DCG Clinics Support Specialist

Job Summary

This position serves as a key representative of the Dental College of Georgia's commitment to delivering high-quality, professional, and welcoming customer service. The incumbent is expected to consistently provide courteous and efficient service to patients, providers, and staff both in person and over the phone.

The incumbent is responsible for the registration of new patients, including gathering, verifying, and entering personal, contact, and insurance information into the EMR system (axiUm). This role also coordinates and schedules appointments to optimize provider productivity, confirms upcoming appointments, manages cancellations and recalls, and processes appointment changes as requested by patients or providers.

Additional responsibilities include greeting and checking in patients, verifying demographics and insurance details, posting payments (received in person, by mail, phone, or online), and balancing the cash drawer at the end of each business day. The position also handles incoming inquiries from new patients regarding clinic services and manages referral workflows and recall lists.

The incumbent must also assist students, residents, faculty, and staff with reviewing and analyzing patient accounts to ensure accuracy of charges, payments, and balances.

Responsibilities

The duties include, but are not limited to:

• SCHEDULING: Maintain a productive daily schedule to support provider production goals and clinic revenue. Manage appointment waitlists and prioritize same-day scheduling opportunities as cancellations arise. Communicate payment policies to new patients at the time of scheduling. Maintain recall lists to ensure timely, ongoing patient care.
• PATIENT CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT: Provide a welcoming and professional experience for all patients. Assist with check-in, including updating demographic and insurance information, verifying coverage, and posting payments. Upon checkout, ensure follow-up appointments, recalls, or pending appointments are scheduled. Collect and post any outstanding payments and inform patients of future financial responsibilities.
• NEW PATIENT INTAKE: Answer inquiries from prospective patients in a courteous and informative manner. Accurately register new patients in the axiUm system and generate/send welcome letters. Clearly explain DCG services to potential new patients.
• APPOINTMENTS RESCHEDULING & REFERRALS: Contact patients in a timely and professional manner to reschedule appointments due to provider unavailability. Manage and monitor referral lists by order of receipt, schedule referral appointments, and generate follow-up correspondence to referring providers.
• GENERAL PHONE SUPPORT: Answer incoming calls with professionalism and efficiency. Handle questions regarding patient accounts, appointment scheduling, or re-routing calls to the appropriate department. Support patients with urgent dental needs by facilitating emergency scheduling when appropriate.
• UNSCHEDULED TREATMENT FOLLOW-UP: Generate and review reports in axiUm related to failed appointments, pending appointments, and recalls. Conduct follow-up outreach to patients for continued care. Use mail merge tools to streamline patient communication as needed.
• ACCOUNT & FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Assist patients, residents, faculty, and staff with understanding account charges and balances. Provide support in accessing account information and direct any discrepancies or corrections to the appropriate administrative areas.
• OTHER: Perform all other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Associate's degree from an accredited college or university.

OR

High school diploma, GED or equivalent from a recognized state or federal accrediting organization, and two years of relevant experience. Must be capable of performing high-level customer service at all times.

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience working in a front office role within a multi-provider dental practice. Familiarity with dental procedures, clinical workflows, and dental terminology. Demonstrated history of providing exceptional customer service, with formal training preferred. Experience managing patient scheduling in a high-volume healthcare or dental environment. Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge of clinic scheduling practices to efficiently coordinate appointments for faculty providers and hygienists, optimizing provider productivity.
• Understanding of front-desk protocols, including greeting patients, verifying demographics and insurance, and checking patients in for appointments.
• Familiarity with payment processing procedures, including posting payments received by mail, phone, online, and in person to patient accounts.
• Proficiency in standard office software, including Microsoft Excel and Word.

SKILLS

• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, with a professional and welcoming demeanor.
• Strong oral and written communication skills for clear interaction with patients, providers, and team members.
• Highly organized with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively in a fast-paced clinical setting.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills to ensure accuracy in scheduling, data entry, and patient account management.

ABILITIES

• Ability to maintain confidentiality of patient information and sensitive data.
• Ability to produce accurate and timely work while meeting established productivity expectations and deadlines.
• Ability to function both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.

Shift/Salary/Benefits

Shift: Days/M-F

Pay Band: B3

Salary: Minimum $16.54/hour

Salary to be commensurate with qualifications of the selected candidate within the established range (generally minimum-midpoint) of the position

Recruitment Period: Until Filled

Augusta University offers a variety of benefits to full-time benefits-eligible employees and some of our half-time (or more) employees.

Benefits that may be elected could include health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, Teachers Retirement System (or Optional Retirement Plan), as well as earned vacation time, sick leave, and 13 paid holidays.

Also, our full-time employees who have been employed with us successfully for more than 6 months can be considered for the Tuition Assistance Program.