Client Care Specialist

COMPANY OVERVIEW
The Animal Dental Center (ADC) is a dental / oral-surgery only specialty practice with multiple clinic locations in Towson, Annapolis, Columbia, and York, PA. For over 30 years, the mission at the Animal Dental Center has been to provide our patients with exceptional oral care by building a trusting partnership with pet owners in a warm and caring environment. Join our team of 10 doctors (including 5 Board-Certified (AVDC/EVDC) Diplomates), residents, and technicians at the forefront of one of today's most in-demand and fast growing specialty services. Over 80% of all dogs and cats have some form of oral disease. Together let's make a difference in nurturing a longer and healthier quality of life for our four-legged loved ones. Our practice has a strong focus on client education, so if you have a passion for sharing knowledge and working as part of a very dedicated team, this is the position for you! Our clinics are well established in the community and serve clients over a large part of the Mid-Atlantic region. Each of our locations is equipped with state of the art monitoring and diagnostic equipment to provide our patients the most advanced specialty care possible. We place high value on a close knit work environment and emphasize continuing education. As part of several specialty-only groups, our practices have direct access to board-certified veterinarians in many specialty departments, including Emergency and Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology, and Ophthalmology.

POSITION SUMMARY
Our practices are in need of skilled client care specialists to handle reception and front-office responsibilities. This can be a part-time (3-day per week) or full-time position (4-day per week). We currently have positions to fill in our Annapolis, MD location. Extra consideration will be given to full-time candidates willing to travel between our Columbia and Annapolis offices as needed (approx. ~35 miles distance as we're only open 3 days per week in each presently.)

We are seeking individuals who are passionate about animal care and have embraced the need for proper treatment of oral disease in veterinary practice today. Qualified applicants are neat, extremely organized, extroverted and outgoing, and enjoy thinking on their feet. Ideal candidates must possess a strong work ethic as part of a very dedicated team, be comfortable working free of direct supervision, troubleshooting and problem-solving on behalf of our doctors and management teams, and thrive in a fast-paced / high-reward professional environment. As a part of the CSR team, primary duties will include assessing customer needs, client education, and the coordination of services, treatments, or medical procedures and other activities on behalf of our clients and doctor teams. This position also requires a high practical knowledge of our hospital’s procedures, policies, and services; client and patient treatment protocols; accurate data input and transcription; and the ability to learn standard terminology, procedures, and necessary medical record keeping used in specialty oral surgery / dentistry / veterinary medicine.

CAREER RESPONSIBILITIES:
-- Client Relations

• As a primary contact to our customers, members of our CSR team are highly organized, enthusiastic, flexible, and solution-oriented. They exhibit a mature, caring, and empathetic personality for all our clients. They are driven individuals who enjoy taking initiatives to ensure all our clients have an amazing experience each and every time they visit us.
• Ability to efficiently juggle multi-line phone calls in a friendly and professional manner to schedule appointments, answer questions related to our services / fee schedule, provide client education, take referral or case information from RDVMs, and directly follow up with progress reports for hospitalized patients and client medical concerns.
• Client pre/post follow-up call(s) including 2-day advance confirmation for appointment or surgeries; validation of day, doctor, location, and time; reminder to bring radiographs, medical records, and lab reports; give fasting instructions if indicated. All conversations with clients should be noted in the patient’s medical record and entries created for messages from clients or RDVMs to allow for efficient callbacks.
• Create a warm and welcoming space by greeting all clients and pets (by name if possible) immediately upon entering and ensuring any immediate client needs are addressed, they are comfortable, and that reception and exam rooms are organized, clean, and odor free.
• Check in appointments, drop-offs, emergencies, and surgeries; ensure all referral and patient information is accurate, up-to-date, and correctly entered into practice management software along with any client images or radiograph attachments, and provide any additional paperwork to the owner necessary for admission. Create and/or print any patient surgical charts to be put into a patient folder for the doctors and technicians during the day of procedure.
• Gather all patient documents, pet discharge instructions, and verify final invoice and instructions for review with client before collecting final balance due at checkout.
• As a specialty-only practice we seek to provide our clients and patients with the highest level of care from start to finish. CSR members should be able to confidently address challenging client or patient situations with grace and represent the hospital in promptly handling client concerns, complaints, arbitrating disputes, or resolving grievances.

