose of clinical care and importance of support staff
• Cultural competency and use of a trauma-informed and harm-reduction approach to health care 

Preferred Experience

• Previous Dental Assistant experience
• Previous dental front desk experience
• Prior experience delivering dental services to people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, substance dependence, and trauma
• Knowledge of de-escalation methods or willingness to be trained
• Experience with NextGen preferred
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred

Core Skills

• Judgment, patience, integrity, organization, and prioritization in multi-task environment
• Attention to detail, dependability, listening and communication skills, and flexibility 
• Excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution skills

Physical requirements

• Ability to work for long periods of time standing, sitting, bending
• Occasional lifting of 40-50lbs and pushing of 5-20lbs

Project HOME provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Project HOME prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.