Polytechnic University Of The Philippines

College of Business Administration

DEPARTMENT OF OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

FOR

OAMT 40013
MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES

Prepared by:

ASST. PROF. MA. LOLITA V. ABECIA

Chairperson, Faculty
Department of Office Administration

and

ASSOC. PROF. RONNIE A. IDIAN

Faculty, Department of Office Administration
 Overview

The COVID 19 pandemic has considerably affected education systems on a global scale.
With schools and universities struggles not to hamper the education of the students, the teachers
are doing their best to keep learning going during this pandemic. PUP has adopted the
flexible/blended learning in order to reach the students at home and continue their education.

Welcome to Medical Office Procedures. This course of the program Bachelor of Science
in Office Administration (BSOA) is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge you will
need to succeed as a Medical Administrative Professional. Every topic that you will study in this
course is directly related to one or more of many administrative tasks in the medical office.

In Module 1 (Part 1), you will learn the medical office environment, the role of the personnel
in healthcare system, and the medical law and ethics as applied by the medical administrative
assistant. In Module 2 (Part 2), you will be focusing on the administrative component of the
course. You will learn how to work with patients in an efficient and effective manner, dealing with
scheduling, records management, and communications. In Module 3 (Part 3), as you become
thoroughly acquainted with the duties and responsibilities of the medical administrative assistant,
the medical office management will be presented as well as risk management. This will help you
to become a Medical Office Manager. Module 4 (Part 4) will introduce you the employment
opportunities in the local and international job markets.

The topics in the four modules are carefully gathered and selected to get the latest
information to match the advanced technology of the medical healthcare systems and facilities.
There are learning objectives to be achieved and assessments/activities to be accomplished by
the student at the end of the per week topics. Book references used are available at PUP Main
Library, NALLRC Building, Sta. Mesa, Manila. Web references and links are also provided to get
the latest information in the healthcare system.

Questions, suggestions, comments and feedback matter. The teacher/adviser may be

contacted by joining the google classroom created for the class with code number _____________
or through email address at __________________________ and at mobile no.
__________________.

The student shall submit all requirements of the course via official courier of the University
on January 13, 2021 to the respective teacher at the College of Business Administration,
Department of Office Administration, PUP, Main Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.

It’s definitely not easy to keep the learning going during this pandemic, but as we just saw,
it is possible. You can go with whatever time frame suits you, but, don’t forget that you can do it
in several sittings throughout the day instead of one. With few changes to your approach, smart
use of online learning, and acknowledging the situation, you can do it. All the best and keep safe!

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 OFAD 40013 – MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
Table of Contents
Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Course Outcomes ………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Module 1 – Introduction to Medical Office……………………………………………………. 5
Orientation ……………………………………………………………………………… 8
Part 1 - Introduction to Medical Office ……………………………………………… 8
A. The Medical Office Environment………………………………………… 8
B. Types of Healthcare Facilities…………………………………………… 9
C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System………………………………….. 11
D. Medical Specialties……………………………………………………….. 14
E. Practice Types…………………………………………………………….. 17
F. The Personnel in the Medical Office……………………………………. 20
G. The Medical Administrative Tasks, Skills, Personal
Attributes and Work Ethic………………………………………………… 22
H. Ethics and Law for the Medical Office………………………………….. 30
I. Interacting with Patients………………………………………………….. 34
Module 2 - The Administrative Component…………………………………………………. 39
Part 2 - The Administrative Component…………………………………………….. 39
A. The Medical Record………………………………………………………. 40
B. Telephone Techniques in a Medical Office Settings………………….. 48
C. Scheduling Appointments………………………………………………… 55
D. Managing Finances……………………………………………………….. 62

MID-TERM EXAMINATION……………………………………………………………………. 69

Module 3 - The Medical Assistant as Office Manager …………………………………….. 70

Part 3 - The Medical Assistant as Office Manager………………………………… 70
A. The Medical Office Management……………………………………….. 71
B. Maintaining the Medical Office………………………………………….. 75
C. Maintaining the Medical Equipment…………………………………….. 77
D. Maintenance and Usage………………………………………………….. 80
E. Safety and Security in Healthcare Facilities……………………………. 81
F. Risk Management…………………………………………………………. 86
G. The Health Care Risk Manager………………………………………….. 87
H. Medical Coding…………………………………………………………….. 90
I. Medical Billing………………………………………………………………. 94
Module 4 – Employment Opportunities ……………………………………………………….. 98
Part 4 - Employment Opportunities for Medical Administrative Assistants
And Medical Office Manager………………………………………………… 98
A. Medical Administrative Assistants’ Job Description……………………. 99
B. Skills and Qualifications…………………………………………………… 99
C. Medical Office Manager Job Description, Skills and Qualifications….. 100
D. Successful Characteristics……………………………………………….. 101
References and Suggested Readings………………………………………………………… 102
FINAL EXAMINATION
Part 1……………………………………………………………………………………… 103
Part 2……………………………………………………………………………………… 104
Grading System………………………………………………………………………………….. 105

3
 OFAD 40013
MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES

COURSE OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• Analyze concepts and principles as practiced by health professionals in medical offices

and healthcare facilities;

• Distinguish the roles of a medical administrative personnel in order to establish

communication trust and confidence to work harmoniously with other personnel in the
medical office setting;

• Exhibit proficiency in the use of computer devices and software applications as tools to
enhance work performance and office productivity;

• Perform basic medical office procedures and integrate in their classroom activities the
duties and responsibilities required of a medical administrative professional;

• Produce and manage business correspondence and medical documents accurately, using
proper formatting, grammar, spelling and punctuation integrating confidentiality and
conforming with medical and legal ethics.

• Participate in the planning, research and problem solving activities to enhance their
communication skills, develop coordination, teamwork and leadership;

4
 OAMT 40013 – MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
Module 1
Introduction to Medical Office

Overview

The students of Bachelor of Science in Office Administration (BSOA) are the future
Administrative Professionals. They are the great support in the administrative function of
any organization. They work in partnership with executives and professionals in different
specializations such as medical, legal and business industries. As students, the program
is providing them courses to realize their academic goals as well as the mission of the
entire University.

Orientation: (Week 1)

• Review of PUP Vision and Mission, Philosophy, Strategic Objectives

(8-Point Agenda) and Shared Values
• CBA Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives and Core Values
• BSOA Objectives
• Job Targets Local and International
• Course Content, Requirements and Expectations

Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate awareness and appreciation of the students to adhere to the vision, goals
and objectives of the College and University.

• Display interest and enthusiasm in the holistic description of the program and job
targets to make plans for future opportunities.

• Appraise the requirements of the course and assume responsibility towards attainment
of the course objectives.

Course Materials:

Vision

Clearing the paths while laying new foundations to transform the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines into an epistemic community.

Mission

Reflective of the great emphasis being given by the country's leadership aimed at providing
appropriate attention to the alleviation of the plight of the poor, the development of the citizens,
and of the national economy to become globally competitive, the University shall commit its
academic resources and manpower to achieve its goals through:

5
 1. Provision of undergraduate and graduate education which meet international standards of
quality and excellence;
2. Generation and transmission of knowledge in the broad range of disciplines relevant and
responsive to the dynamically changing domestic and international environment;
3. Provision of more equitable access to higher education opportunities to deserving and
qualified Filipinos; and
4. Optimization, through efficiency and effectiveness, of social, institutional, and individual
returns and benefits derived from the utilization of higher education resources.

Philosophy

As a state university, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines believes that:

• Education is an instrument for the development of the citizenry and for the enhancement
of nation building;
• Meaningful growth and transformation of the country are best achieved in an atmosphere
of brotherhood, peace, freedom, justice and a nationalist-oriented education imbued with
the spirit of humanist internationalism.

Strategic Objective: 8-Point Agenda

1. Pursuing Academic Excellence through Disciplinal Integrity

2. Embedding a Culture of Research in PUP
3. Assuring Transparency and Participatoriness in Giving Rewards and Sanctions
4. Modernization and Upgrading of Physical Facilities, Equipment, Library and Campus
Development
5. Reconceptualization of Academic Freedom
6. Institutionalizing Civil Society Engagement and Involved Extension Service Program
7. Fiscal Responsibility
8. Assessment of the Institutional Processes and Critical-Rational Review of the Entire
Organization

(View more information on the PUP 8-Point Agenda)

Shared Values

• God-Fearing
• Love for Humanity and Democracy
• Collegiality
• Integrity and Credibility
• Transparency and Accountability
• Passion for Learning
• Humanist Internationalism

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Program Description per CHED Memorandum Order No. 19, series of 2017

The Bachelor of Science in Office Administration is a four-year program that prepares the
students for a career in an outcome-focused, technology rich, professional environment. Courses
in the curriculum are those that will thoroughly familiarize the students with current techniques in
office practice and procedures, developments in office systems and technology, good team-
working and management skills, and application of the principles of human relations and
communications to prepare them to be key players in day-to-day office operations. Lessons in
writing routine reports and correspondence and speaking effectively to employers, employees,
and the general public are provided in selected courses. The BSOA program also trains the
students to work independently without the need for on-site supervision.

BSOA JOB TARGETS LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL JOB TARGETS

LOCAL JOB TARGETS 2019 Job Classification and Salaries Per Year

1. Entry Level Jobs 1. Court Reporter

• Clerk/Encoder • Canada C$43,895
• Stenographer/Transcriber • Singapore S$73,447
• Bookkeeper • United Kingdom UK28,000
• Contact Center Services • United States $90,530
• Customer Relations
• Customer Service Representative 2. Medical Transcriptionist
• Front Desk Specialist/Office Clerk • Canada C$39,000
• Administrative Assistant • Singapore S$32,172
• Legal Secretary • United Kingdom UK23,363
• Human Resource Assistant • United States $32,000
• Accounting Assistant 3. Administrative Professionals
2. Advanced Office Position • Canada C$39,513
• Officer Supervisor/Manager • Singapore S$34,971
• Executive SecretaryExecutive Assistant • United Kingdom UK20,448
• Office Manager/Operation Manager • United States $45,606
• Medical Transcriptionist/Medical Editor 4. Medical Coder
• Healthcare Documentation Specialist • Canada C$45,825
• Paralegal/Legal Secretary • Singapore S$34,971
• Researcher • United Kingdom UK20,448
• Human Resource Officer/Administrator • United States $45,606
3. Specialized Administrative Professionals 5. Medical Billing Clerk
• Court Stenographer/Court Reporter • Canada C$38,956
• Legal Interpreter/Transcriptionist • Singapore S$36,461
• Medical Language Specialist • United Kingdom UK25,000
• Medical Coder/Biller • United States $35,500
• Corporate Secretary
• Corporate Documentation Specialist Source:
4. Entreprenuerial/Self-Employment • https://neuvoo.ca/salar/?job=Court%20Reporter
• Freelance Stenographer • https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/job/medical
transcriptionist/singapore
• Home-based Medical Transcriptionist
• Home-based Administrative Assistant • https://www.indeed.co.uk/m/jobs?q=Administrat
ive+Assistant&I=London
• Owner of Placement Agency
• https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Medical-Coder-
Specializing in Office Administration Salaryhttps://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Medical-
Billing-clerk-Salary

7
 Part 1 – Introduction to Medical Office

Topics: (Week 2)

A. The Medical Office Environment

B. Types of Medical Offices/Healthcare Facilities
• Parts of a Medical Office
C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics student should be able to :

• Familiarize with the office environment to realize the role of the

medical administrative assistant;

• Differentiate and discuss the modern trends in healthcare system

If these are implemented in the country;

• Distinguish the different types, parts and functions of medical offices;

Course Materials:

The BSOA students as future medical administrative professional must be familiar with
the new environment in order to realize their needs in the medical field. They must be informed
of the modern trends in healthcare systems, learn their roles and other personnel’s duties as they
develop their knowledge and skills in the field of medical office administration.

The Medical Office Environment

Working in a medical office means having plenty of opportunities to interact with patients.
The medical office professionals could be the first person patients see as they walk in an office
or clinic. Offering them a smile and a reassuring attitude and it could make all the difference. You
get to offer care and comfort to a diverse patient population and connect them to the professionals
and services that will help them feel better.

If you worked in a medical office, you’d get to work with doctors, nurses, and other
members of the healthcare team—and you’d be an important part of it! Among your
responsibilities might be making appointments, scheduling procedures, and dealing with
insurance companies. If you specialize in medical billing and coding, you will enter the information
patients, doctors, and nurses give you into databases, and organize those databases so they are
easy to use. For all of these jobs, you have to make sure the information is accurate or caregivers
can’t treat their patients correctly. You will also have to stay up-to-date on laws that affect medical
data entry and confidentiality.

8
 Because data entry is so important in modern medical offices, much of your job will involve
working on a computer. You will have to know how to use electronic health records programs, as
well as word processors and spreadsheets. You’ll need to know about the patient management
system your facility uses and how to make sure everything entered is accurate and up-to-date.
Computers are used in almost every area of modern healthcare.

C. Hospitals and medical clinics often operate 24 hours a day, and need people on staff at all
times. As a medical office assistant or information specialist, you may work nights or weekends.
If you work in a doctor’s office, though, you’ll probably have more traditional hours. It all depends
on your specific clinic or healthcare facility. Below are the different types of healthcare facilities.

1. Hospitals

Hospitals are the most common work environment for healthcare professionals. There
are many different kinds of hospitals. Hospitals are classified by their number of licensed
beds, ranging from as little as 10 in a small community, to over 1,000 in a metropolitan
area. Different hospitals provide different services, and many specialize in certain areas
such as trauma or cardiac care. Hospitals also differ by financial status (non-profit vs.
for-profit), and by their ownership (corporation- vs. government-owned). There are also
academic hospitals, military hospitals, and more.

2. Medical Offices

Many healthcare professionals want to work in a more comfortable, smaller, more intimate
environment, and as such prefer working in a medical office. Another advantage of
medical offices: they usually don't require as many evening or weekend hours as hospitals.
Medical offices may be run by hospitals as an external branch, or they may be owned and
operated by a physician. As with other environments, every medical office is different, and
will have a unique set of features and characteristics.

3. Government Organizations

A large number of medical professionals work for government organizations and agencies,
in both clinical and non-clinical capacities. Many people who want to work in the medical
field also feel a strong desire to give back to their country and help their fellow countrymen.
These individuals may find a medical role in a government agency to be a perfect fit.

4. Non-Profit Organizations

Rather than working for profit, these organizations exist to achieve a mission or fight for a
cause. Many healthcare professionals find it very rewarding to work for such an altruistic
purpose. However, non-profit organizations may sometimes struggle to raise funds to
support their operations, and workers may be affected by this struggle. Many well-
established organizations don't experience this problem; it varies by the organization.

5. Educational Institutions

Medical professionals are needed in all sectors of the education system, from K12 schools
to universities, teaching hospitals, health centers, and university medical centers. Some
common medical jobs at educational institutions include: school nurse, behavior therapist,

9
 speech therapist, audiologist, mental health professionals, school counselors, and
medical school professors.

5. Military Organizations

All military branches (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) need
qualified medical staff in their ranks. There are advantages and disadvantages to working
for the military. On the plus side, it's quite common for the military to pay for your medical
education and training, in part or in full. You'd get to work as a doctor, nurse, allied health
professional, or pharmacist in any of a wide range of dynamic environments. On the down
side, you must be willing and able to live anywhere the military needs you to, even
overseas or in war zones.

6. Hospice Facilities

Hospice (also called palliative care) is the branch of healthcare servicing the most
seriously ill of all patients. This includes terminally ill (near death) patients for whom all
treatment options have been exhausted. The purpose of hospice is not to treat the illness
itself--the illness cannot be treated. The purpose of hospice is to provide the patient with
as much comfort, dignity, and independence as possible.

7. Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities

Patients who are unable to care for themselves are placed in nursing homes or long-term
care facilities. This may be the result of advanced age, serious illness, infirmity, or trauma.
Patients in these environments need assistance with most, if not all, aspects of their basic
daily care, such as dressing, feeding, and bathing. These facilities therefore need a large
number of assistants on hand to help with the many tasks of caregiving, many of which
are quite labor-intensive. Nursing homes and long-term care facilities hire many different
types of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, administrators, pharmacists,
and nursing aides, among others.

Medical Terminologies:

Physician – a medical doctor or simply doctor, a professional who practices medicine;

Healthcare – is an industry, the system by which people get the health care they need;

Health care – (two words) refers to provider; are the specific things that physicians do, like see a
patient or prescribe a medication.

Health Facilities – are places that provide health care.

www.https://language solutions.com

10
Parts of a Medical Office

1. Front Desk and Waiting Room is a term used for the reception area in a medical office. This is
the first and last area clients/patients visits in a medical office. Some medical office has waiting
rooms for patients waiting for their appointment time with the doctor. But the usual set-up is
that the waiting area is adjacent to the front desk.

2. Private Patient Registration Area. Many practices are opting for a second patient registration
area that offers more privacy for check-in, payment, and connection of the medical and social
histories.

3. Medical Storage Room. This room is used to store medical records or current patient charts.
The location should be accessible to the business area or private patient registration area.

4. Primary Care Exam Room. This is an examination room for the physician and the patients.
But now physician has adopted a more consultative relationship between patient and
physician, more patients are bringing a family member along to help them remember what the
physician has to say, so the examination rooms nowadays are larger than before.

5. Clinical Laboratory. This is a medical laboratory wherein clinical pathology tests are carried
out on clinical specimens such as blood or urine and the results are then analyzed to obtain
information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of
disease.

6. The Physician’s Private Office. This is the office of the physicians wherein he/she meets
privately with the patients, patient’s family member and/or visitors.

7. Treatment Room. This is a room that is designed for providing physical treatment of a patient.

8. Diagnostic Room –This is the room where medical staff use specialized equipment such as
X-ray machine, CT scan, Cat scan, etc. to diagnose a patient’s medical condition.

9. Special Procedure Room or Surgery Room – Some medical offices have this type of room for
surgeries of patients or therapeutic procedures, including bronchoscopy, pain procedures,
gastrointestinal endoscopy, motility etc.

10. Staff Lunch and Break Rooms. This is where the employees of a medical office gather or
spend their time for lunch break or simply break time.

C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System

Now is a great time to look at what is currently going on in the world of healthcare. Many
of the trends that we see today may be predictors of what is coming in the near future.
Here are five current trends in healthcare that are shaping the industry:

1. Getting social. Not only are healthcare providers and brands becoming more active on social
channels, with doctors reporting that social media helps improve their quality of care, but
organizations have also begun using tools to reach out to the community. Small things can have

11
a big impact on overall health, so if organizations can reach people at their level to ensure they’re
taking medications correctly and eating healthy diets, everyone wins.

2. Putting patients first. Providing the best possible assistance to our patients is our priority. To
do this we should monitor daily the needs (acuity) of patients on each ward to ensure there are
sufficient numbers of trained nurses and nursing assistants at all times. This ensures that staff
have time to listen to patients and relatives, and to deliver safe, responsive care. This also means
that patients and their relatives know that they have regular opportunities to speak with staff if
they wish to.

3. Digitalization of healthcare. In medical office a digital transformation is finally coming to

fruition. New technologies, such as patient-focused Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
solutions have helped improve patient satisfaction and the overall level of care. This data
aggregation may also help organizations cut costs by identifying and treating patients’ health
issues. For example, real-time data analytics can give doctors a snapshot of a patient’s health
that can lead to early intervention instead of advanced disease treatment.

4. Telemedicine. It refers to the practice of caring for patients remotely when the provider and
patient are not physically present with each other. Modern technology has enabled doctors to
used compliant video-conferencing tools. Healthcare organizations are starting to use
telemedicine to help them expand. Medical Organizations have integrated telemedicine to treat
patients in its rural areas.

5. Addiction treatment. We can be sure that addiction treatment will continue to be a large focus
in the healthcare industry. Family practitioners today are more educated on the signs and
symptoms of addiction, and prescriptions for addictive drugs are slowly beginning to decline.

Introduction to Medical Assisting and Similar Careers. (2019). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://NursingAssistantGuides.com

Activities/Assessment:

1. Write a reflection paper about the topics given to you for at least 100 words. You
will write the learnings that impact your personality and goals in life.
Format will be in short bond paper, Arial and Font size 11, single spacing and double
spacing after every paragraph. Handwritten is acceptable, please write legibly.

2. Answer Quiz No. 1

12
Quiz #1
Instruction: Fill-in the blanks.
1. ____________ is a four-year degree program. 11. The ____________________could be
the first person patients interact with.
2._____________ health-care facility that is 12. ________________ is an industry, the
smaller and more intimate. system by which people get the health care
they need;
3. _____________ are classified by their 13. _________________ technology used
number of licensed beds. in almost every area of modern healthcare
4. ______________ are medical doctors or 14. ______________ are places that
simply doctors. provide health care.

