Course Description
The front-office online course is a smart and convenient way to be trained for a position as a dental front-officer. Personnel at the front office perform many specialized tasks in a dental office. Those include:
Greeting patients on arrival and having them fill-out the correct forms.
Explaining at home dental care directions
Correctly filing patient information
Scheduling dental procedures
Insurance and private billing
Correctly storing radiographs
And many more tasks that are challenging and fun
Dental office personnel are members of a well-respected group of the workforce. Dental auxiliaries can earn very respectable livings, with job stability and benefits.
The textbook and other course materials will be sent to you after you enroll.
Course Objectives
Learn the in's and out's of the Front Office of a Dental Office. From scheduling to record-keeping, you will learn the basics of the administrative side of a dental office. There are no prerequisites. This course is intended for those who are looking for a career that is in demand, that is recession-proof, pays well, offers job security and is in the health field. It is for students who may or may not already be dental assistants. It is also intended for those who are working full-time already, and need a course with a flexible schedule. This course is an online course and does not meet in person. You must have at minimum a knowledge of e-mail, the Internet and word-processing computer programs such as Microsoft Word.
Email us at: zoe@dentalassist.org
Course Objectives
Learn the in's and out's of the Front Office of a Dental Office. From scheduling to record-keeping, you will learn the basics of the administrative side of a dental office. There are no prerequisites. This course is intended for those who are looking for a career that is in demand, that is recession-proof, pays well, offers job security and is in the health field. It is for students who may or may not already be dental assistants. It is also intended for those who are working full-time already, and need a course with a flexible schedule. This course is an online course and does not meet in person. You must have at minimum a knowledge of e-mail, the Internet and word-processing computer programs such as Microsoft Word.
Description
In order to work proficiently in the dental front office, you will need to know key dental terms, like crowns, bridges, apex and much more.
You will need to familiarize yourself with the different positions in the dental office, such as the hygienist, the dental assistant, and what they do.
You will also need to know the dental specialties, and what the different specialists do, such as orthodontists, periodontists and so on.
Module Objectives
This week you will learn:
The terminology associated with working in a dental front office. Who works in a dental office? What are the dental specialties?
Description
It is important for all dental office personnel to be able to discuss a patient's records using the proper information. To do this, personnel must know the anatomy of a tooth, as well as tooth numbers.
Charting, which refers to drawing symbols on a dental chart, is used to notate the dental work existing in a patient's mouth, and the dental work that needs to be done in the future. On the dental chart, notes are taken, explaining in detail the date and all procedures and interactions with the patient. This week you will learn the most common charting symbols and techniques used in dental offices.
Module Objectives
This week the student will learn how to identify tooth numbers,how to identify tooth surfaces, the different types of teeth and dental charting techniques.
Description
This week you will learn the principles of scheduling. Please keep in mind when learning the allotted time for procedures, that different doctors prefer different time amounts for procedures. When you secure a job in a front office, you will need to ask how much time your doctor requires for procedures.
Module Objectives
After this module the student will be able to schedule a patient using correct scheduling techniques and principles.
Description
Different dental offices approach billing in different ways. Some strictly bill the insurance company, others accept a combination of payment from the insurance company, as well as from the patient. Some accept only payment from the patient, and do not deal with insurance companies directly. This week you will learn the concepts behind creating a payment plan or installment plan for patients, as well as other customer service techniques.
As you go through the activities in this module, you will learn about different types of insurance plans. There are three types: Indemnity plans, P.P.O plans and D.M.O. plans.
Module Objectives
In this module the student will learn how to create a customized payment plan for a patient, submit an insurance claim and read an Explanation of Benefits document.
Description
Bookkeeping tasks in the Dental Front Office.
Module Objectives
We have already covered insurance and patient billing. This week the student will learn concepts of bookkeeping for manual and computerized systems. The student will learn how to collect patient and insurance payments and make payments to other companies.
Description
Patients' records must be kept in an organized fashion so that information may readily be looked up. There are certain forms that must be kept inside the patients' records folder, whether it be in a hard copy format (paper) or digital format (on the computer). This week you will learn how to organize a patient's chart. Inside a patient's chart, are several forms, the dental chart and x-rays.
In addition, flags, or red post-its, are used to alert the staff of any allergies and conditions.
Many times, the front-office staff must call the patients ahead of the scheduled appointment to remind them to take any pre-medications before the visit.
A "Consent Form" must be included in the patient's file, and would need to be signed by all patients. It is especially useful if a patient was to say, decline a full-mouth diagnostic radiographic survey, and a cavity was missed.
Module Objectives
The student will be able to organize a patient's chart both in hard copy (on paper) and in the computer.
Description
All dental office staff should know how to mount and store x-ray films. Mounting and storing x-rays can be the responsibility of the front office.
Module Objectives
The student will learn how to properly mount a set of radiographs and the proper method for storing.
A front officer might need to make duplicates of radiographic surveys if needed. Reasons are either to send to an insurance agent, if the patient is changing dentists, or to send to a specialist. Duplicates can be made through scanning the image.
Description
Learn regulations and laws pertaining to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (ACT) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Module Objectives
The student will learn the definitions of OSHA and HIPAA. The student will learn a basic entry-level understanding of the applicability of OSHA and HIPAA.
Description
Strategies on landing your first job in a dental front office position.
Module Objectives
The student will be able to Create a resume, conduct a successful job search,
and be interviewed successfully.
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