What does a dental office manager do?
A dental office manager oversees the business operations of the dental practice, including billing, expenses, and budget. Dental office managers are leaders in the practice. Among their duties and responsibilities are appointment schedule maintenance and staff supervision. They coordinate the treatment of patients and oversee billing. They may become successful when they incorporate modern communication skills.
Dental office manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dental office manager resumes:
- Manage medical health documents, submit laboratory works and input diagnoses, ICD-9 and procedure codes.
- Manage daily office operations, policies and procedures, and OSHA compliance in a fast pace setting.
- Help dentist manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification.
- Manage business accounts receivable and payable, payroll, and insurance verification and submission responsibilities.
- Work a POS register and sell movie tickets.
- Ensure HIPAA compliance, perform monthly inventory, order supplies.
- Maintain complete patient privacy according to HIPPA laws and regulations.
- Maintain physical storage of patient records in compliance with HIPAA guidelines.
- Assist in training employees on new POS system at other Burberry locations.
- Conduct inspections of dental center to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations and company's policies.
- Provide administrative support to doctors and staff, employee training/development, coordination of continuing education & CPR certification for staff.
- Retrieve and analyze doctor notes and dictation to code medical diagnosis and radiology procedures using HCPCS, ICD-9-CM and CPT.
- Lead role in implantation and training associate with the new EMR software for the company for administrative and clinical duties.
- Work with electronic medical record systems (EMR) develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of system documentation and coding processes.
- Process weekly payroll including detail commission system for associate dentist.
Dental office manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Dental Office Managers are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Dental Office Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 24%
Coordinated scheduling patients for dental treatment, prepared treatment plans for approval and processed billing statements for reimbursement.
- Patient Care, 11%
Provided professional instruction to insure a growing practice excels in patient care and economic coordination.
- Customer Service, 10%
Developed and implemented a quality control system to monitor all customer service calls and increase satisfaction.
- Dental Care, 6%
Manage insurance claims for dental care payments, advising of treatment plans.
- OSHA, 6%
Managed daily office operations, policies and procedures, and OSHA compliance in a fast paced setting.
- Payroll, 5%
Managed business accounts receivable and payable, payroll, and insurance verification and submission responsibilities.
Common skills that a dental office manager uses to do their job include "patients," "patient care," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important dental office manager responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a dental office manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." Additionally, a dental office manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "performed data entry of patient medical record and billing information, prepared estimate for diagnosed treatments and negotiated insurance claims. "
Communication skills. Many dental office manager duties rely on communication skills. "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents.," so a dental office manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways dental office manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "monitor patient accounts, request records or written communication. "
Detail oriented. dental office managers are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to dental office manager responsibilities, because "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." A dental office manager resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "manage the office budgeting details. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in dental office manager job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what dental office managers do. Dental office manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." You can also see how dental office manager duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provided leadership and planning for improved patient access and patient flow processes. "
Technical skills. While "technical skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to dental office manager responsibilities. Much of what a dental office manager does relies on this skill, seeing as "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of dental office managers: "managed facility procedures related to insurance and billing, front desk staff, and communications with patients and technical support. "
The three companies that hire the most dental office managers are:
- Affordable Care18 dental office managers jobs
- Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics18 dental office managers jobs
- Dental Care Alliance15 dental office managers jobs
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Compare different dental office managers
Dental office manager vs. Office lead
An office lead is responsible for performing complex administrative tasks, especially in front office operations, managing staff performance, and providing high-quality customer service by responding to visitors' inquiries and concerns and directing them to the appropriate department. These leads monitor daily business transactions, write business reports, and manage the information in the system database. They also schedule appointments, business travels, and company meetings and ensure that the plans meet the allocated budget and requirements of the management.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dental office manager responsibilities require skills like "dental care," "osha," "patient relations," and "strong customer service." Meanwhile a typical office lead has skills in areas such as "data entry," "powerpoint," "human resources," and "cash management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Office leads really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $88,206. Comparatively, dental office managers tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $53,663.The education levels that office leads earn slightly differ from dental office managers. In particular, office leads are 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a dental office manager. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental office manager vs. Billing manager
A billing manager is in charge of overseeing the systems and processes concerned with billing in a company. One of their primary duties is to handle the receivable accounts to ensure smooth cash flow, assess the validity of bills, provide corrective measures when necessary, supervise the workforce's performance, and solve issues raised by staff. As a billing manager, it is essential to implement all policies and regulations while leading and encouraging the team in their joint effort to reach targets and deadlines.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, dental office manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "dental care," "osha," and "payroll." Meanwhile, a billing manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "billing procedures," "revenue cycle," "financial reports," and "medicaid." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, billing managers earn a higher salary than dental office managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, billing managers earn the most pay in the utilities industry with an average salary of $89,214. Whereas dental office managers have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $53,663.billing managers earn similar levels of education than dental office managers in general. They're 3.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental office manager vs. Support manager
A support manager is responsible for developing strategic technical solutions to improve business performance for client satisfaction and improve revenues. Support managers must have excellent knowledge of the technical processes and disciplines, as well as business systems in handling the information networks and systems of the company. They should have a strong command of system codes and technology programming, as well as software and hardware applications in identifying other possible business opportunities and assisting the staff with any inconsistencies in the process.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from dental office manager resumes include skills like "patients," "patient care," "customer service," and "dental care," whereas a support manager is more likely to list skills in "project management," "technical support," "powerpoint," and "windows. "
Support managers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $103,459. On the other hand, dental office managers are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $53,663.Most support managers achieve a similar degree level compared to dental office managers. For example, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental office manager vs. Service department manager
A service department manager is responsible for leading the service department operations by assisting the staff in customer interaction, providing the highest customer service, and negotiating contracts and partnerships with clients. Service department managers coordinate with the sales and marketing team for brand promotions and advising the staff in selling new products to potential customers. They also handle and resolve high-level complaints, process replacements, and issue refunds as needed. A service department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in encouraging and supporting the team members to meet the department's goals and objectives.
Types of dental office manager
Updated January 8, 2025