5.________________ is an instrument for the 15. _______________________ is a room

development of the citizenry and for the
enhancement of nation building.
6. _____________is the branch of healthcare
servicing the most seriously ill of all patients
7. ____________ are the most common work
environment for healthcare professionals
8. _______________ new technology that
helped improve patient satisfaction and the
overall level of care.
9. _________________ refers to the specific
things that physicians do
10. ____________________ refers to the
practice of caring patients remotely.
used to keep records of patients.
16. ___________________ is a place
where clinical pathology tests are carried
out on specimens such as blood or urine.
17.________________ a room where
medical staff used specialized equipment
such as x-ray machine.
18. _________________ is a room that is
designed for providing physical treatment
to a patient.
19. __________________ this is first and
last area clients visit in a medical office.
20. _________________ this is the room
for surgeries and therapeutic procedures.

13
Part 1 – Introduction to Medical Office Environment

Topics: Week 3

D. Medical Specialties

E. Practice Types

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics student should be able to:

• Describe the different medical health professionals through their specializations.

• Analyze the practice types of health professionals to determine the scope of the roles
of the administrative professionals.

• Integrate the learnings in the preparation of medical documents and reports.

Course Materials:

D. Medical Specialties

Most doctors have extra expertise in one type of medicine or another. In fact, there are several
hundred medical specialties and subspecialties. Here are the most common types of doctors you'll
likely see.

Allergists/Immunologists. They treat immune system disorders such as asthma, eczema, food
allergies, insect sting allergies, and some autoimmune diseases.

Anesthesiologists. These doctors give you drugs to numb your pain or to put you under during
surgery, childbirth, or other procedures. They monitor your vital signs while you’re under
anesthesia.

Cardiologists. They’re experts on the heart and blood vessels. You might see them for heart
failure, a heart attack, high blood pressure, or an irregular heartbeat.

Colon and Rectal Surgeons. You would see these doctors for problems with your small
intestine, colon, and bottom. They can treat colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and inflammatory bowel
disease. They also can do a colonoscopy and other tests for colon cancer.

Critical Care Medicine Specialists. They care for people who are critically ill or injured. You
might see them if your heart or other organs are failing or if you’ve been in an accident.

Endocrinologists. These are experts on hormones and metabolism. They can treat conditions
like diabetes, thyroid problems, infertility, and calcium and bone disorders.

14
Emergency Medicine Specialists. These doctors make life-or-death decisions for sick and
injured people, usually in an emergency room. Their job is to save lives and to avoid or lower the
chances of disability.

Family Physicians. They care for the whole family, including children, adults, and the elderly.
They do routine checkups and screening tests, give you flu and immunization shots, and manage
diabetes and other ongoing medical conditions.

Gastroenterologists. They’re specialists in digestive organs, including the stomach, bowels,

pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. You might see them for abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea,
jaundice, or cancers in your digestive organs.

Geriatric Medicine Specialists. These doctors care for the elderly. They can treat people in
their homes, doctors' offices, nursing homes, assisted-living centers, and hospitals.

Hematologists. These are specialists in diseases of the blood, spleen, and lymph glands, like
sickle cell disease, anemia, hemophilia, and leukemia.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Specialists. They work with people who are nearing death.
They’re experts in pain management. They work with a team of other doctors to keep up your
quality of life.

Infectious Disease Specialists. They diagnose and treat infections in any part of your body,
like fevers, Lyme disease, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and HIV and AIDS. Some of them specialize
in preventive medicine or travel medicine.

Internists. These primary-care doctors treat both common and complex illnesses, usually only
in adults. You’ll likely visit them or your family doctor first for any condition. Internists often have
advanced training in a host of subspecialties, like heart disease, cancer, or adolescent or sleep
medicine.

Medical Geneticists. They diagnose and treat hereditary disorders passed down from parents
to children. These doctors may also offer genetic counseling and screening tests.\

Nephrologists. They treat kidney diseases as well as high blood pressure and fluid and mineral
imbalances linked to kidney disease.

Neurologists. These are specialists in the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord,
and nerves. They treat strokes, brain and spinal tumors, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and
Alzheimer's disease.

Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Often called OB/GYNs, these doctors focus on women's
health, including pregnancy and childbirth. They do Pap smears, pelvic exams, and pregnancy
checkups. OB/GYNs are trained in both areas. But some of them may focus on women's
reproductive health (gynecologists), and others specialize in caring for pregnant women
(obstetricians).

Oncologists. These internists are cancer specialists. They do chemotherapy treatments and
often work with radiation oncologists and surgeons to care for someone with cancer.

15
Ophthalmologists. You call them eye doctors. They can prescribe glasses or contact lenses
and diagnose and treat diseases like glaucoma. Unlike optometrists, they’re medical doctors who
can treat every kind of eye condition as well as operate on the eyes.

Osteopaths. Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO) are fully licensed medical doctors just like
MDs. Their training stresses a “whole body” approach. Osteopaths use the latest medical
technology but also the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Otolaryngologists. They treat diseases in the ears, nose, throat, sinuses, head, neck, and
respiratory system. They also can do reconstructive and plastic surgery on your head and neck.

Pathologists. These lab doctors identify the causes of diseases by examining body tissues and
fluids under microscopes.

Pediatricians. They care for children from birth to young adulthood. Some pediatricians
specialize in pre-teens and teens, child abuse, or children's developmental issues.

Physiatrists. These specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation treat neck or back pain
and sports or spinal cord injuries as well as other disabilities caused by accidents or diseases.

Plastic Surgeons. You might call them cosmetic surgeons. They rebuild or repair your skin,
face, hands, breasts, or body. That can happen after an injury or disease or for cosmetic reasons.

Podiatrists. They care for problems in your ankles and feet. That can include injuries from
accidents or sports or from ongoing health conditions like diabetes. Some podiatrists have
advanced training in other subspecialties of the foot.

Preventive Medicine Specialists. They focus on keeping you well. They may work in public
health or at hospitals. Some focus on treating people with addictions, illnesses from exposure to
drugs, chemicals, and poisons, and other areas.

Psychiatrists. These doctors work with people with mental, emotional, or addictive disorders.
They can diagnose and treat depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and
sexual and gender identity issues. Some psychiatrists focus on children, adolescents, or the
elderly.

Pulmonologists. You would see these specialists for problems like lung cancer, pneumonia,
asthma, emphysema, and trouble sleeping caused by breathing issues.

Radiologists. They use X-rays, ultrasound, and other imaging tests to diagnose diseases. They
can also specialize in radiation oncology to treat conditions like cancer.

Rheumatologists. They specialize in arthritis and other diseases in your joints, muscles, bones,
and tendons. You might see them for your osteoporosis (weak bones), back pain, gout, tendinitis
from sports or repetitive injuries, and fibromyalgia.

Sleep Medicine Specialists. They find and treat causes behind your poor sleep. They may have
sleep labs or give you take-home tests to chart your sleep-wake patterns.

Sports Medicine Specialists. These doctors diagnose, treat, and prevent injuries related to
sports and exercise.

16
General Surgeons. These doctors can operate on all parts of your body. They can take out
tumors, appendices, or gallbladders and repair hernias. Many surgeons have subspecialties, like
cancer, hand, or vascular surgery.

Urologists. These are surgeons who care for men and women for problems in the urinary tract,
like a leaky bladder. They also treat male infertility and do prostate exams.

Whitbourne, K. (2018, January 19). What Are the Different Types of Doctors? Retrieved
November 18, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/insurance-doctor-types#1

E. Practice Types

Physicians have a lot of decisions to make when thinking of where they want to practice
medicine. These range from geographical location to type of practice. Focusing on the latter, there
are five types of medical practices for doctors to choose from. Let’s take a look at each, along
with a few of their benefits and drawbacks.

1. Private Practice. In private practice, a physician practices alone without any partners and
typically with minimal support staff. Physicians may choose to work in private practice for the
benefits of individual freedom, closer relationships with patients, and the ability to set their own
practice’s growth pattern. However, the drawbacks of working independently in this way include
longer work hours. It also includes financial extremes, and a greater amount of business risk.

2. Group Practice. A group practice involves two or more physicians who all provide medical
care within the same facility. They utilize the same personnel and divide the income in a manner
previously agreed upon by the group. Group practices may consist of providers from a single
specialty or multiple specialties. Physicians working in a group practice experience the benefits
of shorter work hours, built-in on-call coverage, and access to more working capital. All of these
factors can lead to less stress. The drawbacks include less individual freedom, limits on the ability
to rapidly grow income, and the need for a consensus on business decisions.

3. Large HMOs. Physicians in this practice provide medical services to beneficiaries or members
of their specific HMO. A health maintenance organization, or HMO, employs providers to care for
their members and beneficiaries. The goal of HMOS is to decrease medical costs for those
consumers.

4. Hospital Based. In hospital based work, physicians earn a predictable income, have a regular
patient base, and a solid referral network. The benefits of working for a hospital include a regular
work schedule, low to no business and legal risk, and a steady flow of income. On the other hand,
there are drawbacks, such as a relative lack of physician autonomy. Also, employee constraints
and the expectation that physicians become involved in hospital committee work can be
drawbacks.

5. Locum Tenens
Locum tenens is derived from the Latin phrase for “to hold the place of.” In locum tenens,
physicians re-home to areas hurting for healthcare professionals. This type of practice has been
around since the last 1970s. These types of positions offer temporary employment and may offer
higher pay than more permanent employment situations. Physicians working in locum tenens

17
scenarios enjoy the benefits of variety and the ability to experience numerous types of practices
and geographic locations. Also, they enjoy schedule flexibility and lower living costs. The
drawbacks of locum tenens work include the possibility that benefits are not included, and a
potential lack of steady work. Also, locum tenens physicians need to regularly uproot their
families.

There are a number of options for the types of practices that physicians can choose to
work in. Again, each of these feature a unique set of benefits and drawbacks. When deciding
what type of practice to work in, it’s important for physicians to consider their own personality and
preferences.

Meyer, c. (2019, February 9). 5 Current Trends in Healthcare. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://tincture.io/5-current-trends-in-healthcare-213dc1ba6686

Activities/Assessments:

1. Write a reflection paper below about the topics given to you for at least 100 words. You
will write the learnings that impact your personality and goals in life. Please write legibly.

2. Answer Quiz No. 2.

18
Quiz No. 2.

Quiz #2
Instruction: Fill-in the blanks.
1. ___________________a physician practices 11. _______________________ These
alone without any partners and typically with doctors work with people with mental,
minimal support staf emotional, or addictive disorders.
2._____________ These are surgeons who care 12. ________________ You call them eye
for men and women for problems in the urinary doctors.
tract.
3. ________________ They care for children 13. _________________ They treat
from birth to young adulthood. immune system disorders such as asthma
4. ______________ These doctors diagnose, 14. ______________ They care for
treat, and prevent injuries related to sports and problems in your ankles and feet.
exercise.
5.________________ doctors who experts on 15. ______________________ They treat
the heart and blood vessels. diseases in the ears, nose, throat, sinuses,
head, neck, and respiratory system
6. ___________________ These are specialists 16. ___________________ They treat
in the nervous system. kidney diseases as well as high blood
pressure
7. ____________ practice involves two or more 17.________________ These are experts
physicians who all provide medical care within on hormones and metabolism.
the same facility.
8. _______________ They’re specialists in 18. ___________________________
digestive organs. These doctors focus on women's health,
including pregnancy and childbirth
9. _________________ These internists are 19. ________________________ These
cancer specialists. doctors can operate on all parts of your
body.
10. ____________________ physicians who 20. _________________ They specialize
earn a predictable income, have a regular patient in arthritis and other diseases in your joints,
base, and a solid referral network. muscles, bones, and tendons

19
Part 1 – Introduction to Medical Office

The physician or healthcare provider is usually the owner of the medical practice and
always the boss. The physician has the best interest of his practice and patients as his primary
concern. The physician also determines the culture of the practice and the resulting interaction
among the staff.

The following topics provides the functions of the personnel in a medical office and defines
the duties and responsibilities of the medical office professionals.

Topics: Week 4

F. The Personnel in the Medical Office

G. The Administrative Medical Assistant’s Tasks, Skills, Personal Attributes

and Work Ethic

• Duties and Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, student should be able to:

• Identify the personnel according to their functions in the medical office.

• Define the tasks required to perform the duties and responsibilities of medical office
professionals.

• Demonstrate personal attributes and work ethics that a medical office professionals
must develop.

• Develop skills that medical office professionals should posses.

Course Materials:

F. The Personnel in the Medical Office

The physician or healthcare provider is usually the owner of the medical practice and
always the boss. The physician has the best interest of his practice and patients as his primary
concern. They also determine the culture of the practice and the resulting interaction among the
staff.

20
 There are two distinct groups of personnel in a healthcare facility that perform different
functions of medical care to patients/clients and other stakeholders. They are the Administrative
Staff and Clinical Staff.

1. Administrative Staff

They provide supportive services to clinical staff and to the organization, including
management, finance, billing, human resources, health information technology, regulatory
reporting, business development, marketing, risk management, and quality improvement.

Administrative staff of a medical office are the following:

a. The Medical Office Receptionist. They are the frontliners of a medical office. Their
tasks includes scheduling appointments and listening to clients well and
communicating in a positive and confident manner with those over the phone or clients
in the reception area. Excellent communication skills and customer service skills and
multitasking associated with operating the ‘front desk’ of an office are the skills that a
medical receptionist must have.

b. Medical Coders. They rely on their knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and
physiology, diagnosis, and procedures to translate medical documentation into
standardized codes. Medical coding is a major factor in obtaining insurance
reimbursement as well as maintaining patient records.

c. Medical Billers. The are responsible for the timely submission of technical or
professional medical claims to insurance companies including physician offices,
hospitals, nursing homes, or other healthcare facilities.

d. Medical Office Manager. They are both responsible for both the clinical and/or non-
clinical aspects of the day-to-day operations in a medical office environment. Some
medical office managers may have a clinical background such as nursing, but more
often, medical office managers work their way up into a management role from
another non-clinical office job such as medical billing or another position. A medical
office manager must have a high emotional intelligence as he/she is often at the center
of concerns between other employers and keeps all the various departments running
effectively and efficiently, from the front office to the back office. He/she helps
coordinate the staffing of the office, scheduling, and office policies and procedures.

2. Clinical Staff

Functions carried out by clinical staff include medical care, behavioural and mental health
care and integration, health education, referral management, population health management,
self-management support, medication management, communication management, referral to
specialty care with follow-up, and connecting patients to community resources.

21
Clinical Staff of a medical office includes the following:

a. Medical Office Assistants. MAs perform both administrative and clinical tasks within
a medical setting alongside a physician or other medical professional. They help with
some of the basic aspects of patient care such as obtaining vital signs, cleaning exam
rooms between patients, taking blood, giving injections, and assisting with other minor
procedures. They are trained in standard clinical laboratory procedures and perform
venepuncture, injections, electrocardiograms, measurement of vital signs, and more.

b. Physical Assistants. They are known as “physician extenders” or mid-level

providers because they can fill many of the same duties as physicians. Pas are
licensed health professionals who practice medicine with physician supervision. They
can diagnose and treat illnesses and can also treat patients and write prescriptions.

c. Primary Care Physicians. They are the point of first contact. This group of
specialties classically includes family medicine, internal medicine, and paediatrics.
Primary care physicians treat patients with “undifferentiated” health concerns and
must diagnosed patients based on signs, symptoms, and clinical history.

d. Nurse Practitioner. They are licensed health professionals who can diagnose and
treat health care conditions that fall within their specialty and can prescribe
medications. NP training places particular emphasis on care management,
preventive care and patient education.

e. Nurses. Nurses of all types and levels of education and experience are needed in a
variety of roles to help manage patients in an office or clinic setting. Nurses provides
patient care by conducting patient assessments, administering treatment and
medications, performing diagnostic tests, and arranging patient follow-up.

f. Medical Technologies. They are skilled health professional who tests and analyses
blood, other body fluids, and tissue samples. MedTechs are responsible for operating
and maintaining the equipment used to analyse specimens and ensuring that tests
are completed in a correct and timely manner.

g. Licensed Pharmacists. They dispensed medications and other remedies to patients,

and advise clincians and patients on the sage and effective use of medications.

G. Administrative Medical Assistant Tasks, Skills, and Personal Attributes

Medical Assistants are medical office professionals who capably perform a number of
tasks in a wide variety of settings. Administrative tasks are those procedures used to keep the
offices in medical practices running efficiently. Clinical Tasks are those procedures the medical
assistant may perform to aid the physician in the medical treatment of a patient. A comprehensive
list of the administrative and clinical tasks and skills required of the medical assistant is discussed
in this module.

22
➢ Administrative Medical Assisting Tasks

The administrative medical assistant is a professional office worker dedicated to assisting

to assisting in the care of patients. To effectively perform all the required tasks, an assistant must
be proficient in a number of skills. The major categories of tasks performed by an administrative
medical assistant are:

▪ Front Desk Procedures

▪ Scheduling Appointments
▪ Records Management
▪ Administrative Duties
▪ Billing and Insurance

Front Desk. The administrative medical assistant greets patients and other visitors, such as
family members. The assistant also verifies personal data about patients, explains the fees that
will be charged for services, collects payments, and guides patients through their medical office
encounters.

Scheduling Appointments. The administrative medical assistant answers telephone; schedules

appointments, either by phone or in person; and forwards telephone calls according to office
procedures.

Records Management. The administrative assistant opens and sorts incoming mail, composes
routine correspondence, and transcribes physicians’ dictation. The assistant also maintains the
physicians’ schedules which involves keeping track of the time required for office encounters with
patients, meetings, and conferences as well as coordinating patients’ hospital admissions and
surgical procedures.

Billing and Insurance. The administrative medical assistant codes or verifies codes for
diagnoses and procedures; processes and follows up on insurance claims and patients’ bills;
assists with banking duties; and guides patients to available financial arrangements for payment;
and maintains financial records.

➢ Administrative Medical Assisting Skills

The work of an administrative medical assistant, which requires many technical and
personal skills, is interesting and varied. The administrative medical assisting skills are as follows:

Communication Skills. The assistant must understand and use correct English grammar, style,
punctuation, and spelling in both writing and speaking. These skills enable the assistant to handle
correspondence, medical records, and transcription, and to interact well with other staff members,
patients, and other medical personnel.

Mathematics Skills. The assistant must have good math skills to be able to maintain correct
financial records, bill patients, and order and arrange payment for office supplies.

Organizational Skills. Controlling the sometimes hectic pace of work requires the assistant to
have the skills of managing time and priorities. Systematic work habits, the willingness to take
care of details, and ability to handle several tasks at the same time are essential. Scheduling,
updating and maintaining records, and keeping an orderly office require strong organization skills.

23
Computer Skills. A basic understanding of technologies and the ability to use computers with
mastery are essential workplace skills. Computers are used in every kind of health care setting
for many different tasks. Computer programs handle word processing, financial spreadsheets,
databases, and charts and visuals for speeches and presentations. With these programs, the
assistant may handle billing, scheduling, account updating, records management, and other
tasks.

Wireless technologies allow health care providers professionals who are away from their
offices or hospitals to contact staff members and computers from any distance. Voice-recognition
technology enables the physician to dictate notes using voice commands. The use of e-mail to
communicate is as widespread as telephone communication, both within the medical practice and
among medical practices, hospitals, and insurance companies.

Interpersonal Skills. Excellent interpersonal skills often come from a genuine desire work with
people. This desire and these interpersonal skills are essential for the administrative medical
assistant, who is usually the patient’s visit and influences the patient’s opinion of the physician
and the practice.

The assistant skilled in positive communication with patients is warm, open, and friendly.
Patients appreciate attention and concern for their schedules and their comfort. Effective
interpersonal skills involve looking directly at the person being spoken to, speaking slowly and
clearly, and listening carefully. Respect for and openness to the other person are often shown by
a pleasant facial expression and a genuine, natural smile. At the heart of interpersonal skills is
sensitively to the feelings and situations of other people.

➢ Administrative Medical Assisting Personal Attributes and Work Ethics

In addition to essential office skills, the success of the administrative medical assistant
depends on a positive attitude toward work and a cheerful personality. Personality has been
defined as the outward evidence of a person’s character. Many aspects of personality are
important in dealing with patients and other medical professionals.

