Creating and Updating an Employee Policy Manual: Policies for Your Practice. American Dental Association
job descriptions for your office. Add and delete duties from the sample job descriptions as applicable. Please note that just because a job description is listed does not mean it is necessary for your office. You can also combine job descriptions if necessary. For example, if your administrative assistant will handle the practice’s social media presence, cut and paste the specific duties from the marketing and communications coordinator description. These sample descriptions are intended as guidelines only.
Remember to check with your state’s dental practice act regarding the allowable delegation of duties to dental assistants and dental hygienists.
A copy of the job description should be given to the employee upon hiring and another should be placed in the employee’s file.
FIGURE 1.1 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: ASSOCIATE DENTIST
FIGURE 1.2 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: BUSINESS MANAGER
FIGURE 1.3 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: DENTAL ASSISTANT
Note: Content and expanded functions may vary in accordance with state dental practice acts.
FIGURE 1.4 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: DENTAL HYGIENIST
FIGURE 1.5 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
FIGURE 1.6 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: TREATMENT COORDINATOR
FIGURE 1.7 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: OFFICE MANAGER
FIGURE 1.8 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
FIGURE 1.9 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: BILLING AND CLAIMS/FINANCIAL COORDINATOR
HIPAA Security and Privacy Officials
A HIPAA covered entity must designate personnel to fill the following roles:
• a security official
• a privacy official
• a contact person or office who is responsible for receiving complaints and who is able to provide further information about matters covered by the Notice of Privacy Practices
• a person responsible for receiving and processing patient requests to see or get copies of their patient information
• a person responsible for receiving and processing requests for accountings of disclosures
• a person responsible for receiving and processing requests to amend (change) their patient records
In addition, to comply with the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, a covered entity dental practice should determine who will be responsible for investigating and assessing suspected breaches, sending any required notifications, and documenting compliance.
One member of the dental team may be designated to serve all of these functions. If the privacy or security official delegates a duty to another team member, that duty should be added to his or her job description (for example, if the business manager will be responsible for facility security tasks such as distributing keys and managing the alarm system).
Figures 1.10 and 1.11 show sample job descriptions for HIPAA security and privacy officials. These responsibilities are often handled by existing staff or by the practice owner. You can add these items to any of the other jobs, such as office manager or treatment coordinator.
FIGURE 1.10 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: HIPAA SECURITY OFFICIAL
FIGURE 1.11 SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: HIPAA PRIVACY OFFICIAL
Who to Hire First
If you are a new dentist just starting out, you may wonder who you should hire first. Few dentists opening new practices have the funding to hire multiple employees, so the choice between hiring a dental assistant or an office/business manager is a top priority. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to hiring either type of employee, an individual with experience in both areas, representing the “whole package,” would be ideal. Since this may not always be feasible, hiring an office/business manager who makes a great first impression can prove invaluable. After all, he or she is providing the first “window” into your practice.
You may also wish to take an inventory of your own skills to determine where you excel and where you need assistance. For example, are you a skilled clinician but lack marketing expertise or experience with practice management systems? Do you have great chairside rapport but dislike collections? It is a prudent decision to hire staff with skills that will complement or supplement your own so that the practice can support a wide variety of critical functions.
The following worksheet is designed so you can do a self-inventory of your personal skills and attributes. You are not expected to be proficient in or responsible for every item on the list, but should assign a rating to yourself anyway. The items with low ratings should identify any skills gaps in your practice, and whether it would be wise to look for these specific skills in prospective employees. Similarly, low ratings for certain personal attributes might guide you toward candidates with different personality traits that complement your own. For example, if you have an office full of gregarious employees, you may benefit from someone who is a bit more introverted and studious.
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