Front Desk Receptionist

Mental Health Clinic Front Desk Receptionist

The Front Desk Receptionist is an essential member of our mental health clinic team and serves as the first point of contact for clients, families, providers, and community partners. This position is responsible for creating a welcoming, professional, and supportive client experience while managing a variety of front-office, administrative, billing, and communication responsibilities.

The ideal candidate is organized, compassionate, detail-oriented, dependable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced behavioral health environment. The Front Desk Receptionist must be able to communicate professionally with clients who may be experiencing stress, frustration, or emotional difficulty while maintaining appropriate boundaries, confidentiality, and professionalism.

Key Responsibilities:

Client Service & Front Desk Operations

• Greet clients and visitors in a warm, professional, and welcoming manner.
• Answer and manage incoming phone calls, route calls appropriately, and take accurate messages.
• Respond to client questions and concerns in a timely, respectful, and solution-focused manner.
• Assist clients with scheduling, appointment questions, paperwork, and general clinic needs.
• Communicate with clients regarding appointment reminders, forms, assessments, payments, and other administrative requirements.
• Maintain a calm and professional presence when addressing difficult or sensitive client situations.
• Recognize when a client concern needs to be escalated to the appropriate staff member.
• Protect client privacy and maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and clinic policies.

Payments & Billing Support

• Collect copays, deductibles, balances, and other client payments at the time of service.
• Process cash, check, credit/debit card, and electronic payments accurately.
• Post payments accurately to client accounts.
• Review client balances and communicate outstanding balances professionally and appropriately.
• Assist with billing-related questions and direct complex billing concerns to the appropriate staff member.
• Maintain accurate payment records and follow established cash-handling and reconciliation procedures.

Insurance & Benefits

• Develop and maintain working knowledge of commonly accepted insurance plans and behavioral health benefits.
• Verify insurance information and assist with obtaining or updating client insurance information.
• Understand basic concepts including copays, deductibles, coinsurance, authorizations, in-network/out-of-network benefits, and insurance eligibility.
• Identify missing or outdated insurance information and follow up with clients as needed.
• Communicate insurance-related information to clients clearly while recognizing when questions should be escalated to billing or clinical staff.
• Maintain accurate insurance information within the electronic health record/practice management system.

Assessments & Client Follow-Up

• Send intake and clinical assessment materials to new and existing clients as directed.
• Monitor completion of required assessments and paperwork.
• Follow up with clients regarding incomplete assessments, forms, or other required documentation.
• Track outstanding items and communicate completion status to appropriate clinical or administrative staff.
• Ensure required administrative documentation is completed prior to appointments when applicable.
• Maintain organized records and follow established clinic workflows for new client onboarding.

Email & Administrative Communication

• Monitor and manage the clinic's general email inbox.
• Respond to routine administrative inquiries promptly and professionally.
• Forward clinical, billing, scheduling, or other specialized questions to the appropriate team member.
• Maintain professional written communication with clients, families, providers, insurance companies, and other contacts.
• Ensure important messages and requests are documented and appropriately followed up on.
• Monitor outstanding communications to ensure client questions and administrative requests do not fall through the cracks.

General Administrative Support

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date client demographic and contact information.
• Enter and update information in the electronic health record (EHR) and other clinic systems.
• Assist with scheduling and coordination of appointments as needed.
• Maintain an organized and professional reception area.
• Assist clinical and administrative staff with routine office tasks.
• Follow established clinic policies, procedures, and workflows.
• Maintain accurate documentation and attention to detail across all administrative responsibilities.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the efficient operation of the clinic.

Client Experience Expectations

Because the Front Desk Receptionist is often the first and last person a client interacts with during a visit, this position plays an important role in creating a positive experience. The successful candidate will:

• Treat every client with dignity, patience, and respect.
• Communicate with empathy while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Remain calm and composed when clients are upset or frustrated.
• Demonstrate sound judgment regarding sensitive client situations.
• Protect confidential and sensitive information at all times.
• Provide consistent, reliable follow-through.
• Understand that excellent customer service is an important part of quality mental health care.

Qualifications & Skills

Required:

• Previous experience in a medical, behavioral health, healthcare, customer service, or administrative setting preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize responsibilities in a busy office environment.
• Professional and compassionate communication style.
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Comfortable working with computers, email, electronic records, and payment systems.
• Ability to learn insurance terminology and clinic-specific billing processes.
• Reliable attendance and punctuality - in office attendance required.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.

Preferred:

• Previous front desk or medical receptionist experience.
• Experience working in a mental health or behavioral health setting.
• Familiarity with electronic health records/practice management systems.
• Knowledge of insurance verification, behavioral health benefits, and patient billing.
• Experience collecting and posting patient payments.
• Knowledge of HIPAA and healthcare privacy requirements.

Core Competencies

• Compassion & Empathy: Interacts with clients in a respectful and supportive manner.
• Professionalism: Represents the clinic positively in all interactions.
• Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate client, payment, insurance, and administrative information.
• Organization: Effectively manages multiple tasks, requests, and follow-ups.
• Communication: Communicates clearly and appropriately with clients and team members.
• Problem-Solving: Uses good judgment to address routine concerns and appropriately escalates complex issues.
• Reliability: Follows through on responsibilities and ensures outstanding tasks are completed.
• Confidentiality: Consistently protects client privacy and sensitive information.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with clinical, billing, and administrative staff.

Position Success

Success in this role means ensuring that clients feel welcomed and supported, phones and communication channels are managed effectively, payments and insurance information are handled accurately, assessments and paperwork are followed through to completion, and the clinical team can rely on the front desk to keep administrative processes organized and moving forward.

The Neurodiversity Clinic is dedicated to providing assessment, treatment and education services to those who struggle to live in a world that was designed for and by the neurotypical. We provide services to individuals in the greater Kansas City area.