Because patients entering a health care setting may be anxious, fearful, or unwell, most
of them value a friendly, pleasant personality as the most important attribute of a medical
assistant. The qualities discussed here are components of a pleasing personality and are useful
professional and personal skills.

Genuine Liking for People. A genuine enjoyment of people and a desire to help them are keys
to success in a medical assisting career. These qualities are expressed in the way you
communicate with people through speech and in your body language.

Because patients may sometimes worry that they will be viewed only as numbers and
notes on their patient charts, it is important that they feel recognized as individuals. In
communicating with patients, your warmth and attentiveness help to reassure patients and signal
your desire to help.

Looking directly at the patient and listening with attention communicate acceptance of the
person. A pleasant facial expression, a natural smile, and a relaxed rather than rigid body posture
are all body language signs that express openness and acceptance.

24
 While these qualities are critical in dealing with patients, they are also attributes that
contribute to a spirit of cooperation with associates and managers.

Cheerfulness. The ability to be pleasant and friendly is an asset in any career. Lifting patient’s
spirit helps build goodwill between them and the physician. A pleasant assistant can frequently
head off difficulties that occur when patients become worried, anxious, or irritable.

Empathy. It is sensitivity to the feelings of others. Empathy enables you to understand how a
patient feels because you can mentally put yourself in the patient’s situation. Everyone has had
some personal experience with an illness or with not feeling perfectly well. Reminding yourself of
how you felt and of how you wanted to be treated in that situation will help you treat patients with
kindness.

➢ Work Ethic and Professionalism

Positive personality traits are developed into habits and skills that help the administrative medical
assistant deal effectively with tasks and with people. These habits, which form a work ethic,
greatly enhance employee’s value in any medical work setting.

Accuracy. Because even a minor error may have consequences for a patient’s health,
physicians rank accuracy as the most important employee trait. The physician counts on the
assistant to perform tasks with complete correctness, including constant attention to detail.

Thoroughness. The careful and complete attention to detail required for accuracy is known as
thoroughness. The thorough assistant produces work that is neat, accurate, and complete.
These traits involves:

• Listening attentively.
• Taking ample notes.
• Paying attention to details such as who, when, why, where, and how.
• Verifying information.
• Following through on details without having to be reminded.

Dependability. The administrative medical assistant who finishes work on schedule, does
required tasks without complaint, even when these may be unpleasant, and always
communicates willingness to help is said to be a dependable employee. Dependability is related
closely to accuracy and thoroughness. The dependable assistant:

• Asks questions and repeats instructions to avoid mistakes.

• Asks for assistance with unfamiliar tasks.
• Enters all data, such as insurance claim information claim and lab values, carefully.
• Takes clear and complete messages.

Efficiency. Using time and other resources to avoid waste and unnecessary effort is defining
mark of efficiency. An efficient administrative medical assistant plans the day’s work in advance,
makes a schedule for completion, and assembles the materials and resources necessary to
complete the tasks. Efficiency also includes the organizational ability to divide large and complex
tasks into smaller, more manageable components.

25
Flexibility. The ability to adapt, to change gears quickly to respond to changing situations,
interruptions, and delays is flexibility. The flexible assistant is able to respond calmly to last-
minute assignments, to meet deadlines under pressure, and to handle several tasks at once. The
ability to grasp new situations and new concepts quickly is an important aspect of flexibility. Being
able to implement new ideas and good suggestions with self-confidence is a mark of flexibility.

Good Judgment. The quality of good judgment involves the ability to use knowledge,
experience, and logic to assess all the aspects of a situation in order to reach a sound decision.
Frequently, good judgment is expressed by the administrative medical assistant who knows when
to make a statement and when to withhold one.

Honesty. Telling the truth is honesty. It is expressed in words and actions. It is the quality that
enables the physician to trust the administrative assistant at all times and in all situations. The
trustworthy assistant understands the serious nature of the physician’s work and the confidential
nature of the patient’s dealings with the physician. The assistant can be trusted not to reveal any
of a patient’s data, any conversations, or any details, which must always remain confidential. The
honest assistant is also quick to report mistakes without attempting to cover them up or to blame
others. Finally honesty is central to the integrity that allows the assistant to effectively represent
the profession.

Initiative. To take action independently is to show initiative. The administrative medical assistant
works with certain routine administrative activities every day. Dealing with these often requires
the assistant to take action without receiving specific instructions from the physician. The
assistant’s ability to move work forward and to resolve issues by using initiative is a valuable skill
in a busy office.

Initiative also involves making unsolicited offers of help that mark a valued employee, one
who goes beyond the job’s regular responsibilities. For example, offering to stay late to help the
physician or coworkers finish extra work is always appreciated. To give patients additional help,
you may offer to telephone for a taxi after an appointment, obtain a wheelchair when needed,
write out instructions, or send a reminder card before the nest appointment.

Problem-Solving Ability. Problem-solving involves logically planning out the steps needed to
accomplish a job. Asking for advice when appropriate and acting wisely also demonstrate the
ability to solve problems effectively. The administrative medical assistant who is adept at solving
problems also has a basic understanding of the goals and requirements of the work environment.

Punctuality. Being on time punctuality is important for the administrative medical assistant
because of the physician’s schedule and the need to complete routine duties before patients
arrive. A medical office is often open for the staff a half hour before patient appointments. It is a
time to be used for planning the day’s work, organizing tasks, and greeting patients who may
arrive before the start of business hours.

Self-Motivation. The quality of self-motivation is expressed by a willingness to learn new duties

or procedures without a requirement to do so. The administrative medical assistant who helps
with work that needs to be done and learns new aspects of job responsibilities is self-motivated.
Alertness is an aspect of self-motivation. This alertness enables the assistant to see and
undertake jobs that need to be done and to anticipate the patient’s and the physician’s needs.

Tact. The ability to speak and act considerably especially in difficult situations, is known as tact.
Working with people in ways that show you are sensitive to their possible reactions helps to

26
achieve the purpose at hand smoothly and without giving offense. Tacful manners and speech
create goodwill with patients and with other staff members.

Being a Member of the Team. Those who have the positive attitude of a team player are
generous with their time, helping other staff members when necessary. A good team player
observes stated office policies and quickly learns the unwritten rules of office life.

Assertiveness. Assertiveness is the ability to step forward to make a point in a confident, positive
manner. Administrative medical assistants who are accurate, dependable, and honest, who
understand and perform tasks with intelligence and good judgment, are confident employees.
Assertiveness assumes that the assistant not only is competent but also has established cordial
and cooperative working relationships.

Professional Image. Few professionals are as much respected as the medical profession. It is
a profession that has an image of health, cleanliness, and wholesomeness. If you choose to work
in a health care setting, your appearance and bearing must reflect this image. Patients expect
your positive personality and pleasing manner to be reflected in your appearance through
healthful habits, good grooming, and appropriate dress. In the workplace, however, you reflect
not your own personal vision but the employer’s preferences about how the practice should be
seen by patients and the community.

➢ The Medical Assistant / Duties and Responsibilities

Medical assistants provide a variety of technical, clerical, receptionist, and patient care
services under the supervision of nurses or medical practitioners. While the exact scope of their
responsibilities may vary depending on the size of the hospital, medical facility, or practice,
medical assistants generally support practitioners and other members of health care team by
gathering patient medical history, taking and recording vital sign information, and occasionally
assisting with minor, office-based procedures. Medical assistants are essential to delivering high-
quality patient care.

Medical Assistant Job Responsibilities:

1. Helps patients by providing information, services, and assistance.

2. Maintains medical supplies inventory and performing preventive maintenance to
keep medical equipment operating.
3. Verifies patient information by interviewing patient, recording medical history, and
confirming purpose of visit.
4. Prepares patients for examination by performing preliminary physical tests; taking
blood pressure, weight, and temperature; and reporting patient history summary.
5. Saves doctors’ time by helping with office procedures.
6. Secures patient information and maintains patient confidence by completing and
safeguarding medical records; completing diagnostic coding and procedure coding;
and keeping patient information confidential.
7. Counsels patients by transmitting physician’s orders and questions about surgery.
8. Schedules surgeries by making arrangements with the surgical center; verifying
times with patients; and preparing charts and pre-admission and consent forms.
9. Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing and following
standards and procedures and complying with legal regulations.
10. Keeps supplies ready by inventorying stock, placing orders, and verifying receipt.

27
 11. Keeps equipment operating by following operating instructions, troubleshooting
breakdowns, maintaining supplies, performing preventive maintenance, and calling
for repairs.
12. Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities and reading
professional publications.
13. Serves and protects the practice by adhering to professional standards; facility
policies and procedures; and federal, state, and local requirements.
14. Enhances practice reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and
different requests, and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

Activities/Assessments:

1. Answer the following questions on the space provided below:

a. Discuss the qualities and skills that are needed by the assistant who is
responsible for the front desk. Why are these critical skills?

b. How do medical assistants show their care and concern for patients.

28
 2. Answer Quiz No. 3.

Quiz No. 3
Instruction: Fill-in the blanks.
1. ________________ medical personnel who 11. ____________________ assistant is
translates medical documentation into able to respond calmly to last-minute
standardized codes. assignments, to meet deadlines under
pressure
.
2._____________ These skills enable the
assistant to handle correspondence, medical 12. ________________
records, and transcription, and to interact well
with other staff members, patients, and other They are the frontliners of a medical office
medical personnel.
3. _____________ skills to be able to maintain 13. _________________ skills often come
correct financial records, bill patients, and order from a genuine desire work with people.
and arrange payment for office supplies.
4. ______________ includes the ability to divide 14. ______________ Lifting patient’s spirit
large and complex tasks into smaller, more helps build goodwill between them and the
manageable components. physician.
5.________________ The careful and complete 15. ____________________ the ability to
attention to detail required for accuracy use knowledge, experience, and logic to
assess all the aspects of a situation in order
to reach a sound decision.
6. _____________ 16. ___________________ A medical
The ability to speak and act considerably office is often open for the staff a half hour
especially in difficult situations before patient appointments.
7. ___________________ They are both 17.________________ perform both
responsible for both the clinical and/or non- administrative and clinical tasks within
clinical aspects of the day-to-day operations in a a medical setting alongside a physician or
medical office environment. other medical professional
8. _______________ is the ability to step forward 18. _________________ The physician
to make a point in a confident, positive manner. counts on the assistant to perform tasks
with complete correctness, including
constant attention to detail.
9. _________________ They are the point of first 19. __________________ They are skilled
contact health professional who tests and analyses
blood, other body fluids, and tissue
samples
10. ____________________ enables you to 20. _________________ It is the quality
understand how a patient feels because you can that enables the physician to trust the
mentally put yourself in the patient’s situation. administrative assistant at all times and in
all situations

29
Module 1 – Week 5

All professions, as well as people’s lives, are governed by standards of conduct. The
standards of conduct that grow out of one’s understanding of right and wrong are known as ethics.
The medical ethics that govern the health care professions are usually found in written policies or
codes for each profession. These standards are not laws. A person acting within the law may
nevertheless do something that is not ethical. A person may also do something right, or ethical,
and at the same time may break the law. Ethics are statements of right and wrong behaviors that
hold members of the profession to a high degree of behavior.

Topics:

H. Ethics and Law for the Medical Assistants

I. Interacting With Patients

Objectives:

• Define the role of the medical administrative assistant with respect to the
Practice of the medical profession.
• Familiarize with the fundamental principles to guide the physician in the
Practice of their profession in the Philippine settings.
• Develop respect to the rights of the patients and family relatives.
• Discuss the AAMA Code of Ethics for Medical Administrative Assistants.

Course Materials:

H. Ethics and Law for the Medical Assistants

The Medical Assistant’s Ethical Responsibility

The medical assistants, in their role and within the boundaries of their job responsibilities,
are also required to treat patients, with respect to maintain confidentiality, to improve knowledge
and skills, and to contribute to the community. In addition, they are advised to merit the respect
of the public and of the medical profession.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Code of Ethics of Medical
Profession, has stated the fundamental principles in Article I, Section 1, to guide the physicians
in the practice of their profession. In this respect, medical administrative assistant must be familiar
and give importance to the principles as personnel in the practice of the medical profession.

Article 1, Section 1. The fundamental principles to guide the physicians in the practice of
their profession.

30
1.1. Principle of Respect for Life. The right to life is inviolable. Life is a necessary condition for
all other human goods. It must be protected and fostered at all its stages beginning from
conception to its natural end.

1.2. Principle of Respect for Person. Every person has an intrinsic worth and dignity. Trust
shall be central to the physician-patient relationship. Physicians shall respect patient
autonomy.

1.3. Principle of social justice. All patients have a right to basic healthcare and a just process
in the allocation of resources.

1.4. Principle of Beneficence. The interest of the patient shall be placed above those of the
physician. Societal pressures, financial gains and administrative exigencies shall not
compromise this principle.

1.5. Primum Non Nocere. The foremost responsibility of the physician is to do no harm to the
patient.

https://www.philippinemedicalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Code-of-Ethics-of-
Medical-Profession.pdf

Most other associations that regulate health care professions also have stated codes of
ethics to set levels of competence and patient care. The American Association of Medical
Assistants (AAMA) has developed the Code of Ethics and Creed as stated herein. Because the
administrative medical assistant is considered an agent of the physician while performing tasks
related to employment, the AAMA code is based on American Medical Association (AMA)
Standards.

The creed emphasizes the qualities of effectiveness, loyalty, compassion, courage, and faith.

AAMA Code of Ethics for Medical Assistants

The AAMA Code of Ethics for medical assistants sets forth principles of ethical and moral
conduct as they relate to the medical profession and the particular practice of medical assisting.
Members of the AAMA dedicated to the conscientious pursuit of their profession, and thus
desiring to merit the high regard of the entire medical profession and the respect of the general
public which they serve, do pledge themselves to strive always to:

A. Render service with full respect for the dignity of humanity.

B. Respect confidential information obtained through employment unless legally authorized
or required by responsible performance of duty to divulge such information.
C. Uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accept its disciplines.
D. Seek to continually improve the knowledge and skills of medical assistants for the benefit
of patients and professional colleagues.
E. Participate in additional service activities aimed toward improving the health and well-
being of the community.

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 Medical Assisting Creed

The Medical Assisting Creed of the AAMA sets forth medical assisting statements of belief:

• I believe in the principles and purposes of the profession of medical assisting.

• I endeavor to be more effective.
• I aspire to render greater service.
• I protect the confidence entrusted to me.
• I am dedicated to the care and well-being of all people.
• I am loyal to my employer.
• I am true to the ethics of my profession.
• I am strengthened by compassion, courage, and faith.

https://www.aama-ntl.org/about/overview

American Medical Association Principles Of Medical Ethics

Preamble

The medical profession has long subscribed to a body of ethical statements developed primarily
for the benefit of the patient. As a member of this profession, a physician must recognize
responsibility to patients first and foremost, as well as to society, to other health professionals,
and to self. The following Principles adopted by the American Medical Association are not laws,
but standards of conduct that define the essentials of honorable behavior for the physician.

Principles of Medical Ethics

I. A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and
respect for human dignity and rights.

II. A physician shall uphold the standards of professionalism, be honest in all professional
interactions, strive to report physicians deficient in character or competence, or engaging in
fraud or deception, to appropriate entities.

III. A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those
requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient.

IV. A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals,
and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law.

V. A physician shall continue to study, apply, and advance scientific knowledge, maintain
commitment to medical education, make relevant information available to patients, colleagues,
and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when
indicated.

VI. A physician shall, in the provision of appropriate patient care, except in emergencies, be free
to choose whom to serve, with whom to associate, and the environment in which to provide
medical care.

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VII. A physician shall recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to the
improvement of the community and the betterment of public health.

VIII. A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount.

IX. A physician shall support access to medical care for all people.

∗ Revised June 2001.

Copyright © 2016 American Medical Association.
Distribution, printing, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without the written permission of
the American Medical Association.

https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/principles-of-medical-ethics.pdf

ARTICLE II
Duties Of Physicians To Their Patients

Section 1. A physician should be dedicated to provide competent medical care with full
professional skill in accordance with the current standards of care, compassion, independence
and respect for human dignity.

Section 2. A physician should be free to choose patients.

Section 3. In an emergency, provided there is no risk to his or her safety, a physician should
administer at least first aid treatment and then refer the patient to the primary physician and/or to
a more competent health provider and appropriate facility if necessary.

Section 4. In serious/difficult cases, or when the circumstances of the patient or the family so
demand or justify, the attending physician should seek the assistance of the appropriate
specialist.

Section 5. A physician should exercise good faith and honesty in expressing opinion/s as to the
diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a case under his/her care. A physician shall respect the
right of the patient to refuse medical treatment. Timely notice of the worsening of the disease
should be given to the patient and/or family. A physician shall not conceal nor exaggerate the
patient’s condition except when it is to the latter’s best interest. A physician shall obtain from the
patient a voluntary informed consent. In case of unconciousness or in a state of mental deficiency
the informed consent may be given by a spouse or immediate relatives and in the absence of
both, by the party authorized by an advanced directive of the patient. Informed consent in the
case of minor should be given by the parents or guardian, members of the immediate family that
are of legal age.

Section 6. The physician should hold as sacred and highly confidential whatever may be
discovered or learned pertinent to the patient even after death, except when required in the
promotion of justice, safety and public health.

Section 7. Professional fees should be commensurate to the services rendered with due
consideration to the patient’s financial status, nature of the case, time consumed and the
professional standing and skill of the physician in the community.

https://www.philippinemedicalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FINAL-PMA-CODEOFETHICS2008.pdf

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➢ Medical Law

Law is a set of rules made and enforced by a recognized authority. Law protects citizens
and helps society to work smoothly. Physicians and other health care professionals may be
affected by the law both criminal and civil status. The law, then as it applies to standards of
acceptable care, is known as medical jurisprudence, or medical law.

Law and the Rights to Practice

Medical law regulates the right to practice and the granting of various licenses and
certifications. Each state governs the practice of medicine within its borders through laws know
as medical practice acts.

Medical practice acts also protects users of health care services. To do this, the acts
set forth the penalties for practicing medicine without a valid license. The acts also define
misconduct, including conviction of a felony, such as insurance fraud; unprofessional conduct,
such as sexual behavior with a patient; personal or professional incapacity, such as mental illness;
inappropriate use, or overprescribing, of drugs. The penalty for such acts may be the suspension
or revoking of a license.

The license to practice medicine, called licensure, is granted by a board established in

each state. Licenses are issued to applicants once they have completed the educational
requirements and have successfully passed examination.

The Physicians Practice

In today’s complex health care environment, the physician’s practice has many elements
of both a health service and a business, such as providing good patient care, scheduling,
performing billing and insurance procedures, hiring and training staff, and maintaining the physical
resources of the office, such as equipment and the office premises. Every part of the practice is
affected by legal and ethical considerations.

Because of the physicians primary responsibility is to practice acceptable standard of

patient case, the laws, responsibilities, and ethical considerations that surround the physician-
patient relationship are of great importance.

I. Interacting With Patients / Physician-Patient Relationship

The relationship between the physician and the patient starts when the patient comes
to the physician for care. The contract is implied; it is not expressed in either words or writing.
The physician does not say “I am here to offer you care.” The patient does not say “I am
requesting care.” The patient usually comes with a complaint, and the physician treats it. The
physician’s behavior, in having a practice open to patients, and the patient’s behavior, in coming
to the physician’s office, together establish an implied contract. At times a written, or express
contract is provided, and both physician and patient sign a document. The physician may provide
a standard written contract to allow a patient to pay for services over an extended period of time.

34
Once the physician-patient relationship is established, the physician is legally required to:

• Possess the ordinary skill and learning commonly held by a reputable physician in a similar
society. The patient has the right to believe that the physician is so qualified. Accordingly,
the physician’s license should be displayed in the office.
• Use his or her learning, skill and the best judgment for the benefit of the patient.
• Preserve confidentiality.
• Act in good faith.
• Perform to the best of his or her ability.
• Advise against needless or unwise treatment.
• Inform and advise the patient when the physician knows a condition is beyond his or her
scope of competency.

The physician is not legally required to:

• Accept as patients all those who seek his or her services.

• Restore a patient to the same condition that existed before illness occurred.
• Obtain recovery for every patient.
• Guarantee successful results from an operation or a treatment.
• Be familiar with all possible reactions of patients to various medicines.
• Be free from errors in complex cases.
• Possess the maximum amount of education possible.
• Continue care after a patient discharges himself or herself from a hospital, even if harm
could come to the patient.