-- Financial & Administrative

• Responsible for professional and efficient payment collection and processing while maintaining a high-level of confidentiality with all client information. This includes accepting credit and cash payments as well as pet insurance processing through Care Credit / Scratchpay.
• Client or vendor follow-up for any outstanding invoices or to update deposits within our practice management software.
• End of day books / accounting close-out procedures as required to prepare deposits, etc.
• CSR team members must be able to discuss any costs, estimates, or fees with clients in a positive light while supporting all hospital payment policies.
• As an integral part of our veterinary specialty team, CSR members help create, set, interpret, and implement best client policies and business operating practices.
• Our multi-doctor / multi-location practice(s) seek team members who are schedule optimization ninjas; possessing the uncanny ability to manage appointments for up to 10 doctors, route all calls efficiently, book appointments, and answer client questions in a consistently professional manner.
• Email / Fax referral reports, and medical notes from all procedures and hospital visits to referring veterinarians; fax discharge letters from all consultation and follow-up visits to referring veterinarians
• Scan all faxed lab results and place in the medical record for patients and put hard copy in appropriate DVM’s box or on desk. Send callback to appropriate doctor to check incoming lab reports. Scan all RDVM records, forms, lab results, etc. into patients’ files
• Check messages on voice mail, maintain and provide information for no-shows, rescheduled, and cancelled appointments
• Keep reception desk and area tidy and clean
• Clean up after pet accidents in the waiting room
• Place all client and RDVM correspondence, faxed records, and other documents in patient file in appropriate (chronological) order with most recent on top
• Clean and stock client restroom as necessary, or alert custodian to needs
• Operate office machines to include postage scale, fax machine, computer, printer, photocopy machine, credit card machine, scanner, etc.

-- Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of the procedures used at ADC for receiving, treating, and scheduling patients, ordering medical supplies, and requesting laboratory tests (both in house and referral)
• Computer / Technology proficiency and ability to learn practice management (Ezyvet) / medical / dental specialty software as necessary. Typing- minimum of 30wpm
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and financial literacy as it relates to providing services for fee.

-- Education, Related Experience, Values, & Expectations

• Associates degree preferred. Minimum: High School Diploma and G.E.D.
• 3-5 years experience as a veterinary receptionist or involvement within veterinary medical practice (managerial experience, advanced certifications are a huge plus!)
• Maintain confidentiality with all ADC client information or otherwise.
• Support core values of Excellence, Integrity, Compassion, and Commitment to Continuing Education.
• Employee should possess traits such as honesty, innovation, teamwork, resilience, adaptability, resourcefulness, analytical skills, compliance and leadership.
• Ability to conduct yourself in a confident and professional manner with clients and coworkers even when situations are stressful. Comfortable with the authority to handle atypical or unusual situations.
• Dependable and flexible with working hours as needed.

-- Physical / Work Environment

• Confidence and familiarity around pets
• Ability to lift 40 pounds
• Bending, stooping, crouching, kneeling, standing, walking are part of day to day work activities.
• Associates are exposed to a variety of pets that MAY bite or scratch, and on occasion, may be exposed to anesthesia, radiation, biological hazards and medication/controlled substances

BENEFITS

• Work with multiple Board-Certified (American Veterinary Dental College) doctors and residents with more than 50 years cumulative professional experience in Veterinary Dentistry / Oral Surgery.
• Grow within a highly progressive learning environment using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.

But wait… There's more! We offer highly competitive salary rates based on experience and level of technical training/education starting at $18.50 per hour. Benefits also include full health care packages (after initial 30 days), CE compensation, 401(k) retirement options, significant personal pet discounts, uniform allowance, and exciting career path / developmental training.