DAST 1580 - Dental Office Management

Lecture hours: 45 contact hours

Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dental Assisting program

Course Description:
Dental Office Management is an introduction to the principles related to the management of the dental office, including telephone techniques, appointment control, inventory and supplies, clinical records, insurance forms, financial records and office equipment.

Student Learning Outcomes:
To provide the student with training in sound business practices including expenses, disbursements and insurance filing procedures. To develop a high standard of professional attitude toward office management and critical thinking skills. To familiarize the student with dental terminology that is needed for a dental assistant career and to be able to demonstrate knowledge of computer competency in dental software.

Students will be able to:

1. Assume responsibility without direct supervision on their tasks. 
2. Control the dental office through the appointment book
3. Maintain acquaintance, case history, financial and radiographic records and patient charts
4. Gain a thorough comprehension of verbal and nonverbal communication. Practice both forms of communication and how both are used in fully understanding a message
5. Assess the terms that follow that apply to patient behavior, psychotic, neurotic, and normal.
6. Discuss the fact that dental treatment interferes with a patient’s “personal space”
7. Schedule regular patient recall for examinations and treatment
8. Identify the uses for the five different filing systems
9. Determine dental office income and other finances
10. Record patient financial and credit information.
11. Complete treatment plan, cost estimate, and insurance forms
12. Present complete prepaid dental care plans
13. Create a follow-up program
14. Assume inventory control and purchasing duties
15. Manage disbursements of payroll and expenditures.
16. Organize records that facilitate periodic summaries of expenditures
17. Demonstrate check writing and all necessary entries in the register
18. Identify the following:
    1. Federal Fair Credit Reporting
    2. Federal Truth in Lending Act
    3. Federal Equal Lending Act
    4. Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act
    5. Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act