In the physician-patient relationship, the patient also has certain responsibilities. The
patient must give the information necessary for the physician to make a correct diagnosis;
follow the physician’s instructions and any orders for treatment, provided that these are within
the bounds of similar standards of care for physicians who practice in the area of medicine;
be, in general, cooperative; and pay for all services rendered.

When a patient comes to a physician’s office for treatment, that patient’s consent to
treatment, like the contract itself, is not stated outright. This implied consent applies to
routine treatment only. For more complicated procedures, especially surgery, diagnostic
tests, and x-ray treatments, it is important to have express consent. The patient may express
consent either in writing or orally. It is standard practice for the patient to give written consent
by signing a special consent form before any special procedure is performed. An exception
to this practice is the patient who is incapable of giving consent when an emergency requires
immediate action. Express consent is important to avoid lawsuits or, even more seriously,
criminal accusations.

When oral consent is acceptable, it may be given in a telephone conversation provided

that the call is a three-way conversation involving the patient and two office personnel. Both
office employees then must sign as witnesses to the conversation in which the patient
expressed consent.

There is another aspect of patient consent, whether implied or express. The patient must
give informed consent. Informed consent means that the patient has had the illness or
problem explained by the physician in simple, understandable language. The patient has also

35
 been given options for treatment, with the individual benefits and risk of each, along with the
physician’s prognosis. In other words, the patient has been given enough information to make
a knowledgeable decision.

Adults who are legally competent are able to give informed consent. The law requires that
in order to be competent, a person must have attained legal majority (adult age as define by
law) and must be of sound mind. When a patient is not able to give consent, that consent
must be given by the next of kin, the legal guardian, or a court-appointed guardian.

The Administrative Medical Assistant’s Role in Compliance

Medical practices must take steps to reduce risk of accusations of fraud and abuse when
submitting claims to insurance companies and federal agencies such as Medicare. The process
involved in coding and billing are complicated, and there is much room for error. Although many
errors are not intentional, medical practices are required to show their resolve to behave with
compliance, or adherence, to rules and regulations.

The potential for accusations of fraud is always present in the complex areas of patient
care, billing and coding, and documentation. If fraud is detected and not reported or corrected,
the reputation and legal standing of the practice is put at grave risk. The assistant has job
responsibilities related to all of these areas and plays a central role in helping to ensure that the
practice is in compliance.

The assistant who is working efficiently and effectively is key to the success of a
compliance plan. In the following areas of responsibility, the assistant helps the practice stay in
compliance:

• Accurate data entry. Accurate work speeds the correct payment of claims and lessens
the chances of federal audit.

• Accurate documentation. Good documentation reduces the chances for mistakes and
provides an excellent trail of proof of corrective action is required.

• Timely filing and storing of records. Keeping records in good order and for an appropriate
length of time can show the physician’s good faith efforts to apply the principles of
compliance.

• Prompt reporting of errors or instances of fraudulent conduct. The assistant has the
ethical and professional responsibility to help the physician correct mistakes and
investigate instances of unlawful behavior.

Safeguard Against Litigation

The assistant needs to be aware that liability for negligence is recognized by law to include
not only the physician’s actions but also the actions of the physician’s employees. An
assistant who is performing tasks within the job description and as a proper assignment is
considered to be the agent of the physician. It is the physician’s responsibility to define the
assistant’s job properly, to state and regulate office policies and procedures are implemented.
It is the assistant’s responsibility to understand thoroughly his or her job description and the

36
office policies. The assistant must act responsibly within the scope of his/her job and
according to office policies.

Assistants who maintain good interpersonal relationships with patients and other staff
members help reduce the likelihood of litigation. In particular, the following guidelines are
useful:

• Keep everything that you hear, see, and read about patients completely
confidential.
• Never criticize a physician to a patient.
• Do not discuss a patient’s condition, diagnosis, or treatment with the patient, with
other patients, or with staff members. What the physician tells the assistant about
a patient is to be kept confidential, even from the patient.
• Do not diagnose or prescribe, even though you feel sure you know what the
physician would prescribe. There are often circumstances in the case of which
you are unaware. Prescribing constitutes the practice of medicine and is unlawful
unless you are licensed.
• Notify the physician if your learn that a patient is under treatment by another
physician for the same condition.
• Inform the physician of all information given by the patient, as when the patient has
questions, appears confused, or seems not to understand directions or instructions
given.
• Also inform the physician any unpleasant incident that may have occurred between
the patient and any staff member. In this case, the assistant writes a notation to
the physician, which does not become part of the patient’s record.
• Notify the physician if the patient mentions that he or she has no intention of
returning to the office or complying with the treatment plan.
• Keep complete and accurate records, including notations about a patient’s failure
to keep an appointment, cancellation of an appointment, or failure to follow
treatment instructions.
• Be selective in giving information over the telephone. Many practices accept
requests for information only when they are written.
• Observe the confidentiality of computerized records by shielding computer screens
from the view of patients or other staff members, protecting passwords, and
following practice security guidelines when using e-mail for transmitting
information.
• Keep prescription pads and medications in a secure place.
• Be safety conscious. See that all equipment is in safe working condition, and be
alert to potential safety hazards.

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Activities/Assessments:

1. Discuss the guidelines “keep everything that you hear, see and read about patients
completely confidential,” as an Administrative Medical Assistant, how are you going
practice this in the medical office.

2. Discuss any part of the topics given to you that impacts your personality as future
Medical Administrative Professional.

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 OAMT 40013 – MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
Module 2
The Administrative Component

Overview

Accurate and efficient records management is essential in medical offices. Records are
useful if they can be located when needed, so efficient filing of records is equally important. The
medical assistant must understand the ways in which the office files are used, the organization of
the files, and the principles and procedures for accurate filing.

Attitudes are contagious. Patients judge the care they receive by the attitude of office
personnel (reflected by the speaker’s voice, tone, and choice of words in telephone situations) as
well as by the actual medical service provided by the physician. The caller should be paid the
same attention given a person in a face-to-face consideration.

Part 2 – The Administrative Component

Topics: Week 6

A. The Medical Record

a. Concept
b. Components of Medical Records
c. Reasons for Maintaining Medical Records
d. Medical Records Management

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Discuss the importance of a medical record as a primary source of health

information of patients and physicians;

• Identify the medical records used in documenting the patient’s health information
and apply proper management of record.

• Evaluate the effective application of records management for the benefit of

physicians as well as the patients.

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Course Materials:

A. The Medical Record

The patient medical record, also referred to as the patient’s “chart” or “file,” is the source
of information about all aspects of a patient’s health care. Accurate and up-to-date medical
records are vital to a medical practice. Current records are necessary for enabling a continuum
of care for patients, for financial and legal success, and for research purposes. It is not surprising,
therefore, that one of the most important skills an administrative medical assistant can
demonstrate is the ability to maintain accurate and complete medical records.

Medical Records as Legal Documents

A patient’s medical record constitutes the legal record of the medical practice. On
occasion, patient’s records may have to be produced in court, either to uphold the rights of the
physician if the physician is involved in litigation or to substantiate the claim of the patient if the
physician is called as a witness. In malpractice cases, the content and quality of a medical record
can be pivotal, leaving a greater impression on a jury, and even in the physician’s credentials,
personality, or reputation. If the data in a medical record are incomplete, illegible, or poorly
maintained, a plaintiff’s attorney may be able to make even the best patient care appear negligent.
Therefore, it is important for the administrative medical assistant to help the physician maintain
medical records as carefully as possible. The assistant should bear in mind that any record could
become a vehicle for defending a clinical course of action down the road.

What is Medical Record?

A patient’s medical record holds all data about the patient. Medical records generally
include the following items:

• Chart Notes. A chronological record of ongoing patient care and progress. Chart notes
are entries made by the physician, nurse, or other health care professional regarding
pertinent points of a given visit or communication with the patient. The chart notes for a
new patient may be extensive, often containing the details of a medical and physical
history.
• History and Physical (HP). History refers to the patient’s complete medical history (usually
obtained by the physician during an interview with the patient on his/her first visit); physical
refers to the initial results of a physical examination by the physician.
• Referral and consultation letters. Copies of letter sent to other physicians, referring the
patient for specific examinations, tests and so on.
• Medical Reports. Lab reports, x-ray reports, and reports from special procedures such as
electrocardiograms are kept in the medical record.
• Correspondence. Copies of all correspondence with the patient, including letters, faxes,
and notes of telephone conversations and e-mail messages are part of medical record.
• Clinical Forms. Forms such as immunization records and pediatric growth and
development records are included.

40
 • Medication List. A listing of all medications prescribed, including dosage, dispensing
instructions, as well as a list of the patient’s known allergies to medications, if any, are in
the medical record.

In addition to medical data, the patient’s record contains administrative data, such as the
patient’s personal information, including insurance and billing records, and release of information
and assignment of benefits.

Reasons for Maintaining Medical Record

Medical records provide the practice with complete information regarding the patient.
Thus, they are used by the practice in the following ways:

• As the main source of information for coordinating and carrying out patient care among
all providers involved with the patient.
• As evidence of the course of an illness and a record of the treatment being used.
• As a record of the quality of care provided to patients.
• As a tool for ensuring communication and continuity of care from one medical facility to
another.
• As the legal record for the practice.
• As the main record to ensure appropriate reimbursement.
• As a source of data for research purposes.

Because the medical record is the basis for so many activities in a practice, every effort should
be made to maintain it well. Each time the patient is seen by a provider, such as for blood pressure
check up or a special procedure, or on a return visit for a medication, whether in the office or at
another location, an entry or notation must be made in the patient’s medical record. Entries must
be keyed or handwritten.

Remember that no part of a record should be altered, removed, deleted, or destroyed. Only
proper correction procedures may be used. Great care must be taken when entering data to
ensure that they are inserted in the correct chart. If an error or discrepancy is discovered in the
medical record at a much later date, the physician may dictate an addendum to the record to
correct the discrepancy.

Ownership

The medical notes made by the physician, the actual chart notes, reports and other
materials are the physician’s property. The notes are for the physician’s use in the treatment of
patient. However, the physician cannot use or withhold the information in the record according to
his her own wishes. It is understood that even though the notes made by the physician are the
physician’s property, the information in the record, the nature of the patient’s diagnosis and so
on, belongs to the patient. For this reason, patients have the right to control the amount of type
of information that is released from their medical record. Furthermore, patients alone hold the
authority to release information to anyone not directly involved in the care.

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 Records Management

Records management is the systematic control of records from their creation through
maintenance to eventual storage or destruction. Recorded in any form whether in a computer
file, in a paper document, or stored on disks is considered a record. In medical offices, the three
main types of records are:

1. Patient medical records. The central responsibility of the physician’s practice is patient
care. For this reason, the proper handling of the patient medical record is critical. This record is
also known as the patient “file” or “chart,” contains chart notes, all medical and laboratory reports,
and all correspondence about the patient.

2. Correspondence related to health care: includes general correspondence about the

operation of the business, orders for medical supplies, research reports, journals, newsletters and
announcements from professional organizations.

3. Practice management records. Business and financial management of the practice

must also be carefully kept. These documents include insurance policies, income and expense
reports, copies of tax returns for the practice, financial statements, etc. Also kept are copies of
managed care contracts and the office’s compliance program and privacy policy. Personnel and
payroll records are also part of practice management.

The two broad categories of filing are: (1) centralized – files are kept in one place used
by many people in the medical office. (2) decentralized – information of use to only one staff
member, such as physician’s correspondence, is stored in a decentralized file convenient to the
user.

Filing Equipment

The kinds of filing equipment and supplies that best suit a medical office depend on how
records are used and who needs to use them.

• Open-shelf files – are bookcase-type shelves that hold files

• Filing cabinets
• Rotary Circular File
• Vertical Files
• Lateral Files
• Mobile-Aisle Files

Filing Supplies

The important considerations in choosing filing supplies are durability of material and uses
of color and positioning within a file to make the user’s task easier.

• Folders – may be purchased in various colors, styles and tab cuts. Tabs are the
projections that extend beyond the rest of the folder and can be labelled and easily viewed.
Tab cuts refers to the position of the tab. Folders are filed in such a way that tab cuts with
the accompanying labels are read in an orderly fashion from left to right.
• Labels - Oblong pieces of paper, frequently self-adhesive

42
 • Guides - are rigid dividers placed at the end of a section of files to indicate where a new
section or category of files begin, they support folders and are visual clues to the user of
the file, showing exactly where in the file drawer new main subjects begin.
• Out Guides - is a card placed as a substitute for a file folder that serves to indicate that a
folder has been removed from the file. The front of the out guide has lines to record the
name of the person who is taking the file, the date the file was removed, and the material
contained in the file. When the file is returned, these annotations are crossed out and the
out guide may be reused. Everyone always knows where a particular file may be found.
• Cross-Reference Sheets – is prepared to indicate where the original material is filed and
where in the files other copies may be found. The cross-reference sheet may be in a
different color from the file folders to make identification simpler.

Steps in Filing

Following logical, consistent, systematic steps in preparing materials for filing enables the
assistant to file accurately, to find materials quickly, and to refile documents efficiently.

The steps in filing are:

Step 1. Inspecting documents

Step 2. Indexing
Step 3. Coding
Step 4. Sorting
Step 5. Storing

Step 1. Inspecting the Documents. The assistant is responsible for inspecting the documents.
Inspect if the document is in good physical condition, and the information should be complete.
Check the attachment and if action should be taken. The document must also bear a release
mark. Releasing is the indication, by initial or by some other agreed-upon mark, that the document
has been inspected and acted upon and is ready for filing.

Step 2. Indexing. One the document has been released, and is ready to be indexed. Indexing
is the mental processing of selecting the name, title, or classification under which an item will be
filed and arranging the units of the title or name in the proper order. Selecting the proper
classification for an item is critical to finding the document when it is needed.

Step 3. Coding. It is the placing of a number, letter, or underscore beneath a word to indicate
where the document should be filed. For example, in the correspondence of Jose Gomez, the
name Gomez would be underscored or coded. The code may written on the document, usually
in the upper-right hand corner.

Step 4. Sorting. The assistant working with a number of items prepares them for the file by
sorting them, or arranging them in the order in which they will be filed. Before they can be sorted,
documents must be indexed and coded.

Step 5. Storing. It is the actual placement of an item in its correct place in the file. When the
item is placed in the folder, the top of the item should be to the left. Documents are placed in the
folder with the most current document on top. The folder is then placed in the file cabinet with the
tab side to the rear of the file.

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 Reminders and Follow-up Procedures

Many items have been stored may require some further action to be taken. For example,
Mr. Gomez may require a reminder to return for his annual checkup. This special file used for
follow-up actions is called tickler file. An arrangement of index cards by months of the year and,
within each month, by days of the month is practical. Notations of actions to be taken are placed
on cards behind specific dates of the month.

Another way to be reminded of a follow-up action is to use a colored index tab clipped to
a patient’s record. The colored tab indicates that some kind of action is required. Different colors
may be assigned to stand for different kind of actions.

There are also electronic monthly calendars available in most software application suites.
If actions to be taken are entered on specific dates of the electronic calendar, the software will
provide an automatic tickler, a message on the screen, on the appropriate date. The assistant
may find this system more efficient and easier to use.

Filing Systems

Effective records management requires records to be filed in the way they will accessed.
Several filing systems are sued. Most offices actually use more than one filing system to organize
their different types of information. The major filing systems are alphabetic, numeric, and subject.
Each system has features that are advantages, as well as certain disadvantages.

1. Alphabetic Filing. In alphabetic filing, names, titles, or classifications are arranged in

alphabetic order. The assistant must consider each word segment a unit and must
alphabetize unit by unit, comparing letter by letter within the unit. All punctuation marks
are to be ignored and the rule of filing “nothing before something” is followed.

Advantages of alphabetic filing are that (a) because it is based on symbols with which
most people are familiar and (b) a misfiled document is easily found.

Disadvantages of alphabetic filing are that (a) it does not protect confidentiality because
its symbol are so easy to read and (b) it offers limited filing space and makes expanding
system difficult.

2. Numeric Filing. It is a system in which each patient is assigned a number and the
numeric value is cross-indexed to match the number with the name. Numeric filing may
either be straight number, using ascending numbers in systematic order, or terminal-digit,
using the last digit, or last set of digits, as the indexing unit.

3. Subject Filing. It is the placement of related material alphabetically by subject

categories.

Color-coding

Color-coding is used in many medical offices. In a colored-coded system, color folders

are used for patients’ files to help identify categories visually. Different colors stand for various
letters of the alphabet or for numbers. For example, to organize the file of patient medical records,
red folders may be used to file the letters A through D; yellow to file E through H; green to file I
through N; blue for O, P, and Q, and purple for the letters R through Z.

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 Locating Missing Files

Even in a well-organized office, paper documents will occasionally be lost or misfiled.

Here are a number of suggestions for locating missing file.

• Look directly behind and in front of where the item should be filed.
• Look between other files in the area;
• Look in the bottom of the file drawer and under the file folders if they are suspended.
• Check for the transposition of first and last names, for example, Wheng, Hart instead of
Hart, Wheng.
• Check alternate spellings of the name, for example Thomasen and Thomason.
• In numeric filing system, check for transposed numbers, for example, 19-63-01 instead
of19-01-63.
• In a subject filing system, check related subject files or the Miscellaneous files.
• With the permission of those who have used the file recently, search the desk or work
area of previous users of the file.
• Check with other office personnel.

Retention of Records

Every medical practice has files from previous years and all types of information. For
example, patient medical records include files for patients who are currently being treated by the
physician, those who have not seen the physician for some time, and those who are no longer
patients for one reason or another.

For management purposes, these files are classified as:

• Active files, pertaining to current patients.

• Inactive files, related to patients who have not seen the physician for six months
or longer.
• Closed files, containing the files of those patients who have died, moved away, or
terminated their relationship with the physician.

Each office sets the criteria and time frames for placing files in one of the categories. This
policy is part of a larger policy for record retention – the length of time records must be retained
and the proper disposition of them when they should no longer be stored. Record retention
policies project physicians from exposure to risk and legal problems.

American Health Information Management Association: 1991 – Present

AHIMA is the leading voice and authority in health information, wherever it is found. AHIMA-certified
professionals ensure that sensitive health stories remain accurate, accessible, protected and
complete at all times.

45
 Philippine Records Management Association, Inc. or PRMA, Inc. is a professional
organization that specializes in the sharing of knowledge about records and information
management at the national and international levels.

The following time frames have been recommended by AHIMA as retention schedules,
subject to local laws and regulations:

• Patient health records (adults): Ten years after patient’s most recent encounter.
• Patient health records (minors): Age of majority plus statute of limitations on malpractice.
• Diagnostic images (such as x-rays): Five years.
• Master patient index, register of births, register of deaths, register of surgical procedures:
Permanently.

The office policy should include a variety of other records related to the physician’s practice
Management:

• Insurance policies: Current policies are kept in safe storage in an accessible file.
Professional liability policies are kept permanently.
• Tax Records: Tax records for the three latest years are kept in a readily accessible file.
The remaining records may be kept in a less accessible storage area.
• Receipts for equipment. Receipts for both medical and office equipment are kept until the
various pieces of equipment are fully depreciated, that is, until the value of the equipment
has completely diminished.
• Personal records and licenses. Professional licenses and certificates are kept
permanently in safe storage. Banking records such as statements and deposit slips are
kept in the file for three years. They may then be moved to a storage area. Other personal
records, such as noncurrent partnership agreements, property records, or other business
agreements, are also kept permanently in a storage area.

Paper versus Electronic Records

To save space, paper records can be stored through a process called micrographics in
which miniaturized images of the records are created. These images are usually in a microfiche
(sheet of film holding 90 images) or ultrafiche (compacted film holding up to 1000 images) format
and are viewed on readers that enlarge the images. Micrographic records may be stored in card
files or binders. With the increased use of the large memory capacity afforded by computers,
paper records may also be scanned and stored records must be kept according to the same
retention schedule as paper records.

Disposition of Records

Records that have been closed or those that must be kept permanently, patient records,
personal records, and business records may be transferred and are said to be in dead storage, a
storage area separate from the area where active files are kept. Dead storage need not be easily
accessible and can be in a location other than the office.

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 There are financial and storage considerations for every practice. All records cannot be
kept indefinitely. Some states have laws related to the destruction of records and even specify
the method of destruction. General guidelines provided by AHIMA include the following:

• Appropriate ways to destroy records include burning, shredding, and pulping. Records
must be destroyed so that there is no possibility of reconstructing them.
• When destroying computerized data, overwriting data or reformatting the disk should be
done. Other methods delete file names but do not really destroy data. Microfilm,
microfiche, and laser disks may be destroyed by pulverizing.

