Dental Hygienist Care Coordinator

About IHI

At Innovative Hematology, Inc. (IHI), we offer a future where people with rare blood disorders flourish. Our experts provide the highest quality comprehensive services and holistic care to patients with bleeding, clotting, and other hematologic disorders, and to their families.

What You Will Do

The Dental Care Coordinator supports access to and continuity of routine and complex dental care for individuals with bleeding disorders and sickle cell disease. The coordinator gathers and documents dental histories and oral health needs; provides education and recommendations within the scope of the employee’s credentials; connects patients with dental providers and resources; and coordinates communication among patients, dentists, and the multidisciplinary care team. For dental procedures requiring medical planning, the coordinator facilitates communication of hemostatic and antibiotic coverage recommendations established by the responsible medical providers and supports care in accordance with IHI protocols.

The Opportunity

• Participate in comprehensive care and outreach clinics by obtaining and documenting dental history, current oral health concerns, dental home/provider information, and reported barriers to care.
• Identify dental needs requiring follow-up and communicate relevant findings to the multidisciplinary team; contribute dental recommendations to the patient’s care plan within the scope of the employee’s license, certification, and role.
• Educate patients and caregivers about oral health, preventive dental care, the importance of routine dental visits, and follow-up instructions using approved materials and guidance.
• Assist patients in locating and connecting with dental providers, including providers familiar with bleeding disorders and sickle cell disease; maintain and update referral and community resource information.
• Assist patients in identifying dental insurance, coverage, transportation, or other access resources and document referrals and follow-up, as appropriate.
• Coordinate dental appointments and communicate relevant care needs between patients, dental offices, and IHI providers, with appropriate authorization and privacy safeguards.
• Coordinate dental treatment that requires consultation with the patient’s medical team, including procedures requiring hemostatic planning, review of antibiotic coverage, or coordination with other medical services. Obtain or convey recommendations from the responsible IHI provider and route clinical questions to the appropriate clinician.
• Support planning and scheduling for adult and pediatric dental procedures requiring an operating room or other coordinated services; communicate scheduling needs, required consultations, and follow-up information with the involved teams.
• Provide telephone support and follow-up for patients reporting dental concerns or bleeding related to dental problems or treatment; assess the nature of the request, provide information within role and protocol, and promptly escalation urgent symptoms or clinical questions to the appropriate provider.
• Serve as a liaison among patients, community dentists, IHI medical providers, and multidisciplinary staff to support timely, clear, and consistent communication.
• Prepare and send dental treatment or clearance correspondence using approved templates and provider-established recommendations, including applicable hemostatic and antibiotic coverage instructions.
• Develop, review, and update dental education materials and resources for patients, caregivers, and dental professionals in collaboration with clinical subject matter experts and applicable review teams.
• Build and maintain professional relationships with dental providers and community organizations to improve access to and continuity of dental care for the bleeding disorders and sickle cell disease communities.
• Maintain accurate, timely documentation of dental assessments, referrals, patient and provider communications, care coordination, procedures, and follow-up in the designated health record and tracking systems.
• Collect, enter, and maintain data related to dental procedures, coordination activities, and outcomes; support reporting, audits, quality improvement, and program evaluation as assigned.
• Follow organizational policies for privacy, documentation, infection prevention, patient safety, and release of information; promptly report concerns and barriers affecting care.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team and participate in relevant meetings, training, and workflow-improvement activities.

Performance Requirements

Knowledge

1. Dental terminology, preventive oral health, common dental procedures, and prophylactic treatments.
2. Dental care considerations for individuals with bleeding disorders and sickle cell disease, or ability to learn and apply IHI-approved guidance.
3. Patient privacy, health-related documentation, infection prevention, and referral and care-coordination practices.

Skills

1. Dental hygiene or dental assisting techniques, consistent with the employee’s training and credentials.
2. Skilled in client advocacy and public speaking.
3. Clear, respectful communication with patients, caregivers, dental providers, and multidisciplinary colleagues.
4. Patient education, resource navigation, advocacy, organization, and management of competing priorities.
5. Use of electronic health records, office software, and tracking or reporting tools, or ability to learn required systems.

Abilities

1. Recognize when a patient concern or request requires prompt review by a licensed clinician and elevate it appropriately.
2. Build and maintain effective working relationships across clinical and community settings; communicate concerns constructively and help resolve coordination barriers.
3. Work independently within assigned responsibilities while seeking guidance when a question exceeds the employee’s role, training, or scope of practice.
4. Communicate effectively with people of varied ages, backgrounds, and health-literacy levels.

• For the dental hygienist pathway, an associate or bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation is required. For the dental assistant pathway, a high school diploma or GED is required; completion of a dental assisting program or dental assistant certification is preferred.
• A minimum of three years of related experience in dental care, dental coordination, or patient care is preferred. Experience working with medically complex patients or with bleeding disorders, sickle cell disease, community referrals, or multidisciplinary teams is desirable.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, certification, and directly related experience may be considered.
• An active Indiana dental hygienist license is preferred.
• Valid driver’s license and insured automobile required.
• All IHI employees are expected to enable multi-factor authentication via their personal smart phone/smart device in order to access IHI systems as a requirement of the role.

This position is fully on-site during orientation and training and until the employee demonstrates the ability to perform assigned duties independently, as determined by the manager. The position may then become eligible for a hybrid schedule. The manager determines any remote work schedule based on clinic schedules, patient-care responsibilities, staffing, and other operational needs. Onsite attendance is required for clinics, meetings, training, and other job responsibilities as needed. Hybrid work arrangements may be adjusted to meet operational needs.

Why join our team?

IHI is a not-for-profit program based in Indianapolis and offers a competitive salary and benefit package.

IHI is the only federally designated comprehensive hemophilia program in Indiana and serves the entire state through services available in Indianapolis and at outreach clinics.

IHI is a leader in hemophilia care, education and clinical research and has a dedicated on-site multidisciplinary staff to ensure availability of a wide range of required services.

IHI participates in national and international clinical research, including new infusion products and therapies, investigation of long-term outcomes, and the impact of associated conditions. The IHI research program provides patients access to new therapies, and an opportunity to improve care. Our center has more than 50 clinical research projects involving bleeding disorders, sickle cell disease, thrombosis and more.

Innovative Hematology, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.