Bilingual Front Desk Specialist

Sonrisa Dental Specialists • Full-time • Chicago, Illinois, United States • $20 - $23 / hour • 1w ago

Why this role exists

The front desk is the first voice a patient hears and the last face they see. It is also where Sonrisa's revenue begins — the appointment booked, the insurance verified before the visit, the estimate explained, the payment collected at the desk, the claim data entered right so the billing team can collect the rest. Across sixteen offices in Illinois and Florida, most of our patients and families are bilingual, and the person at the desk has to be too. This role exists so that every patient is greeted, scheduled, verified, informed and collected — in the language they prefer — and so the day runs on time for the providers behind the desk.

What you will do

Patient experience — the Sonrisa welcome

Greet every patient and family by name, in English or Spanish, within seconds of arrival; check them in, confirm contact and insurance information, and keep the reception area calm, clean and moving.
Answer the phones by the third ring with a warm, professional greeting; resolve or route every call; return every voicemail and message the same day; keep the Mango phone system's queue clear.
Explain what will happen at the visit, what the insurance covers and what the patient owes — clearly, kindly and before the treatment starts — and hand off clinical questions to the provider or treatment coordinator.
Own patient concerns at the desk; resolve what you can, escalate what you cannot to the Lead Front Desk or Office Manager the same day, and follow up so the patient hears back.

Scheduling — a full, accurate, productive book

Schedule, confirm and reschedule appointments in Dentrix Ascend to the provider's template and the office's production goals; fill openings from the recall and unscheduled-treatment lists; keep the schedule for tomorrow full by the end of today.
Run confirmation calls and texts; manage no-shows and late cancellations per Sonrisa policy; document every contact attempt in the chart.
Coordinate with hygiene, assistants and providers so patients are seated on time and emergencies are worked in without breaking the day.

Insurance verification and estimates — before the visit, not after

Verify eligibility and benefits for every scheduled patient at least one business day before the visit — Illinois Medicaid and its managed-care plans (or Florida Medicaid for Florida offices), PPO and DHMO plans — using payor portals and the eligibility tools in Dentrix Ascend; record the verification in the chart.
Enter and update insurance information accurately (subscriber, plan, group, ID, effective dates) so claims go out clean the first time.
Prepare and present accurate treatment estimates using CDT codes and the plan's fee schedule; obtain signed treatment plans and consents before treatment begins; know when a prior authorization is required and start it.

Collections and cash handling — collected at the desk

Collect co-pays, deductibles, patient balances and payment-plan installments at check-in or check-out; post every payment to the correct ledger the same day; issue receipts.
Keep cards on file and auto-pay accounts current per policy; work the unapplied-payment and IQ Portal reports for your office so no payment sits unposted.
Balance the daily deposit and complete the end-of-day close to Sonrisa's standard — day sheet reconciled, deposit prepared, exceptions noted — before leaving.
Make outbound calls on outstanding patient balances as assigned by the Lead or Office Manager, courteously and within Sonrisa's collection guidelines.

Records, documentation and compliance

Keep patient demographics, insurance, consents, medical-history updates and signed forms complete and current in Dentrix Ascend; scan and file documents the same day.
Protect patient information under HIPAA on the phone, at the counter, on screen and in print; follow the release-of-records procedure exactly.
Enter and update data accurately enough that the billing team and credentialing never have to call the office to fix a claim.

Office support

Maintain front-office supplies and forms; keep the desk, reception area and patient restrooms presentable throughout the day.
Use Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel) for correspondence, reports and communication with other offices and corporate.
Support office projects — recall campaigns, new-patient outreach, community events — as assigned by the Office Manager.

Across all of the above

Live the Sonrisa Service Values — I am Sonrisa. Count on me. — with every patient, every family and every teammate.
Show up on time, prepared and in uniform; follow the schedule, the call-off procedure and the standards in the Employee Handbook.
Learn continuously: complete assigned training in Dentrix Ascend, insurance and collections; help train new front-desk teammates when asked.

Required

Fluent English and Spanish, spoken and written.
High school diploma or equivalent, and at least one year of front-desk experience in a dental or medical office, with hands-on responsibility for scheduling, insurance verification and payment collection.
Working knowledge of dental insurance: eligibility, benefits, co-pays, deductibles and maximums; Medicaid managed-care plans; PPO and DHMO plans; CDT procedure codes and how an estimate is built.
Ability to learn and use Dentrix Ascend (or comparable dental practice-management software) for scheduling, ledgers, insurance and charting; proficiency in Microsoft 365.
Accurate data entry and cash handling; comfort with a daily close and a deposit.
Warm, clear, professional communication in person and on the phone — with children, parents, seniors and anxious patients.
Organization and composure in a fast-paced office with multiple providers.
Unquestioned integrity with money and patient information.

Preferred

Two or more years at a dental front desk; experience with Dentrix Ascend specifically.
Experience presenting treatment plans and financial arrangements (treatment-coordinator skills).
Experience in a multi-office group; willingness to float between nearby offices.
Familiarity with Illinois Medicaid MCO portals (or Florida Medicaid for Florida offices) and with electronic payment platforms.

Working conditions

Front-office setting; prolonged sitting and computer and phone work; frequent interaction with the public; occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds and Saturday hours. Handles cash and cards and has access to protected health information, subject to Sonrisa's privacy, security and cash-handling policies.

Join our team to deliver outstanding front desk support that enhances client experiences while ensuring efficient office operations!

Pay: $20.00 - $23.00 per hour

Expected hours: 35.0 – 40.0 per week

Benefits:

Employee discount
Health insurance
Life insurance
Professional development assistance
Referral program
Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

Are you willing to complete a 90-day probationary period during which your performance, attendance, and punctuality will be evaluated?

Shift availability:

Day Shift (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

Chicago, IL 60608 (Required)

Work Location: In person

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