Activities/Assessment:

1. Using your critical thinking skills, play the role of an administrative medical assistant
as you answer the following questions. Write your answer on the space provided.

a. Discuss the importance of a medical record to a patient and the physician.

b. You have noticed several times that patient records are misfiled. How do you
handle this situation?

c. A patient calls and is moving out of town. She is concerned about her medical record.
What would you suggest?

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Part 2 – The Administrative Component

The main channel of communication between the patient and the physician is the
telephone. Almost all patients make their first contact with the physician by telephone/ Urgent
and emergency cases are also reported by telephone. The administrative medical assistant must
learn to recognize the situation in each type of call and handle it correctly. Often, the physician
is engaged with another patient’s problems, and the assistant must be able to reassure the called
without interrupting the physician.

Topics: Week 7

B. Telephone Techniques in a Medical Office Settings

C. Scheduling of Appointments

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Demonstrate properly the basic techniques in answering telephone, and practice

empathy and patience for patients and relatives expressing their needs.

• Appraise the importance of the art of scheduling appointments effectively for

physician and for patients.

Course Materials:

B. Telephone Techniques and Procedures in a Medical Office

Telephone calls may be incoming, outgoing, or interoffice. Since administrative medical

assistants typically handle all incoming calls to medical offices, they should use each call as an
opportunity to present a positive image for the physician and the practice. An assistant must:

• Follow proper telephone etiquette (conduct).

• Screen calls according to the office’s policy.
• Take complete and accurate messages.

Telephone Etiquette

When answering the telephone, try to visualize the person with whom you are talking.
Think about who the caller is, what the caller is asking, how the caller feels, and whether he or
she is a patient. If you do this, your voice will sound alert, interested, and concerned during the
conversation.

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 Use a pleasant tone that conveys self-assurance to the caller along with a genuine desire
to be understanding and helpful. This is what is meant by the phrase using a “voice with a smile.”

Use variations in pitch and phrasing to avoid sounding monotonous, and never indicate
impatience or annoyance through the sound of your voice. When speaking into the telephone,
hold the mouthpiece about an inch from your mouth to avoid distortion or faintness of voice.
Speak clearly and do not run words together or mumble. Even if you answer the phone with the
same greeting many times a day, say the words slowly enough for the caller to understand.
Always speak at a moderate pace throughout the conversation, giving the caller time to think
about and understand what you have said.

When concluding a conversation, say “Good-bye” and use the caller’s name. This will
leave the caller with a pleasant impression. Finally replace the receiver gently when you hang
up.

Promptness. Courtesy begins with promptness in answering the call. The ideal time to
answer a call is on the second ring. This allows the caller a moment of preparation time to begin
the conversation (the caller will expect to hear at least one ring before there is an answer).

Greeting and Identifying. There are many ways to answer the telephone, but the
preferred method is to answer with the name of the physician or clinic followed by the assistant’s
name. Answering with “Good morning” or Good afternoon” adds a personal touch but may
inefficient in a busy office. It may be more important to take the time to say the name of the office
slowly and distinctly. If the physician has a common surname, the physician’s full name may be
used to avoid confusion.

Example: Assistant: Dr. Karen Larsen’s office. Linda speaking.

In large clinics, the person who is operating a switchboard may answer the call by
identifying the name of the clinic and asking how the call should be directed. After a call has been
transferred, employees in individual departments will then identify themselves.

Example: Assistant: Northeast Clinic. How may I direct your call?

Patient: I’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Nasser.
Assistant: I will transfer you to Sharon at the appointment desk.
Second Assistant: Appointment desk. This is Sharon. How may I help you?

Following are some other tips to remember as part of proper telephone etiquette:

• Identify the nature of the call, so that it can be properly handled.

For example, calls may be categorized as routine versus emergency.
• Uses courteous phrases such as please and thank you.
• Listen carefully.
• Use words appropriate to the situation, but avoid using technical words.
• Offer assistance as necessary.
• Avoid unnecessarily long conversations.
• Avoid using colloquial or slang expressions such as you know, ain’t and uh-huh.
• Conclude calls properly by saying “Good-bye” and using the caller’s name. If necessary,
repeat information at the close of the call.

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 Screening Calls

Most incoming calls concern matters that can be handled by an administrative medical
assistant guided by the preferences of the physician. Some physicians may prefer to speak to
patients no matter what the circumstances. However, this routine is likely to be inefficient because
it can cause interruptions to the patients who are being seen at that time by the physician. Also,
medical records are probably not available for the physician’s reference at the time of the call. In
some offices, a nurse is available to answer patients’ questions. Other offices have a policy that
nonemergency calls are returned by the physician during preset hours, such as after 4 p.m.

Screening calls, or evaluating calls to decide on the appropriate action, is often a difficult
problem for the beginner, who may be afraid to assume the responsibility of making decisions. It
is important to discuss this aspect of the job with the physician at the very beginning and to
ascertain to what extent the administrative medical assistant will handle calls alone, what
information should be given out, when messages should be taken, and when to tell the patient
that the physician or nurse will return the call. A call screening sheet, such as the one shown in
here, can be used to assist you in screening and transferring calls.

The administrative medical assistant must be guided by the physician’s wishes in deciding
whether to handle a call or to transfer it to the physician. The first priority is to determine the
nature of the call. You will then have a good idea of how to handle the call.

Message-Taking Situations. Many calls can be handled by taking a message. Examples

of such calls include the following:

• An ill new patient wants to talk with the physician about treatment.
• A patient already under treatment wants to talk with the physician.
• A patient’s relative requests information about the patient.
• A personal friend or relative of the physician calls for the physician.
• Attorneys, financial planners, hospital personnel, and so on call about business.
• A patient calls with a satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress report.
• Lab or x-ray results are called in.
• Prescription refills are requested.

The following calls are usually put through to the physician:

• Calls from other physicians.

• Emergency calls, for example, calls from the intensive care unit or the emergency room
of the hospital.
• Calls from patients the physician has already identified (for example, out-of-town patients,
the family of a seriously ill patient calling to check on the patient’s condition, or a patient
in labor).
• Calls from a patient with an acute illness, such as seer reaction to a medication.

If there is a nurse in the office, many of these calls can be routed to the nurse, who will then
decide whether to interrupt the physician in an examination room.

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Some examples of various screening situations follow:

Example: Call to schedule an appointment

Assistant: Dr. Karen Larsen’s office. Linda speaking.

Caller: I would like to speak to Dr. Larsen.
Assistant: Dr. Larsen is with a patient. May I help you?
Caller: Well, I need to make an appointment for next week.
Assistant: Mary, at the appointment desk, will be able to help you.
Would you like me to transfer your call to her?
Or
I can schedule an appointment for you. Are you a patient of Dr. Larsen’s?

The assistant can then proceed to schedule an appointment for the patient.

Emergency Calls. An emergency call may come at any time. The person who
telephones may probably be upset, and people who are excited often forget to give the most
important information. It is imperative that the assistant remain calm and handle the call
efficiently, reassuring the caller that help will come as quickly as possible. The importance of
obtaining the name, address and telephone number of the patient cannot be emphasized too
strongly. The more information you can obtain, the better.

A physician who is in the office when an emergency call comes through will speak with
the patient. However, the person answering the phone should screen the call to determine if it is
urgent. Great tact and excellent judgement are needed to do this. These qualities are developed
through training by the physician in what is a real emergency as the practice defines it and how
to handle the calls.

Nonmedical Screening Situation. One of the most difficult situations to handle over the
telephone is the person who refuses to state the purpose of the call, saying that it is a “personal
call” or a “personal matter”. A person friend does not hesitate to state that fact. Similarly, a
legitimate caller will give a name and state the reason for the call. The administrative medical
assistant may explain that the physician will not return the call unless the nature of the call is
known, if the physician has given such instructions. If the caller absolutely refuses to give
information, it is permissible to suggest that a letter be written and marked “Personal” so that the
physician can become acquainted with the matter and give a response. A confident, pleasant
voice will help you make the physician’s position clear while avoiding needless disputes.

Taking Messages

Because most calls cannot be taken immediately by a medical staff member, the assistant
must take care of the messages so that the telephone calls can be returned later.

Remember the following procedures for taking efficient, informative telephone messages:

• Always have pencil and paper on hand.

• Make notes as information is being given.
• Ask politely to have important information repeated.

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 • Verify information such as names, spellings, numbers, and dates for accuracy. You might
ask “Would you spell that prescription’s name, please?” or “Let me repeat that to be sure
I have noted it correctly.”
• Make inquiries tactfully. A tactful question might be “Will Gary know what this is about?”
or “Could I tell Sue what this is about?” or “Is this a medical matter? If so, the physician
will need your medical record.”

The more information you include in the message, the better, Be brief, yet thorough.
When taking a phone message, do not say “I will have the physician call you.” This makes a
commitment on behalf of the physician. It is better to say” I will give the message to the physician”
or “I will ask the physician to call you.”

After taking message regarding a patient’s care, the assistant should obtain the patient’s chart.
The telephone message should be attached to the chart with a paper clip and place to the
message center for the nurse or the physician. The message slip, or the transcription of it, as well
as the physician’s or the nurse’s actions, will be permanently documented in the patient’s medical
record.

Message Slips. Printed telephone message slips are available from the stationaries for
writing down messages efficiently and fully. See example below of a message slip. Telephone
message slips have blanks for noting basic information about the phone call, such as date, time,
to and from information, and the subject of the call. In some office, the computer system is used
to enter and send messages to the physician.

MESSAGE

To _____________________________________ Date ___________Time_________

From__________________________________________________________________
Phone_________________________________________________________________

Please Call Returned Call Will Call Again

Regarding_____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Taken By_______________________

Verifying Information. When you are taking messages, it is a good idea to repeat
important details, such as the date and time of an appointment or a telephone number. Verifying
information reassures both parties of the call, if you are not sure of the correct spelling of a name,
say “I’m sorry. Will you spell your name again, please?” or “I want to get your name correctly. Will
you please repeat that?”

Answering Services. Physician’s offices often use commercial answering services or

answering machines for phone coverage when the office is closed. Commercial answering for
phone coverage when the physician’s office to answer the office’s calls from a remote location.
All unanswered calls are forwarded to an operator during non-office hours. This operator takes
messages for routine calls or contacts the physician if the call is an important emergency. The
physician or the administrative medical assistant checks in with the answering service for any
message after returning to the office. An answering machine connected to the office telephone

52
line plays a prerecord messages to the caller. It tells the caller what to do when the call is urgent
or routine. The message can be changed according to the circumstance. Remember that the
answering machine needs to be turned off when the staff is in the office.
Customized Telephone Message Slip

Outgoing Calls

In addition to answering calls, administrative medical assistants place calls for the medical
practice to patients, hospitals, clinics, and laboratories, as well as to insurance companies,
suppliers, banks, and other businesses.

Planning the Call

Plan the conversation before making a call by gathering important papers (such as the
patient’s medical record), obtaining necessary information, and outlining questions to ask. Know
the specifics of the call before you dial. Ask yourself who, what, where, when, and why, and make
appropriate notations. Be aware the following

• Whom to call and ask for once the phone is answered.

• What information to give or obtain.
• Questions to ask.
• When to call,
• Possible situations that might arise during the call (what-if situations).

EXAMPLE

Dr. Larsen: Linda, please call Dr. Martin and ask him to see Lucy Barlow.

To successfully complete the call requested in the example above, Linda will need to
ask Dr. Larsen the following:

• What is Lucy’s diagnosis (if applicable)?

• When should Lucy be seen by Dr. Martin?
• What are the contingency plans (what-ifs)? For example, what is the alternate if
Lucy must be seen today but Dr. Martin is not in the office today?
Always obtain the necessary information and gave it on hand before scheduling services
(such as referrals, laboratory and x-ray procedures, surgery, and hospital admissions) for
patients.

Using Resources

Numerous resources are available to the administrative medical assistant as aids in

placing calls and in managing the flow of the calls in a medical office.

Telephone Directories. An alphabetic directory, or white pages, lists telephone

customers by name in alphabetic order. The white pages usually contain other information
such as directory-assistance numbers, billing information, long-distance calling
procedures, and area code maps. In large cities, information concerning government

53
 agencies, including phone numbers, is often listed in the blue pages section of the
alphabetic directory.

A classified directory, or yellow pages, list telephone subscribers under headings

for types of businesses such as “Office Supplies or Laboratories-Medical.” Classified
directories also contain advertising for subscribing businesses and sometimes contain
local maps and ZIP Code listings.

There are also many directory services available on the Internet-for example, AOL
NetFind, Switchboard.com, YellowPages.com, B2B (Business to Business) Yellow Pages,
55-1212, and many more, these directories use search engines to locate phone numbers,
addresses, and e-mail addresses locally, in the United States, and in some cases, foreign
countries.

A personal directory is used for phone numbers that are frequently called by the
office staff. The personal directory should be kept near the phone for easy access and
would probably include a list of the following phone numbers:

• Hospitals
• Insurance companies
• Laboratories
• Medical supply companies
• Pharmacies
• Hospital emergency room
• Specialist for referrals made to patients

Most phone systems are equipped with an automatic speed-dial feature that allows the user to
store 20 or 30 numbers electronically.

Placing the Call

When you have the proper information and are prepared to place a call, use the following
procedures:
• Identify yourself and the physician’s office. If you are calling for the physician,
identify the physician.
• State the reason for the call.
• Provide the necessary information.
• Ask tactfully for information.
• Listen carefully and make notes as needed.
• Verify information.
• If the person you are trying to reach is unavailable, leave a message for that person
to call you back. Remember to follow the confidentiality guidelines of the office.

Using Electronic Mail (E-Mail)

Messages and files can be transmitted in digital form from computer to computer through
an electronic mail system, commonly known as e-mail. Electronic mail saves time, conveys
messages rapidly, and promotes flexibility. Users may access the system outside the office to

54
send or receive e-mail messages and files from home or other locations. Electronic voice mail
operates in the same manner, storing voice messages. It is critical to note that e-mail must be
subject to the same strict privacy rules as other forms of communication. The office adopts
guidelines to protect the confidentiality of patients’ electronically transmitted medical data.

Following Through on Calls

Proper handling of telephone calls does not end after the phone is bring up. The
administrative medical assistant must follow through on all request made and instructions
provided in the conversation.

The physician may wish to have all telephone messages entered into the patient’s medical
record. In such cases, the message slip can be taped or filed inside the chart after it has been
acted on. Some offices may have a page in the patient’s record specifically for messages.

C. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is one of the principal duties of the administrative medical

assistant. To be able to do so efficiently and intelligently is an important skill. Appointment must
be entered into an appointment book or computer scheduling software. The assistant is
responsible for collecting the necessary data for an appointment, such as the patient’s name,
phone number, and reason for making the appointment.

Change in scheduled appointments, such as cancellations, must be indicated and the time
slot used for another patient whenever possible. The physician’s outside appointments should be
listed and, if necessary, the physician reminded of them in advance. Clear and accurate
communication between the administrative medical assistant and the physician yields beneficial
results for both the practice and the patients.

Following the Physician’s Policy

The physician’s policy for seeing and treating patients is the initial guideline in scheduling.
Policy may be affected by the physician’s office hours, specially, how quickly the physician works,
the treatment or procedure to be performed, the available office personnel and equipment, and
the type of facility.

Office Hours

Before appointments can be made, the administrative medical assistant must know the
basic schedule of the physician’s office. The physician probably will have to make the rounds of
patients at one or more hospitals on certain days and at the certain hours. Office hours, therefore,
may have vary on different days. The administrative medical assistant should be aware of each
physician’s hours as well as how and where each physician can be reached at other times. While
office hours may differ depending on the requirements of the practice, a thorough understanding
of specific policies within a practice contributes to greater efficiency.

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 Types of Scheduling

An efficient scheduling system reduces the waiting period for patients, makes the best use
of the physician’s time, and takes advantage of available personnel and facilities. A number of
systems are commonly used.

Scheduled Appointments. Many physician’s office and clinic use a scheduling system in
which each patient is given a set appointment time, that is, an approximate time the patient
will be seen by the physician. This system decreases the waiting time for the patient and
gives the office staff more control over the flow of the patients in the office. Also, because
the reason for each patient’s visit is known in advance, the staff can make the best use of
the office facilities, equipment, and medical staff time.

Fixed Office Hours. Many clinics have fixed office hours during which the physician is
in the office and available to see patients-from 10 a.m. to noon. This system allows
patients the freedom to come to the clinic when they wish, but it has several drawbacks:

• The reason for the patient’s visit is not known until the patient arrives at the office.
• It is difficult to control the flow of the patients. Thus, many patients may arrive at
the same time, causing crowding and long waits. At the other times, there may be
no patients, causing the physician’s and the staff’s time to be used inefficiently.
• Equipment and office facilities may be used imeffienlty

Wave Scheduling. One way to avoid these problems is to combine fixed office hours with
scheduled appointments. This system is called wave scheduling. The administrative
medical assistant arranges for a certain number of patients (such as six) to come between
9 a.m. and 10 a.m., then arranges for the next six patients who call to arrive between 10
a.m. and 11 a.m., and so on throughout the day. Wave scheduling gives patients the
flexibility of open office hours while allowing the assistant more control over the flow
patients. This method works well in practices such as dermatology and endocrinology, in
which the physician often does not need laboratory and x-ray results in order to diagnose
and treat the patient.

Double-Booking. When the schedule is full and there are more patients who need to be
seen, some offices used the method of double-booking appointments. The extra
appointments are entered in a second column beside the regularly scheduled
appointments.

Computer Scheduling. A variety of computer scheduling software programs are used in

medical offices. Most scheduling software allows the user to search for the next available
slot for the amount of time needed.

In addition to a printout of the daily schedule, most scheduling software can

generate reports of cancellations and no shows. A no show is a patient who, without
notifying physician’s office, fails to show up for an appointment. Most scheduling programs
can also be used to generate patient registration information as well as chart labels for
patients’ records.

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 Screening Patients’ Illnesses

When scheduling an appointment, the administrative medical assistant must use good
judgement to determine how soon a patient needs to be seen. This process is called screening,
or triage (tree-ahj’). Some patients must come to the office stat (the term used in health care to
mean “immediately”), some may be scheduled for later the same day or the following day, and
others may be scheduled at a later time that is convenient for both the physician and the patient.

The difference between stat and today appointments depends on the severity of the
condition, which is determined by the questions and answers received when talking with the seller.
It is also always better to make an appointment sooner than to leave a critical condition until later.
Patients with life-threatening conditions should be instructed to hang up and dial 911 or to go
directly to an emergency room, accordingly to office procedure.

Considering Patients’ Preference

The trend is to offer more convenient appointments to patients. Be aware that an

appointment for tomorrow can change into an emergency situation with the addition of another
symptom.

Some patients prefer to be seen at a certain time or on a certain day of the week. Try to
schedule appointments according to patients’ preferences if the schedule allows, taking into
consideration the urgency of the appointment situation. Some physicians have office hours on
certain evenings, such as every other Thursday evening, or on Saturday mornings, to better
accommodate their patients’ work schedules.

Necessary Data

When patients’ appointment are scheduled, all necessary data should be collected and
recorded. In general, this includes some or all of the following information:

• Patient’s first and last names

• Telephone number
• Address
• Date of birth (DOB)
• Reason for the appointment
• Patient status: new (NP). Established (EP), or referred by another physician
• Referring physician
• Insurance provider
• Notations regarding any laboratory test or x-rays required before the examination

Always verify the patient’s name and its spelling and repeat telephone numbers. Confirm
the appointment time by repeating it to the patient. When patient arrives in the office, the
information taken when the appointment was scheduled should be verified

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 Keeping To The Schedule

Any number of situations arise in the course of a day that require the administrative
medical assistant to cancel and reschedule appointments or to work an appointment into the
existing schedule. In addition, the assistant must adjust the schedule for any emergencies that
arise as well as setup next appointment for patients currently in the office who need a follow-up
encounter with the physician.

Irregular Appointments

Occasionally a patient walks in without an appointment. If the physician is busy and it is

judged that the walk-in patient should be seen at that time, you may explain that the physician will
see the patient for a few minutes when the patient can be worked into the schedule.

A patient with a true emergency should be seen on arrival. The administrative medical
assistant should notify the nurse or physician of the emergency and escort the patient to an
available examination room. The assistant must tactfully explain the presence of walk-in and
emergency patients to other waiting patients who have made appointments that will now be
delayed. If a physician outside the office calls to request that a patient be seen that day by one of
the physicians in your office, that patient must also be worked into or added to the days scheduled.

