Administrative Assistant

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary
This role is responsible for supporting the Sleep Apnea Clinic and also for administrative support for the Graduate Pediatric and Orthodontic programs.

This is a .50% FTE position. The incumbent will need to be onsite during clinics on Thursday and Friday with the remainder of hours flexible during the week.

The role looks after recruitment and scheduling of patients, organization of medical and dental letters, assistance with insurance letters and track invoices and payments for the Dental Sleep Medicine patients.

This role supports a highly coordinated model of care which requires integration of medical and dental treatment, documentation, insurance processing, laboratory coordination, and longitudinal follow-up.

 
Organizational Status
Reports administratively to the Clinic Operations Administrator and takes direction from Dr. Fernanda Almeida. Works closely with other Clinic Receptionists and the Ped/Ortho CDA 4’s. Interacts regularly with patients, students, faculty, and other staff.
Work Performed

1. Clinical Operations

• Coordinate the appointments of full oral appliance therapy workflow, including patient’s intake, scheduling, record collection, appliance delivery, and long-term follow-ups.
• Review incoming referrals, sleep study reports, and diagnoses to then confirm with the responsible faculty member, Dr. Almeida or Dr. Pliska, that cases are eligible and appropriate for dental management.
• Maintain efficient patient flow and ensure that appointments are scheduled timely and appropriately.
• Coordinate timelines between the clinic, the treating dentist, and the dental laboratory to support timely appliance fabrication and delivery.

2. Financial Administration

• Manage case-specific insurance and pre-authorization processes for oral appliance therapy, including collection and submission of supporting documents to insurance companies.
• Guide patients through payment process. Address claim-related questions in a clear and professional manner.
• Track invoices, payments, and clinic expenditures related to appliances, laboratory services, and specialized supplies.
• Support accurate financial record-keeping, assist with budget monitoring and inventory oversight to maintain uninterrupted clinic operations.
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3. Support for Graduate Pediatrics and Orthodontics Programs

•  Provides comprehensive administrative support for the Graduate Pediatric Dentistry (GPED) and Graduate Orthodontics (GO) programs.
• Coordinates patient scheduling and appointment management for specialty clinics, ensuring efficient utilization of clinical resources and alignment with faculty, student, and program requirements.
• Maintains and updates patient waitlists, treatment tracking systems, recall schedules, and program databases.
• Coordinates communication between faculty, residents, students, clinical staff, patients, and external healthcare providers regarding appointments, treatment plans, referrals, and program-related matters.
• Assists with the preparation, organization, and maintenance of program documentation, reports, correspondence, accreditation materials, and clinic records.
• Supports resident and student clinical activities by coordinating patient assignments, treatment scheduling, and administrative workflows.
• Tracks and monitors patient treatment progress to support continuity of care and completion of clinical program requirements.
• Assists with coordination of sedation, operating room, and specialty clinic schedules, ensuring required documentation, approvals, and patient information are obtained and maintained.
• Supports the administration of laboratory cases by tracking submissions, invoices, appliance requests, and related documentation.
• Maintains confidential patient, student, and program records in accordance with university policies, privacy legislation, and professional regulatory requirements.
• Assists faculty and program coordinators with special projects, quality improvement initiatives, operational planning, and program-related administrative activities.
• Provides administrative support for resident onboarding, orientation, scheduling updates, and dissemination of program communications.
• Generates reports and statistical information related to clinic utilization, patient activity, scheduling trends, and operational requirements as requested.
• Verifies dental insurance eligibility, coordinates pre-determination approvals, and liaises with insurance carriers to ensure patients receive applicable benefits prior to treatment.
• Processes and submits dental insurance claim forms; resolves claim discrepancies and follows up on outstanding submissions with insurance carriers.
• Allocates and reconciles insurance remittance payments in patient records; communicates with patients and insurance companies to resolve billing discrepancies.
• Processes patient payments by cash, cheque, credit card, and direct deposit; issues receipts, reconciles daily transactions, and prepares deposits.
• Follows up with patients regarding outstanding balances or returned payments; escalates unresolved accounts for collection as required. 
• Maintains office supply inventories, restocks clinical forms, sorts and distributes incoming mail, and delivers documentation to relevant UBC departments as required.
  Consequence of Error/Judgement
  Work is performed under clearly defined guidelines requiring minimum judgment on methods used to perform work. Resolves some problems but refer most to the supervisor. Errors can be corrected but could result in patients not receiving treatment when needed causing angry patients, faculty and students missing valuable clinical instruction time.
  Supervision Received
  Works under general supervision with general instructions and guidelines. Routine duties are performed without ongoing direction.
  Supervision Given

N/A
Minimum Qualifications

High school graduation, plus completion of a Medical or Dental Office Assistant program (including terminology), plus one year of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience in a dental clinical setting is required.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in patient coordination, program support, or clinical reception is required.
• Experience working with culturally diverse families.
• Excellent organization, multitasking, and time-management abilities.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, patient-centered environment.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally sensitive communication practices.
• Experience in dental or medical insurance billing, preferably in a clinical or academic setting.
• Strong knowledge of Canadian dental insurance systems and third-party payment processes.
• Familiarity with dental software systems (e.g., Axium) and Microsoft Office.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• High level of attention to detail and the ability to manage confidential information responsibly.