There are tons of jobs in the medical field, and each one comes with unique responsibilities. Some, like doctors and nurses, are well known, and both of those require medical training to a great extent. But other roles help any patient get closer to their healing, and this fact is just scratching the surface when it comes to fully understanding the impact of what’s known as a medical administrative assistant. If you’re familiar with the role of an administrative assistant, you’re already halfway there: the goal is to handle and assist with administrative duties within a healthcare establishment or practice. If your goal is to handle business operations, but to be a part of the medical industry, then you might consider getting a medical administrative assistant diploma to make the official plunge into such a rewarding and fast-paced career. With this in mind, read on to learn seven of the most central duties that comprise a medical administrative assistant’s day-to-day!
Checking In Patients
The most crucial part of any healthcare practice is the treatment of patients, but handling the ins and outs of their appointments (or even walk-ins) is something that can’t be left up to chance. Appointment verification, handing patients check-in forms, and managing future appointments are all a part of the job as a medical administrative assistant. Without this organizational element, the chaos in any doctor’s office or hospital would be enough to put the place out of business and leave the patients in question without the treatment they need. Timeliness and scheduling acumen are key to success here!
Managing Patient Data
Whether it’s taking input forms, compiling medical records for upcoming appointments, or simply cleaning up duplicate data, there’s a lot to data maintenance that remains unseen by the patient — and rightly so. HIPAA compliance regulations are enforced with patient data especially, to protect their personal rights, and so only someone with acute attention to detail could hope to manage this information appropriately. As an administrative assistant in the medical field, your role also extends not just to the tracking of medical records and charts, but also to the database itself wherein patient data is stored.
Processing Insurance Payments
While there are professionals dedicated to the proper billing of medical procedures, treatments, and claims, this only accounts for one end of the process when it comes to insurance. Medical billing specialists assess and file claims on behalf of patients or providers as needed, but when the time comes to process what comes in, it’s not the billing analyst who does it: it’s a medical administrative assistant, the medical AA, in many cases. Otherwise, there’s another kind of case, where a medical AA might just be the one to handle billing anyway. In smaller practices especially, it’s not uncommon for this role to wear many hats during business hours.
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Transferring Lab Reports to Other Departments
Whether it’s getting blood labs to a technician or clinician down the hall or it’s transferring X-rays to a general practice across town, there’s always something that needs to be delivered. Lab reports and the like are time-sensitive, and sometimes sensitive in other ways, so it’s up to an organized and trusted professional to get it from Point A to Point B. Can you guess who that might be?
Office Maintenance
A clinic, like any other business, has business needs; whether it’s office supplies or maintaining general office standards in other ways (for example, paying the bills), there’s a person equipped to handle and control said standards within a practice. Depending on the location, that designated handler might just be the medical AA. In any case, having someone manage general operations of a medical office is best left to whoever handles things like communication, and as you’ll learn in a moment, that is just one more role that a medical administrative assistant or medical AA can play.
Communications
While interdepartmental communications are somewhat common, there’s something that every doctor’s office and the hospital has which requires constant attention: the phone. Answering phone calls, taking messages, and responding to emails are just some of the duties that come with being an administrative assistant anywhere — and healthcare establishments are no exception. It’s all too important that someone remains the point of contact and have consistent knowledge of what messages are coming in, as well as what’s going out — especially if there’s a schedule of appointments that need to be kept in mind at the same time.
The First Impression
It’s often hard for a patient to ask for help, and if that’s not the case, sometimes it’s simply that they need someone to kindly hear them out as they explain what’s wrong. You could be there to offer a warm welcome, or be the one taking notes as they mention what’s bothering them; whatever the case, your job could make all the difference in making patients feel “at home” while receiving their best possible medical attention.
Conclusion
For all the needs that come up in a day of medical professionals at work, there’s a teammate who’s meant to handle those needs. While some professionals, like doctors and nurses, are focused on treatment, they aren’t the ones equipped to keep the business afloat and to keep patients coming. For that, they look to the expertise of a highly organized medical administrative assistant. So if you want a medical career that keeps you busy and puts you in the foremost position for maintenance of a clinic or practice, maybe this is the job for you.