On days when the schedule is full, the office nurse may be used to help determine whether
a patient is a truly an emergency case and to ask the physician for further instructions. In some
cases, the physician may request that emergency patients who telephone be referred to the
emergency room.

In addition to appointments for patients, physicians have hospital commitments, seminars,

lectures, meetings, and personal appointments that may change at the last minute. All these
changes must be logged into the appointment calendar to avoid schedule conflicts later on.

Late Patients. The entire schedule may be thrown out of balance because a patient is
late. Patients who are late for appointments may have to be asked to wait until the physician has
seen the next patient or until a treatment room is available. It is not the administrative medical
assistant’s place to criticize a patient who is habitually late since it is an inconvenience to other
patients.

Extended Appointments. Schedules also fall behind when either the physician or the
patient loses track of the time during an examination, causing the appointment to go past the
allotted period. The physician may have to be reminded if the visits runs over the scheduled time.
The administrative medical assistant can use the intercom or knock on the examination room door
and hand the physician a written reminder when the physician comes to the door.

Out-of-Office Emergencies. The schedule may also be disrupted when the physician is
called out of the office for an emergency. The administrative medical assistant should explain the
situation to waiting patients and ask patients whether they wish to wait there physician to
rescheduled their appointments.

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 Registering Arrivals

Registering new patients on arrival at physician’s office or clinic is the duty of the
administrative medical assistant. Patients are asked to register, or sign in, on arrival. The assistant
should then verify the patient’s name, address, and other information with the patient’s record. If
a computerized scheduling program is being used, it is all the more important to verify the spelling
of each patient’s name, since an exact spelling will help to locate the patient’s appointment time
and information quickly.

When the patient has signed in, the administrative medical assistant leaves the medical
file for the nurse or physician’s assistant, indicating that the patient is ready to be seen. The
registration record can be periodically checked against the appointment schedule to make sure
that a patient who has arrived has not forgotten to sign in.

Canceling and Rescheduling Appointments

Almost every patient will cancel an appointment at one time or another; some patients make a
habit of doing so. When a patient calls to cancel an appointment a new appointment time should
be suggested. A notation regarding the cancellation may also be entered into the patient’s medical
record (especially if the cancellation is made on the same day as, or the day before, the scheduled
appointment).

If a manual schedule is kept, cancellations are noted by drawing a lone through the
appointment and entering a new one. As changes in the appointment book are made throughout
the day, the assistant must remember also to make the changes on the workstation schedule
used by the physician and nurse.

No Shows

The administrative medical assistant should also make a notation in the patient’s medical
record if the patient fails to keep an appointment and does not call to cancel.

The physician will decide what action to take if a patient repeatedly makes appointments
and does not keep them. Speciality practices sometimes charge patients for no-show
appointments or cancelled appointments when notification is not made 24hours in advance.

Next Appointment

Before a patient leaves the examination room, the physician will tell the patient when to
return. When the patient stops at the checkout area, the administrative medical assistant should
inquire whether another appointment is needed. In many offices, the need for another
appointment-often referred to as a “recall-is noted on the encounter form or in the patient’s
medical record that is given to the assistant after the appointment by the physician.

Many offices use a system of follow-up telephone calls to remind a patient of an

appointment for the next day. If the follow-up appointment is several months in the future, the
patient may be asked to complete a postcard with the patient’s address before leaving the office
so the card can be sent as reminder to the patient.

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 Open Slots for Catching Up

No matter how carefully appointments are scheduled, crowding is sometimes unavoidable and
appointments fall behind schedule. Leaving a 15 or 20munite interval free in the late morning and
again in the middle of the afternoon each day will help you to straighten out a delayed schedule.

Out-Of-Office Appointment

Appointments that may be scheduled outside the office include hospital admissions,
surgery, and diagnostic or other special procedures. Follow basic scheduling procedures for such
appointments, obtaining the necessary patient data required for each type of appointment.

Hospital Admission. The following information is needed for hospital admissions:

• Complete name of patient.
• Patient’s information
• Diagnosis or problem
• Preferred date of admission
• Accommodations preferred
• Previous admissions

Surgical and Diagnostic procedures.

• Surgery or other procedure to be preferred
• Length of time needed on surgery
• Approximate date and time desired
• Specific surgical assistants required
• Type of anesthesia to be used
• Special requirements, such as diagnostic testing

Other considerations for scheduling include:

• Scheduling the appropriate time required by the physician in each situation

• Giving patients clear and simple instructions for hospital admissions
• Informing patients about any preparations that are required before undergoing
a surgical or diagnostic procedures
• Confirming that any special assistants and/or anesthesiologist that have been
requested are available

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Activities/Assessments:

Using critical thinking skills, play the role of an administrative medical assistant as you
answer each question. Be prepared to present responses in a class meeting.

1. What type of image should an assistant present for the physician and the practice while
answering the practice’s incoming calls? What are some examples of the proper telephone
etiquette an assistant should demonstrate as part of this image?

2. Mr. Raymond Castillo, a patient of Dr. Ramos, calls to make an appointment on the following
Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. for his yearly physical. You check the schedule and find that the physician
has a personal appointment at that time. What should you say to the patient?

3. A patient is being admitted to the hospital for tests. What information should be obtained
for the hospital admission.

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Module 2 – Week 8

The physician’s time and medical expertise are perhaps the most valuable assets in a
medical practice. Because the practice is business as well as a service, it is required to produce
a profit. The administrative medical assistant protects and enhances the asset of the practice by
handling many financial responsibilities on the business side.

The BSOA students may apply their knowledge in Accounting I and Bookkeeping which
they have taken the subjects in preparation for their specialization courses. It also utilizes the
skills in using Microsoft Excel applications in preparing financial records.

Topics:

D. Managing Finances

• Essential Financial Records

• Maintaining Daily Financial Activities
• Maintaining Patient’s Accounts
• Banking Activities
• Other Financial Accounts

Learning Outcomes:

1. Perform basic accounting or bookkeeping records as one of the function

of administrative medical assistant.

2. Utilize computer skills and software application to effectively record financial activities.

3. Manage financial aspects of medical practice including the accounts of patients and
physician’s financial activities for the success and continues operation of any
medical office.

Course Materials:

D. Managing Finances in Medical Office

Administrative medical assistants help with the accounting – the methodical recording,
classifying, and summarizing of business transactions in the medical office. The physician must
have all the records of all transactions and must be able to prepare tax records. Either an
accountant employed by the practice or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may wish to perform
an audit, or review of all financial data in order to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data.
The assistant makes all the records available to the IRS and keeps all source documents for tax
purposes. These tasks require a working knowledge of tax regulations and of the accounting
process. The part of the process that is the accurate recording of transaction is called
Bookkeeping.

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 Accounting for the practice may be done in one of two ways: on a cash basis or an accrual
basis. If the practice operates on a cash basis, charges for services are not recorded as income
to the practice until payment is received and expenses are not recorded until they are paid. With
the accrual method, income is recorded as soon as it is earned, whether or not the payment is
received, and expenses are recorded when they are incurred. Whichever way the practice
decides to keep it accounts, there are certain essential records that must be carefully kept and
maintained. The assistant’s task is to enter data accurately the first time on a record and to
perform the tasks of posting to records, or transferring amounts from one record to another.

Essential Financial Records

The financial records that are used daily in the practice include the following:

• Daily Journal is a record of services rendered, daily fees charged, payments received,
and adjustments. It is also called a “general journal, “ “day sheet,” or “daily earnings
record.”
• Charge/receipt slips provide a record of the physician’s services and the charges for
these. Each slip has a tear-off receipt for the patient.
• Ledgers contain a patient’s name, services rendered, charge, payment, and balance.
Accounts payable ledgers record expense amounts owed to a supplier or creditor.
Accounts receivable ledgers record the balance of payments due from patients or others
on current accounts.
• Summaries The monthly summary shows the daily charges and payments for an entire
month. The annual summary provides the monthly charges and payments for an entire
year. In some practices, quarterly (a three-month period) summaries are prepared.

The assistant is responsible for accurately entering the data and keeping these essential
records current. These records are the basis for ongoing decisions about collections and
disbursements, and they provide a picture of the financial health of the practice. In all businesses,
the managers speak of the importance of the balance sheet, the financial statement for a
particular date that indicates the total assets (possessions of value, such as equipment), liabilities
(debts), and capital (available cash). Summaries are an important part of the balance sheet.

Sample Daily Journal

DAILY JOURNAL
Date 9/24/20__ Sheet No. 84
Receipt Description Previous
No. Date Code Charge Payment Adjustments Balance Balance Name
1054 9/24 OV 44 00 ---- ----- 84 00 40 00 Chu,
Tamara
1055 9/24 CPE 142 00 142 00 ----- 0 00 ---- Amders,
Jay
1056 9/24 OV/CBC/UA 109 00 21 80 ----- 187 20 100 00 Ganders,
Ali
Column A Column B Column C Column D Column E
295 00 163 80 ---- 271 20 140 00
• All receipts must be in
numerical order

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 Banking
The administrative medical assistant is responsible for handling the banking functions
accurately and promptly because it contributes to the financial health of the practice. This
includes preparing deposits and reconciling bank statements. Banking tasks require absolute
accuracy, correctness that one hundred percent, because the assistant acts as the physician’s
agent in these matters.

The Banking Policy of the Practice

The physician must indicate the persons in the practice authorized to sign all checks. One
person may be authorized to write checks, and another may be authorized to sign. This is a
good system to avoid mistakes and misappropriations. It may be that the phy

Checks and Checking

The practice may have at least two types of checking accounts – one regular business
checking account and an account that pays interest. There may also be savings account in
the name of the practice. Money for taxes or expenses that are not immediate will be kept in
a checking or savings account where it will earn interest, or money paid by the bank to
depositors in return for the bank’s use of the depositor’s money. You will use the regular
business account most frequently: to deposit patient payments and to draw checks for the
payment of office expenses. Although this account does not pay interest, it allows for
availability and flexibility. No interest is lost by the frequent transactions.

Negotiable Checks

A check in order to a bank to pay a specific amount of money. In order for the check to
ne negotiable, that is, to allow the legal transfer of money, it must meet several requirements.
It is important for you to know what these are; you should examine all checks given to you
before accepting them. To be negotiable a check must:

• Contain the specific amount to be paid.

• Be made out (made payable) to the payee. The payee may be the title of the practice
rather than the physician’s name, depending on the title of the account.
• Carry the name of the bank that is making the payment.
• Specify the date on which payment is to be made.
• Be signed by the payer, the person who writes the check and is promising to pay the
money.

Be sure that you understand and follow office policies about accepting checks. For
example, a patient visiting the office for the first time may be required to present identification
before the check is accepted.

The following kinds of checks are usually not acceptable:

• Postdated checks: A check dated in the future (postdated) cannot be cashed until that
future date.
• Predated checks: A check dated in the past (predated) is acceptable only if the date is
within a six-month period before the date which you receive it.

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• Third-party checks: In this case, third party refers not to an insurer but to anyone other
than the patient. A third- party check is a check written to the patient by a person unknown
to the practice.
• Check with annotation of “Paid in Full”: When the amount of the check does not
correspond to the total, or full, amount due for the services rendered, the office should not
accept a check marked “Paid in Full.”

Deposits

The checks and cash placed into the account belonging to the practice are called
deposits. Once the checks have been accepted and endorsed, a deposit slip is prepared. For
a sizable practice, depositing checks daily is important because it improves the cash flow and
ensures that check is sent by the practice will not bounce. If the practice is specialized or very
small, deposits may be made less often during the week.

Returned Checks

The bank may return a check that has not been completed properly: the check may be
missing a date or signature. The check will also be returned if there is not enough money in
the account to cover the amount shown on the check. In this case, the check is stamped, or
identified “NSF” or “Nonsufficient Funds.” When this happens, you will need to contact the
person who gave you the check.

Bank Reconciliation

Each month the bank submits a statement of the checking account, such as the one shown
in Figure 10.7. The monthly statement shows the beginning balance, total credits (deposits
added to the account during the month), total debits (checks paid out of the account during
the month), any service charges that apply, and the resulting new balance.

The new balance on the statement must be compared with the check book balance to
determine whether there is a difference between the amounts. This process is known as
reconciling the bank statement, or bank reconciliation. Many banks provide a reconciliation
form, such as the one shown in Figure 10.8, on one of the pages of the monthly statement.

The steps you should take in the reconciliation process are:

1. Compare the cancelled checks returned by the bank with the items listed on the bank
statement. When the banks do not provide the actual cancelled checks, miniaturized
Photostats of the checks are usually provided. These, in addition to the listing of the
checks on the statement, may be used for reference.
2. Compare the checks listed on the bank statement with the check-book stubs to verify
that the check numbers and amounts agree. Deductions, such as service charges, are
explained on the bank statement. These must now be recorded in the checkbook.
Checks that were written during the last month but have not yet been paid by the bank
are not included with the statement. These are called “outstanding checks” and should
be listed on the reconciliation form as shown in Figure 10.8.
3. Compare the deposits recorded in the checkbook with the credits listed on the bank
statement. A deposit listed in the checkbook but not recorded by the bank at the time
the statement was issued is called a “deposit in transit.”

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 4. If the checking account earns interest, record the interest as a credit, similar to a
deposit, in the checkbook.
5. Complete the reconciliation form following the directions.

If the final amount on the reconciliation form does not agree with the amount in the
checkbook, compare the monthly statement with the checkbook again.

• Recheck the deposits entered on the bank statement with those you have entered in
the checkbook.
• Confirm that all service charges shown on the statement are entered in the checkbook
and have been properly deducted.
• Make sure no check has been drawn that has not been recorded in the checkbook.
Compare all checks with the stubs to make sure the amounts agree.
• Review the list outstanding checks to see whether an old check is still outstanding.
• Recheck all addition and subtraction.

When the checkbook is reconciled, make a notation to that effect in the check book on the
last-used stub or register line.

Banking Electronically

Banking by computer can contribute to both efficiency and accuracy. The tasks that you
have when banking electronically are the same as those you perform when using paper
procedures. You are still responsible for recording and physically depositing checks. You will
still need to reconcile statements However, the software will make all the calculations
automatically. This is not only saves time but also reduces the chances for error. You will no
longer need to worry about a secure storage place for the checkbook and deposit slips. The
password that you determine in order to access the bank account is the only item you must
protect.

The software systems made available by banks require a modem attached to your
computer. With a modem in place, the bank makes the following activities possible:

• Checking balances in the accounts.

• Receiving electronic deposits.
• Finding out which checks have cleared.
• Transferring money from one account to another.
• Paying certain monthly bills.

In some cases, banks supply the software at minimal cost or have interfaces with
commercial software. The menus are easy to use. Main menus present choices such as “Pay
Bills” and “Record Deposits.” The directions for transactions are step by step. Reconciling monthly
statements may also be done electronically with a computerized version of the reconciliation form.

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 Petty Cash

A petty cash fund is a fund containing small amounts of cash to be used for small
expenses. These expenses are usually so small that checks would not be written to pay for them:
cab fares, postage stamps, payments to messengers, and delivery charges.

Each time you make payment form the petty cash fund, make an entry in the petty cash
register or complete a voucher if this is the system used in your office. The register or voucher
provides a record of these small expenses and ensures that only authorized payments are made
from this fund.

To obtain money for the petty cash fund, the minor expenses for the month are estimated.
A check for the estimated amount is drawn, payable to the person in the office authorized to
handle the petty cash fund. The check is cashed, and the money is obtained in an assortment of
small bills and change. The money is kept in a secure place, such as a locked metal cash box in
a drawer.

At the end of the month or when the amount of cash is low, the fund is replenished. First,
from the record in the petty cash register, determine the total amount of disbursements made.
Count the remaining cash in the fund. Be sure the two amounts add up to the original amount of
the check that was cashed. This procedures is called “providing the petty cash fund.” A new check
is then drawn to bring the fund back to its original amount.

Source: https://www.beginner-bookkeeping.com/insurance-journal-entry.html

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 Activities/Assessments:

Using critical thinking skills, play the role of an administrative medical assistant as you answer each
question. Be prepared to present responses in a class meeting.

1. What are the major financial responsibilities that you have as an administrative medical
assistant? What are the accounting terms used to described these responsibilities?

2. Discuss the reasons why the medical administrative assistant must be responsible in
accurately entering the financial data and keeping these essential records current.

3. Mr. Thomson is a patient whose insurance company has paid a portion of the fee for the
physician’s services. For this reason, he has given you a postdated check for the amount
owed. The check is dated three weeks from the current date. How will you handle this
nonnegotiable check?

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 OAMT – 40013
MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
MIDTERM EXAMINATION

I. Direction: Mark each item with either “T” for true or “F” for false. Be prepared to discuss your
answers in the class.

_____ 1. The Principles of Medical Ethics states that the physician may refuse to accept a new
Patient.
_____ 2. The physician is legally obligated to inform a patient of all possible reactions to a
medication.
_____ 3. A physician must obtain a written consent before seeing a new patient.
_____ 4. A physician is legally obligated to seek referral if the conditions are beyond the
physician’s scope of knowledge.
_____ 5. Medical practice acts, established by law, govern the practice of medicine.
_____ 6. The physician cannot refuse to perform a procedure on a patient because of the
physician’s moral beliefs.
_____ 7. When a patient visits a physician for an appointment, he or she is establishing
implied consent.
_____ 8. A physician must obtain the maximum amount of education in a particular medical
Specialty before becoming certified in that specialty.
_____ 9. The adult age as defined by law is known as majority.
_____10. Express consent is not required in an emergency situation.

II. Direction: Match the term in Column 2 with its definition in Column 1.

_____ 1. On time and ready to work. a. accurate

_____ 2. Inspired to increase knowledge and to advance b. assertive
_____ 3. Able to produce work with few or no errors c. cheerful
_____ 4. Able to understand how a patient feels d. confidentiality
_____ 5. Careful to pay attention to detail e. efficient
_____ 6. Truthful, trustworthy f. empathetic
_____ 7. Privacy for all patient information g. flexible
_____ 8. Ability to take independent action h. honest
_____ 9. The correct appearance for the job i. initiative
_____ 10. Able to present ideas and information without
Offending j. professional image
_____ 11. A person who works well with associates k. punctual
and pitches in when needed.
_____ 12. Able to make good use of time and materials l. self-motivated
and to be organized
_____ 13. Able to present ideas to others with confidence m. tactful
_____ 14. Pleasant and friendly n. team player
_____ 15. Able to adapt to new conditions; willing to o. thorough
try new ideas

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 OAMT 40013 – MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
Module 3
The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Introduction

The word administrative in the administrative medical assistant’s job title refers to more
than clerical or office tasks that contribute to the care of patients. The word also describes the
management functions that assistance fulfill on a daily basis. In many practices, career
advancement to office management may be an outgrowth of skills and abilities used everyday on
the job.

Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Topics: Week 10

A. The Medical Office Management

a. The Medical Office Manager Skills and Abilities

b. The Medical Office Manager Duties and Responsibilities

• Policies and Procedures Manual

• Office Manager’s Resources

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Determine the importance of having the skills and abilities of a medical

administrative assistant to advance in the position of Medical Office Manager.

• Discuss the duties and responsibilities of the medical office manager as

partner of the physician in making the medical practice business operations
successful.

• Develop management skills to handle people and resources that can be

practiced in medical and other business operations.

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Course Materials:

A. The Medical Office Management

Advancing from the position of administrative medical assistant to office manager requires
experience and specific skills and abilities. The experience ensures a broad and deep
understanding of the many ways in which the medical practice is a business uniquely designed
to serve people’s most important and intimate needs. A high level of skill ensures a readiness to
exercise initiative and to direct others.

Office management responsibilities involve the following managerial skills and abilities:

▪ Being a team player: It is important to understand the social fabric of the relationships in
the office and to be recognized as someone who helps generously; freely gives credit to
other employees for their work; contributes to a pleasant atmosphere; and relates well to
colleagues as well as to managers.
▪ Increasing productivity: Understanding how to complete tasks more efficiently, actually
increasing output, is the mark of a good manager. Directing others so that they are able
to get more tasks done more efficiently may be part of the office manager’s responsibility.
Thus, the manager’s own development of time management skills and efficient ways of
doing tasks is critical.
▪ Planning strategically: The office manager is expected to see beyond an immediate
assignment, to view the whole business of the practice so as to contribute in ways that
improve the daily operations of the office. This may involve anything from selecting new
software for scheduling patients to recommending the choice of a new supplier because
of quality or price.
▪ Using problem-solving skills: The employer counts on the office manager to be able to
analyse situations, determine the critical factors, apply knowledge gained in past working
experience, and propose and implement solutions.
▪ Using available resources: When physicians delegate the day-to-day management of
the office, they may expect the office manager to get help from experts: an accountant, a
lawyer, an insurance representative, even a time management, known as medical
management consultants, are available to assist the office manager.

The ability to manage the office on a daily basis demands, above all, quality of leadership.
This quality enables the office manager to choose what to achieve, to plan for complex tasks, to
prioritize time and tasks, and to motivate other employees to work effectively and efficiently.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Medical Office Manager

The medical office manager as the trusted personnel may entrust some parts of the
responsibilities of the physician. The experience in handling the day to day routine in the medical
office and the administrative skills and abilities that the medical office manager can do, the
physician may ease his/her duties by extending some of them to the medical office manager.
The medical office manager works as partner with the physician in the practice of medicine.

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 Here are some of the duties which may be extended to the medical office manager:

1. Editorial Research Projects – The physician may be involved with research in a wide
variety of areas in medicine. The assistant may become involved in initial stages of
research through obtaining materials for the physician’s reports at the library. The
assistant will also keep copies of medical journals and will obtain and file reprints of articles
in the physician’s areas of interest or articles of the physician has written.
2. Travel and Meeting Arrangement – When the physician travels for professional or
personal reasons, you will be involved in preparing for the trip. You need to know and
understand the physician’s preferences well in order to handle arrangements satisfactorily.
There are two general guidelines for handling travel:
1) Always consult with the physician enough in advance to be sure that the physician’s
preferences will be honored. Consider preferences in airline and airplane seating;
dietary needs or preferences in airplane meals; lodging requirements and the
geographic relationship of the hotel to the meeting or conference site; car rental, times
of travel; airport, any need for information about the places of interest or restaurants.
2) Be sure to use the services of a skilled travel agent at a reputable agency.
3. Reservations – Once you have given all relevant information on arrangements and
reservation, request for a written confirmation. As soon as you receive the confirmation,
check to be sure that every arrangement is the same as what was originally requested
and agreed upon. The confirmation, along with the itinerary, should then be placed in a
folder until the physician needs the information. Copies can be sent to the physician’s
family members and any others whom the physician specifies. One copy for reference
should be kept in a convenient place in the office.
4. Duties related to the Physician’s absence – Mark the calendar the days when the
physician will be away so that no patients are scheduled. Be certain that you have
instructions about how to handle phone calls, correspondence, and appointments in the
physician’s absence. It is useful to keep a running daily summary of phone calls, incidents,
and patient inquiries specifying whatever action was taken while the physician was away.
5. Meeting Arrangements – Many physicians belong to organizations. These organizations
provide valuable information for the physician to learn about new developments that
contribute to their profession. The office manager may be involved in participating by
simply attending meetings, or representing the physician, or may involve in working
committee. The responsibilities may vary depending on the physician’s responsibilities.
6. Running the medical office efficiently – The medical office manager is tasks to make
the medical office run smoothly. The physician may focus on the profession, patient
treatment and care. They are partners with the same goal of succeeding in the operations
of the business in the field of medicine.
7. Responsibility for Records - As office manager, may be responsible for the supervision
of other staff members and for keeping records relating to their employment. Each
employee will have a separate file containing information such as an application form and
cover letter, resume, letter of employment agreement, performance evaluations, and
attendance record. These are confidential records and are stored in a locked drawer.

Policies and Procedures Manual

The policies and procedures manual is an important resource because it gives employees
a clear idea of job responsibilities and of how to perform daily tasks. It thus makes managing the
daily office routine less problematic.

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 It is the responsibility of the medical office manager to prepare the policies and procedures
manual or employee handbook of the medical office. It provides all employees with information
about the work environment and serves as a reminder of tasks to be done and the procedures of
doing them. The manual helps keep the office running smoothly.

Format

A looseleaf binder with tab divisions is an ideal holder for a policies and procedures
manual. Page may easily be added or taken out. New topics only require additional tabs, inserted
in a logical place. The only other format, using the word processing program, would be easy to
establish. Copies could be sent to each employee using e-mail. Updates, or instructions about
deletions, could be sent the same way. It is important that every page be dated so that the most
recent update is easily identifiable.

Contents

Prepare an outline of topics that must be covered. The following suggestions for topics
and the order of presentation will not address every situation. However, certain topics are
common to almost all practices.

• Office personnel directory: This directory should contain the names, positions, physical
location, and telephone or extension numbers, cell phone numbers, and pager numbers
of everyone in the office along with the numbers for building services, such as
maintenance and security.
• Job descriptions: This section lists the major responsibilities and duties of all employees
other than the physicians; for example, administrative medical assistants, clerks,
receptionist, technicians, and billing specialists. A list of the names of the people currently
holding the positions is often included, along with the name and telephone number of a
person to be contacted in case of emergency for each employee. Home addresses and
telephone number are sometimes also given. Either in this section or in a separate section
dealing with procedures, descriptions of how to perform the duties of the position are
given. If job, duties over-lap, or if employees are expected to substitute for each other in
case of absence or illness, that should be stated in this section of the manual.
• Procedures: Once the duties of the positions have been specified, a section on specific
procedures may follow. Appropriate forms may be included with the procedures for which
they are used.

Office Manager’s Resources

It can easily be seen by the extensive list of topics to be covered in the office policies and
procedures manual that the assistant serving as office manager has an enormous amount of
responsibility. Even though it is difficult to keep the manual current, the manual can be an
extraordinarily useful tool. It makes the task of managing both daily routines and personnel less
problematic. The routines are made explicit and directions are given for handling daily tasks. Staff
members are able to understand thoroughly their job responsibilities. This knowledge, in turn,
helps them to understand the expectations that managers have of them.

Another really useful tool is the computer. The information available on the Internet is a
great help. There are a number of search engines designed to assist in locating services, articles

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and books required for physician’s research, travel directions, medical organizations and
societies, and contact information on companies and professionals.

Also, standard printed references and resources should be available in every office,
including dictionaries (standard and medical); a thesaurus; English language usage references to
provide formatting instructions, grammar rules, and writing style guidelines; drug references to
provide information on medications, such as brand and generic names, manufacturers, and
dosages; state and local medical personnel, correct spelling of names, office addresses,
telephone numbers.

Activities/Assessment:

Instruction: Please answer the following questions handwritten or computerized. You can use a
separate sheet in answering the questions:

1. Discuss the importance of having the skills and abilities to be a “Medical Office Manager.”

2. Write a reflection paper about the duties and responsibilities of the Medical Office
Manager that has impact your personality and goals in life.

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Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Moving into an office management position sometimes require a change of duties. It

always requires a change of emphasis in job responsibilities. While the employee working as an
assistant must have certain planning and management skills, the emphasis is most often on
carefully following instructions, implanting plans made by the physician or other managers, and
responding skilfully to a variety of situations. Office management requires the exercise of initiative
that lets assistants act confidently because they grasp the goals and purposes of the practice.

Topics: Week 11

B. Maintaining the Medical Office

a. Five Steps in Maintaining a Medical Office Efficiently

b. Maintaining Equipment and Supplies

• Medical Equipment Guidelines

c. Routine Maintenance

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Organize equipment and supplies, stock taking, which includes keeping

Accurate and reliable records of stock received and issued.

• Apply office procedures, maintaining equipment and office supplies as essential

Functions of a medical office assistant and manager.

• Perform basic maintenance with reference to the set guidelines.

Course Materials:

B. Maintaining the Medical Office

Introduction

Every medical office could become a better place for practitioners, staff, and patients. Once the
medical office is set up, it is important to look after the avalanche of complex rules, regulations,
and administrative processes. Health care providers are working harder than ever and are
challenged by focusing more on patient care and less on administrative work, taking the help of
a front office manager to take up the role in managing his patients and smooth-sailing the
functioning of the medical office.

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 There are some simple steps you can use to keep your medical office running as
smoothly and efficiently as possible. By adding in a few organizational strategies and daily
habits, you can reduce some of the pressure created by unexpected and challenging difficulties
that may pop up from time to time.
The best medical practices evaluate their current workflows and take steps toward continuous
improvements for patients, staff, and their bottom line.

1. Go paperless and cut down the clutter

Encourage your staff to go paperless. Don’t waste your time by reporting everything on papers.
This is where technology has to take over your old school methods! Maintain a clutter-free
environment when it comes to working in a doctor’s office, this tiny step can keep you well-
organized and work in a prolific manner.
Going paperless with your patients and employees ensure that you’re not spending time
creating copies of the paper, leaving yourself exposed to problems with patient information
getting spread around or employees missing their memos.

2. Efficient patient scheduling

As a front medical office manager, every time the phone rings, you need to respond with a
greeting. While it’s crucial to take calls and ensure that everyone’s needs get met, there are
cases when that just cannot happen or end up with accidental bookings. To improve and ensure
that your patients get the right kind of booking experience, empower them to use an online
scheduling software that allows them seamlessly book appointments with you 24/7. Also, know
more about the patient details or ask for additional information regarding their previous medical
reports (if needed anyway).

3. Improve communication and set clear expectations

Clear communication between staff members is critical to the clean and clear medical practice’s
function. Most of your patients need more than one consultation of the doctor, let them book
appointments with all those doctors without any mess. Also, forward the information to all your
staff about the patient on a single platform, using online scheduling software. Automate the
functioning of your medical practice without any stress. This helps to minimize the errors and
boosts up the accuracy and efficiency of the treatment.

4. Reduce disruptions to patient flow

Cut down late arrivals and no-shows. To assist with this problem set some limitations on how
late a patient can be without having to reschedule, allow a patient that is early for their
appointment to move up to the late patient's slot, and schedule chronologically late patients
towards the end of the day. One way to lessen no-shows is by the use of online scheduling
software for your med office where patients can easily manage, schedule or reschedule their
own appointments which make no-shows less likely to happen.

5. Automated reminders

Remind your patients as well as the staff about their appointments prior to the actual date. Let
your patients and staff feel comfortable with the services you provide. Stay off the hassle and
cut down the no-shows or late arrivals by sending automated SMS/Email reminders to them
through the online scheduling software.

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Every minute counts when it comes to running an efficient medical practice. Patient scheduling
may seem like a simple process, but efficient patient scheduling creates a huge impact on your
patients’ delivery of care and your ability to minimize wait times so that patient satisfaction stays
high and profitability stays constant. Although you may not be able to control how precisely a
patient arrives for their appointment, there are other things you can take control over! Have a
grip over the office staff end to ensure the schedule stays smooth, or regain time that is lost in
order to get the schedule back on route whenever possible. Being able to excel this, will keep
work stress to a minimum and make sure your wait times stay within the reason.

Source: https://blog.picktime.com/run-medical-office-efficiently

C. Maintaining Equipment and Supplies

Introduction

Medical equipment plays a vital role in healthcare; however, when equipment is not
properly used or maintained, it also can cause harm. In many instances, patient injuries occur
because of assumptions about who may use, calibrate, modify, or repair equipment. Injuries from
medical equipment also might arise from training gaps that don’t address preuse testing,
preventive maintenance, malfunction reports (and incident reports), and repair procedures. A
commitment to safety is an essential element of any process related to the use of medical
equipment — whether the medical equipment is purchased, rented, borrowed, or leased.

Equipment Selection and Acquisition

The selection of medical equipment should not be based on hasty or insufficient decision making.
Each healthcare organization (e.g., practices, hospitals, clinics, and large health systems) should
formally establish a team that is responsible for researching and recommending medical
equipment.

Once recommendations are made, prospective equipment should be thoroughly reviewed in a

collaborative effort by end users — especially if it will be used in the direct diagnosis, treatment,
or care of patients.

Equipment Management

A patient injury caused by a medical device or piece of medical equipment may trigger a claim
against a practitioner, healthcare organization, and/or an equipment manufacturer. To reduce
patient safety and liability risks associated with medical devices and equipment, healthcare
organizations should have effective programs for managing equipment used in patient care.

Considerations when developing an equipment management program include inventory

management and documentation; evaluation of equipment; testing; maintenance and usage; and
education and training.

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Inventory Management and Documentation

A first step in designing an effective equipment management program is documenting what

equipment you have. Each healthcare organization should maintain an inventory of all medical
equipment, whether it is leased or owned and whether it is maintained according to manufacturer
recommendations or an alternative equipment maintenance (AEM) program.

Evaluation of Equipment

In addition to having a written inventory of medical equipment, healthcare providers and staff
should understand the purpose of each piece of equipment. As part of the equipment
management program, each organization should: • Evaluate each piece of equipment to
determine:

 Function and clinical application

 Preventive maintenance requirements and expected lifespan
 Likelihood of equipment failure; check U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
reports, consumer reviews, and literature reviews.
 Compatibility with other equipment used at the facility
 Space allocation for equipment and supplies

Testing

Testing medical equipment is an essential element of an equipment management program and

vital for patient and staff safety. Each organization should:

• Test equipment based on manufacturer recommendations

• Ensure that qualified personnel inspect, test, and maintain all medical
equipment (diagnostic, therapeutic, life support, and monitoring).
• Consider contracting the services of an approved biomedical engineering company to
assist with equipment testing and maintenance.

Medical Supplies

One of the duties of the medical office assistant or the office manager is to take care of
the office supplies. Medical supplies consist of medications (such as drugs, medicines,
chemicals, solutions, ointments, lotions, cleaning solutions, rubbing alcohols, disinfectanats)
and of materials used in treatments and examinations (absorbent cotton, bandages,
adhesive tapes, applicators, tongue depressors, swabs, dressings, rubber gloves, cotton
balls and tampoons).

Medical supplies should be stored methodically in cupboards or cabinets, a definite place

being assigned to each item so that the assistant will know at once where to find a given
object. All bottle should be plainly labeled. Whenever a label becomes soiled or blurred, a
fresh one should be attached. Supplies should be never be allowed to lie around in the
office. The cupboard in which they are stored should be kept locked, and no unauthorized
person should have access to it.

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 The physician may buy his/her supplies from a neighborhood pharmacy, from one of the
large drug manufacturing company, or from wholesale distributing firm. They must be
ordered whenever the stock is running low so that new supplies will be received before those
on hand are gone. Allowance must always be made for some delay in filling orders, and the
office must never be permitted to run out of medical supplies.

Stationery supplies also must be ordered before they are used up. Sufficient time must
be allowed to have letterheads, prescription blanks, billheads, etc. printed or engraved
before the supply is exhausted.

The efficient medical administrative assistant/office manager must be efficient and

effective in handling medical supplies of all forms for which there is need in the medical
office. Do not rely on memory to order supplies; when notice that the last half of an item is
being used, make a memorandum at once to order it.

Medical Supplies Used in Common Procedures

So there are many ways to get medical supplies and equipment into the hands of medical
professionals, and even to people administering medical care or performing a procedure on
themselves at home. But what types of procedures are most common, and what supplies
are used?

Standard Procedures and General Purpose Procedures

Still primarily used by healthcare professionals on a patient, general purpose procedure kits
contain medical supplies that are used routinely in multiple procedures. For example,
general procedures include:

• Nosebleed procedures
• Chest tube placement
• Debridement
• Incision and drainage procedures

Supplies you'll find in general purpose and standard procedure kits can include:

• Gloves
• Compartment tray
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Gauze
• Other tools such as forceps, scissors, and scalpels

Laceration Procedures

Laceration procedures treat cuts. They clean them, close them, and protect them for healing
and repair. Supplies often include:
• Needles
• Syringes
• Needle-holders
• Medicine cups
• Towels

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 • Gauze
• Compartment trays
• Scissors
• Forceps

Procedures That Diagnose

Many procedures are performed with the intention to treat, but some are performed with the
goal of screening a patient for a diagnosis. Here are a few examples:

• Sphygmomanometers (blood pressure kits) test blood pressure to screen

for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes to name a few.
• Ophthalmoscopes are used to look into the patient's eye during an eye exam.
• Stethoscopes are used to listen to heart sounds to make sure the heartbeat is healthy in
strength and rhythm, to listen to the lungs during inhalation and exhalation of breath, and
even blood flow in the arteries and veins.
• Electrocardiographs measure the electrical activity of the heart to screen for various forms
of heart diseases.
• Thermometers, used at home and in healthcare treatment facilities, are used to determine
body temperature in an attempt to screen for various health conditions.

Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/commonly-used-medical-supplies-2318224

D. Maintenance and Usage

Each organization’s equipment management program should include guidance related to

maintaining and using medical equipment. For example:

• Maintain and use all equipment according to manufacturers’ recommendations or a

specified AEM program. Document all inspections, testing, preventive maintenance,
and repairs — and include telephone numbers for the equipment vendors.
• Ensure maintenance processes include specific accountability and schedules
for preventive maintenance and testing.
• As part of maintenance guidance, include specific information about (a) disinfecting all
reusable equipment according to FDA guidelines and CDC guidelines, and (b)
documenting equipment disinfection processes.
• Develop a plan for monitoring and updating software on medical devices. Work closely
with the organization’s information technology team to research updates and implement
appropriate strategies.
• Develop a competency process for using equipment. Make sure the process takes into
account job descriptions and training (external and in-service).
• Determine the healthcare organization’s point of contact for reporting any equipment
malfunctions or incidents that could cause patient injuries.
• Ensure staff members who are responsible for addressing reports of equipment
malfunctions or incidents know their responsibilities and timeframes for taking action.
• Never use a piece of medical equipment that shows signs of damage or has been partially
repaired or otherwise altered from its original condition by nonqualified staff members.

Soure: https://www.medpro.com/documents/10502/2837997/Guideline_Medical+Equipment+Management.pdf

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Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Introduction

Health services are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for patients,
staff and visitors. Hospital security arrangements keep patients, staff and visitors safe from
inappropriate behaviour such as violence and aggression.

Topics: Week 12

E. Safety and Security in Healthcare Facilities

• Safety and Security in Hospital

• Patient Safety
• infection control procedures and policies
• Food and Medication Safety

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Identify patients and healthcare personnel safety and security implemented by healthcare
facilities to prevent accident, death and dangers in the life of all stakeholders

• Discuss the preparations and measures for safety and security

implemented by healthcare facilities.
.

Course Materials:

E. Safety and Security in Healthcare Facilities

Safety and security in hospital

To keep staff, patients and visitors safe, hospitals use a range of security measures,
including the use of CCTV cameras, duress alarms for staff members and electronic access
control systems for doorways. Some hospitals also employ security staff.

Hospital visitors and safety

As a hospital visitor, it is important that you respect visiting hours and rest periods for
patients during the day. If you want to bring a gift or something for a loved one, check with the
hospital to make sure it is okay. Some wards do not allow pot plants, flowers or food.
Sometimes, seeing a loved one in pain or suffering can be distressing. Always be courteous to
hospital staff, other patients and visitors. Physical or verbal abuse towards staff, patients or other
visitors will not be tolerated and you may be asked to leave if you behave like this.

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 Hospital security arrangements

Many hospitals have security staff and arrangements to protect patients and hospital staff to
make sure they are safe. Health services enforce a code of behaviour. They do not tolerate
physical or verbal aggression, or abuse towards staff, patients, family members or visitors.
Security staff or police will ask aggressive or abusive visitors to leave the hospital.

Patient safety in hospital

Another part of keeping patients safe in hospital is making sure they get the right treatment, do
not pick up infections, have falls, take the wrong medication or develop pressure sores.

Identification checks

As a hospital patient, you will be asked to wear an identification (ID) band with your name and
other important details around your wrist or ankle, or both. Your ID band must be worn during
your entire hospital stay. This is to make sure that hospital staff can identify you easily and that
you receive the right treatment and care. Staff will check your ID band before giving you any
medication or treatment.

All hospital staff members have a background and identification check before they are employed
by a hospital to make sure they are qualified for their role and are of good character. They must
display their ID badge at all times while at the hospital.

Personal information security

All hospital staff, including your administration and medical care team, must take reasonable
precautions to protect your personal health information from:
• unauthorised access
• improper use
• disclosure
• unlawful destruction
• accidental loss.

Staff who come into contact with your personal health information must maintain the security of
that information. If you think your personal health information has been improperly used or
accessed, raise your complaint with your patient liaison manager or the nurse in charge of the
ward.

Infections

All hospitals have infection control procedures and policies, and staff take every precaution to
avoid infections. However, the risk of infection can never be completely eliminated and some
people have a higher risk of acquiring an infection than others.

Lung, wound, urinary tract and bloodstream infections can be picked up during a stay in
hospital. These are called ‘healthcare-associated infections’.

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Some things that can help reduce the chance of getting an infection while you are in hospital
include:

• washing your hands properly, especially after using the toilet

• if you have an IV drip, letting your nurse know if the site around the needle is not clean
and dry
• telling your nurse if your dressings are not clean, dry and attached around any wounds
you may have
• telling your nurse if tubes or catheters have moved or feel uncomfortable
• doing deep breathing exercises – the staff will instruct you. This is very important because
it can help prevent a chest infection
• asking relatives or friends who have colds or are unwell, not to visit.

Falls

The risk of falling increases with age and the number of times someone has been in hospital.
During your hospital stay, you may be more unsteady on your feet because of your illness or
surgery, or because you are unfamiliar with your hospital environment or are taking new
medication.

Falls-related injuries can include:

• minor skin abrasions
• sprains
• joint dislocation
• fractures
• head injuries.

These injuries may result in a longer hospital stay.

To reduce your risk of falls:
• Keep your personal items and the call button within reach to avoid standing and walking
to get them.
• Ask for help when you need to get out of bed to use the toilet if you are feeling at all
unsteady.
• Make sure your pyjamas, dressing gown and day clothes are the right length so you don’t
trip over them.
• Check that your slippers or other footwear fit properly and are not slippery.
• If you have to wear pressure stockings, wear slippers over them so you do not slip.
• If you need one, make sure you have an appropriate walking aid (such as a walking stick)
and that you use it.

Pressure injuries

Pressure injuries are wounds that form due to ongoing pressure on an area of skin. Pressure
injuries may cause pain and discomfort, resulting in a slower recovery and longer hospital stay.

If you are assessed as a high-risk patient for developing a pressure injury, hospital staff will
follow a care plan to minimise your risk of developing a pressure injury.

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The care plan may include:

• frequent inspection of your skin

• keeping your skin clean and dry
• making sure your nutrition and fluids are suitable
• changing your position frequently
• using a pressure-relieving device, such as a special mattress or supportive pad.

Electrical appliance checks

For your safety and to reduce potential fire risks, many hospitals will not allow you to use
any personal electrical appliances such as a hair dryer, radio, mobile phone charger or docking
station, until an electrician tests the item. Let hospital staff know about any appliances you have
brought with you and they can arrange for the items to be tested.

Food safety

Hospitals have food safety regulations in place to prevent food contamination and to keep
patients safe from food poisoning. For example, most hospitals will not allow you or your visitors
to bring in food from outside the hospital that needs to be heated.

Medication safety

Hospitals have procedures to minimise the risk of patients being given the wrong
medication or wrong dose. Nurses will check your ID band and the dosage instructions before
giving you medication.

Do not take any other medication while you are in hospital, including herbal supplements or
remedies, without the consent of your medical team. You may think that the medication is safe
to take, but it could interfere with the medication your doctor has prescribed or have a negative
effect on you.

Keeping your valuables safe

Theft can be an issue in hospital, so do not bring jewellery, lots of money or valuable
personal items with you. It is okay to bring a small amount of cash or change for newspapers and
other small necessities. Bring only the essential items that you need for your stay.

If you are admitted to hospital through the emergency department, ask a friend or relative to look
after your valuables while you are being treated and to take them home. Some hospitals will
accept valuable items for storage in a safe after they have been formally receipted.

Clearly label all your belongings with your full name and keep everyday items in marked cases or
bags. If you wear dentures, ask a nurse for a labelled denture cup for storage. Do not wrap your
dentures in a tissue or place them under your pillow, because they may get lost or damage

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 Keeping children safe in hospital

Children’s hospitals and wards have procedures in place to protect the children in their care.
Visitor access is limited to parents and carers after hours, and there may be visitor restrictions
or limitations during the day.

Parents and carers can negotiate certain tasks of their child’s care while in hospital, such as
who will bathe the child and who is able to give the medication.

Children will also need to wear identity (ID) bands on their wrist or ankle, or both during their
hospital stay, so they can be easily identified.

Source: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/security-and-safety-at-hospital

Activities/Assessments:

Using your critical thinking skills, play the role of a medical administrative assistant as
you answer the following questions. Be prepared to present your responses in class.

1. What kind of security and safety measures that you have encountered
during a visit in a healthcare facility. Discuss the reasons why are they
implementing these measures.

2. Discuss the safety and security that should be implemented

to protect the patients, personnel and visitors in a medical office.

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Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Introduction

Healthcare managers identify and evaluate risks as a means to reduce injury to

patients, staff members, and visitors within an organization. Risk managers work proactively and
reactively to either prevent incident or to minimize the damages following an event.

Module 3 – Week 13

Topics:

F. Risk Management

• What is Risk Management

• Risk Management in Healthcare Facilities

• The Risk Manager

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Identify risks in the operations of medical practice to prevent them from

occuring and damages.

• Discuss the importance of risk management implemented by healthcare facilities

• Describe the vital role of the risk manager in healthcare administration.

Course Materials:

What is Risk Management

Risk management is essentially a means to forecast and evaluate risks which could be
associated with finance, staff and resources and infrastructure involved and together with the
identification of procedures to avoid or minimize their impact. Thus an organization essentially
needs individuals who can assess and develop strategies to avoid or minimize the risk involved
and efficiently handle the situation.

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Risk Management in Healthcare Industry

In a healthcare sector apart from financial risk the priority always remains the patient safety and
care. Thus the stakes are higher as its a matter of life involved and hence vigilance is the key.
Essentially a healthcare industry needs to be both proactive i.e. acting before an event occurs
and reactive i.e. mitigating after a situation has occurred.

• Individuals involved in assessing the risk have multiple roles associated with medical
administration involving finance, insurance, safety issues, medical errors, legal factors and
psychological welfare of the patients and staff members.

• Thus individual needs to be proactive, intuitive and essentially ready to react so as to keep
the risk as low as possible as well as updated with all policies and changes made in the
healthcare sector to prevent any undue legal challenges which can be potentially
damaging to the institute (or healthcare provider). To be negligent can increase liability
risks and result in major financial loss.

• Any healthcare industry must have standard operating procedures for each department
and sector which need to be evaluated by risk assessment team in terms of
implementation, regular monitoring and essentially updating as per the on sites changes
observed. Guidelines are provided by various organizations such as FDA, American
Society for Healthcare Risk Management to develop quality controls, guidelines, checklist,
interventions to assess any potential issues which can then be modified as per the institute
as one size fits all policy is not valid in any healthcare setting as it varies as per patients,
the healthcare sector involved, geographical concerns and even technological
advancements.

• Essentially patient safety initiatives should be a priority in a healthcare sector as largely

legal concerns associated with the medical industry is negligence which can be omitted
by having experienced and qualified staff with complete knowledge and understanding of
the risk involved in the healthcare sector they work. Thus verifying their checklist before
releasing a patient can ultimately prove beneficial for the patients both in terms of
satisfaction and safety and beneficial to the institute in terms of the quality of service
offered.

Source: https://www.jliedu.com/blog/risk-management-healthcare-industry/

G. The Health Care Risk Manager?

A healthcare risk manager is a professional who continually assesses and minimizes

various risks to staff, patients and the public in health care organizations. These health care
administrators play a vital role in reducing potential safety, finance and patient problems.
What is Health Care Risk Management?
The role of risk management is not new to the business world, but is relatively new to the
field of health care. Risk management is an integrated function that utilizes a number of
disciplines to reduce the potential for organizational losses. Most health care risk management

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activities are proactive or preemptive techniques designed to mitigate or prevent losses.
Because the health care industry is driven by quality measurements and the need for legal
compliance, risk management demonstrates it's worth through reducing cost savings. For
example, a healthcare risk manager would focus on objective, measurable goals that would
reduce malpractice claims or employee turnover rates. Therefore, they must have
excellent math, analytical and administrative skills.

What Does a Health Care Risk Manager Do?

Health care risk managers are trained to handle different ongoing or unexpected PR, personnel,
operations or financial problems. They are part of the upper medical administration staff, but
their specific duties depend on the position itself and the health care organization. For example,
they may work in clinical research or they may help hospitals prepare for emergencies. On the
other hand, they may work directly with insurance and finance companies to streamline claims
management. However, almost all health care risk managers will assist with incident
management involving minor, daily problems and major, unexpected events.

What is a Normal Day Like for a Health Care Risk Manager?

The typical day-to-day activities of a health care risk manager involve sensitive patient, legal
and financial information. In fact, all of this information will directly affect the health care
organization's public image and legal or financial status. Their daily activities include managing
legal and insurance claims against the organization and communicating with internal and
external legal counsel. They use software programs to run reports and analyze risk
management data. They also provide risk management training to key health care organization
staff, such as other managers or front-line supervisors. They must also ensure compliance with
industry standard risk management guidelines that are overseen by the Joint Commission and
other regulatory government agencies.

What Education is Required?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical or health service managers generally
have a Bachelor's degree in health care management or administration. Understandably, many
health care organizations expect health care risk managers to have a Master's degree that will
ensure advanced training in budgeting, strategic planning, HR administration and hospital
organization. Many health care risk managers pursue certification through the Professional
Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM), the American College of Health
Care Administrators (ACHCA) or the American Hospital Association (AHA). For example, the
AHA offers a Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management exam and certification.
Anyone interested in learning more about health care risk management should explore the
American Society for Health Care Risk Management's website.
To recap, a health care risk manager plays a vital role in minimizing or eliminating legal,
financial and health care related risks. A healthcare risk manager is an administrative
professional who coordinates, manages and reduces these risks.

Source: https://www.healthcare-administration-degree.net/faq/what-is-a-health-care-risk-manager/

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Activities/Assessment:

Using your critical thinking skills, play the role of a “risk manager” as you answer the
following questions. Be prepared to present your responses in class.

1. Identify some risks in the operations of a medical healthcare facility and suggest
possible solution to avoid such risks.

2. What subjects in your BSOA program that you think can be applied to be
a risk manager? Discuss your answer.

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Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Introduction

Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis,

procedures, medical services, and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes.
A medical coder is responsible for assigning the correct code to describe the type of service a
patient will receive.

Topics: Week 15

H. Medical Coding

• Medical Coding Defined

• Why is Medical Coding Needed
• Types of Codes Used
• How is Medical Coding Done?

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Define the importance of medical coding to healthcare providers;

• Describe the role of the medical coder;

• Discuss the process of medical coding;

Course Materials:

What is Medical Coding?

Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and
equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes. The diagnoses and procedure codes are
taken from medical record documentation, such as transcription of physician's notes, laboratory
and radiologic results, etc. Medical coding professionals help ensure the codes are applied correctly
during the medical billing process, which includes abstracting the information from documentation,
assigning the appropriate codes, and creating a claim to be paid by insurance carriers.

Medical coding happens every time you see a healthcare provider. The healthcare provider reviews
your complaint and medical history, makes an expert assessment of what’s wrong and how to treat
you, and documents your visit. That documentation is not only the patient’s ongoing record, it’s how
the healthcare provider gets paid.

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 Medical codes translate that documentation into standardized codes that tell payers the
following:

• Patient's diagnosis
• Medical necessity for treatments, services, or supplies the patient received
• Treatments, services, and supplies provided to the patient
• Any unusual circumstances or medical condition that affected those treatments and services

Medical Coding requires the ability to understand anatomy, physiology, and details of the services,
and the rules and regulations of the payers to succeed.

The main task of a Medical Coder is to review clinical statements and assign standard
codes using CPT®, ICD-10-CM, and HCPCS Level II classification systems. Medical billers, on
the other hand, process and follow up on claims sent to health insurance companies for
reimbursement of services rendered by a healthcare provider. The Medical Coder and medical
biller may be the same person or may work with each other to ensure invoices are paid properly.
To help promote a smooth coding and billing process, the coder checks the patient’s medical
record (i.e., the transcription of the doctor’s notes, ordered laboratory tests, requested imaging
studies, and other sources) to verify the work that was done. Both work together to avoid
insurance payment denials.

Why is Medical Coding Needed?

The healthcare revenue stream is based on the documentation of what was learned,
decided, and performed.

A patient's diagnosis, test results, and treatment must be documented, not only for
reimbursement but to guarantee high quality care in future visits. A patient's personal health
information follows them through subsequent complaints and treatments, and they must be easily
understood. This is especially important considering the hundreds of millions of visits, procedures,
and hospitalizations annually in the United States.

The challenge, however, is that there are thousands of conditions, diseases, injuries, and
causes of death. There are also thousands of services performed by providers and an equal
number of injectable drugs and supplies to be tracked. Medical coding classifies these for easier
reporting and tracking. And in healthcare, there are multiple descriptions, acronyms, names, and
eponyms for each disease, procedure, and tool. Medical coding standardizes the language and
presentation of all these elements so they can be more easily understood, tracked, and modified.

This common language, mandated by the Health Information Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA), allows hospitals, providers, and payers to communicate easily and
consistently. Nearly all private health information is kept digitally and rests on the codes being
assigned.

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 Types of Codes Used

Medical coding is performed all over the world, with most countries using the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD). ICD is maintained by the World Health Organization and
modified by each member country to serve its needs. In the United States, there are six official
HIPAA-mandated code sets serving different needs.

ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinically Modified)

CPT® (Current Procedure Terminology)
ICD-10-PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Procedural
Coding System)
HCPCS Level II (Health Care Procedural Coding System, Level II)
CDT® (Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature)
NDC (National Drug Codes)
Modifiers
MS-DRG and APC
MS-DRG (Medical Severity Diagnosis Related Groups)
APC (Ambulatory Payment Categories)

How is Medical Coding Done?

Medical coding is best performed by trained and certified Medical Coders. The following
example outlines what a typical day in the life of a Medical Coder may look like...

After settling into the office and grabbing a cup of coffee, a Medical Coder usually begins
the workday by reviewing the previous day's batch of patient notes for evaluation and coding. The
type of records and notes depends on the clinical setting (outpatient or facility) and may require
a certain degree of specialization (Healthcare systems may have individuals who focus on
medical specialties while coders who work in smaller, or more general offices, may have a broad
range of patients and medical conditions.).

Selecting the top patient note or billing sheet on the stack, the coder begins reviewing the
documentation to understand the patient's diagnoses assigned and procedures performed during
their visit. Coders also abstract other key information from the documentation, including physician
names, dates of procedures, and other information.

Coders rely on ICD-10 and CPT® code books to begin translating the physician's notes
into useful medical codes. An example of basic procedure documentation and subsequently
assigned codes can be seen below.

Many cases are simple to code. Individual Medical Coders develop a detailed
understanding of the procedures and commonality of their specific clinic or facility. Coders
occasionally encounter a difficult note requiring in-depth research, taking more time to code
correctly. Even among the more commonly used codes are significant gray areas open for
examination among coders. With very complex or unusual cases, coding guidelines may be
confusing to interpret. Experienced coders will rely on their network of peers and professionals to
discuss nuances in online forums, networking with specialists they have met at national
conferences, or consulting with co-workers to help understand the issue and determine the proper
codes. Ongoing training and current coding-related periodicals such as Healthcare Business
Monthly also provide important opportunities to advance understanding and professionalism.

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 Finally, the coder completes the chart and begins the next patient record. This cycle of
reading, note taking, assigning codes, and computer entry repeats with each chart. Most coders
will spend the majority of their day sitting at the computer reading notes and using their computer
to enter data into a billing system or search for information to clarify the documentation in the
notes.

Source: https://www.aapc.com/medical-coding/medical-coding.aspx

Activities/Assessments:

Using your critical thinking skills, play the role of a “medical coder” as you answer the
following questions. Be prepared to present your responses in class.

1. What is the vital role of a medical coder in a healthcare system.

2. Discuss the process of medical coding.

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Part 3 – The Medical Administrative Assistant as Office Manager

Introduction

By now you have a good idea about the practice of medical coding. But we still don’t know
much about what those codes are used for.

While it’s true that we can use diagnosis and procedure codes to track the spread of
disease or the effectiveness of a particular procedure, their main use in the United States is in the
reimbursement process. In other words, codes help us bill accurately and efficiently.

Topics: Week 16

H. Medical Billing

• Introduction to Medical Billing

• The Role of A Medical Biller

• The Medical Billing Process

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Define the importance of medical coding to healthcare providers;

• Describe the role of the medical coder;

• Discuss the process of medical coding;

Course Materials:

I. Medical Billing

Introduction To Medical Billing

Going to the doctor may seem like a one-to-one interaction, but in reality it’s part of a large,
complex system of information and payment. While the insured patient may only have direct
interaction with one person or healthcare provider, that check-up is actually part of a three-party
system.

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 The first party is the patient. The second party is the healthcare provider. The term
‘provider’ includes hospital, physicians, physical therapists, emergency rooms, outpatient
facilities, and any other place where medical services are performed. The third and final party is
the insurance company, or payer.

It’s the medical biller’s job to negotiate and arrange for payment between these three
parties. Specifically, the biller ensures that the healthcare provider is compensated for their
services by billing both patients and payers. We bill because healthcare providers need to be
compensated for the services they perform.

In order to do this, the biller collects all of the information (found in a “superbill”) about the
patient and the patient’s procedure, and compiles that into a bill for the insurance company. This
bill is called a claim, and it contains a patient’s demographic information, medical history, and
insurance coverage, in addition to a report on what procedures were performed and why.

The Insurance Process

Let’s take a quick step back to talk briefly about the insurance process. Health insurance
is insurance against medical expenses. Put simply, people with health insurance, sometimes
called ‘the insured’ or ‘subscribers,’ pay a certain amount in order to have a degree of protection
against medical costs.

Health insurance comes in a number of forms, with each of these types of insurance, there
are procedures and services that are covered, and some that are not. It’s the medical biller’s job
to interpret a patient’s insurance plan (or plans) and use this information to create an accurate
claim.

More About Claims

The creation of the claim is where medical billing most directly overlaps with medical
coding. Medical billers take the procedure and diagnosis codes used by medical coders and use
them to create claims.

Procedure codes, whether Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) or Healthcare Common

Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), tell the payer what service the healthcare provider
performed. Diagnosis codes, documented using ICD codes, demonstrate medical necessity. In
other words, procedure codes tell the what of a patient’s visit, and the diagnosis codes tell the
why.

The biller adds information about the patient and the patient’s visit, along with the cost of
the procedure or procedures performed, to the claim. So the claim now has a what, a why, a who,
a when, and a how much.

At this point, the biller also checks to make sure a claim is compliant. That is, the claim is
factually and formally correct. This is a complicated process, as the biller must know what the
claim allows so that the payer can fully evaluate the procedure and decide how much they will
reimburse the provider. If the claim is approved, it’s sent back to the biller with the amount the
payer is going to pay. The biller then takes the amount, called the balance, and sends it on to the
patient.

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Day-To-Day Activities

Now that you’ve got a little more information about the overall process, here’s a quick look
at the day-to-day activities of a professional medical biller.

Working With Patients

• When a patient receives medical services from a healthcare provider, they’re typically
presented with a bill at the end of their services. The biller creates this bill by looking at
the balance (if any) the patient has, adding the cost of the procedure or service to that
balance, deducting the amount covered by insurance, and factoring in a patient’s copay
or deductible.
• Billers also work daily with a patient’s medical records. Where coders use medical reports
to accurately translate medical services into code, billers abstract information from
patients’ medical records and insurance plans to create accurate medical bills.

Working With Computers

• Today, almost every doctor’s office in the country uses some form of practice management
software. This software keeps track of patients, helps schedule visits, stores important
medical information and generally helps the practice run smoothly.

Creating Claims

• The majority of a medical biller’s day is spent creating and processing medical claims.
Billers need to be familiar with what type of claim an insurance payer accepts, and adjust
their claim creation accordingly. Billers may also work frequently with insurance
clearinghouses to streamline the claims process. Billers also have to check that each claim
is compliant. Ideally, every claim a biller sends out will be “clean.” A clean claim contains
no errors, and will be processed speedily by the payer, ensuring that the healthcare
provider gets reimbursed quickly and efficiently.

Notification And Communication

• A biller is constantly in communication with insurance payers, clearinghouses, providers,

and patients. Since the biller acts as the waypoint for the reimbursement process, they
frequently have to clarify and follow-up with all parties of the healthcare process.
• Billers also explain and notify patients of their bill. Billers are in charge of issuing
Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) to patients, which list which procedures are covered by
the payer and why.
• Billers must also follow up with patients about paying the balance on their medical bills.

Collections

• In the case of a patient with delinquent bills, a medical billing specialist may have to
arrange for collections on that debt. This is not necessarily a “day-to-day” activity, as one
would hope that a provider’s patients were not ignoring their medical bills on a daily basis,
but it is something to be aware of.

Source: https://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/introduction-to-billing/

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Activities/Assessments:

Using your critical thinking skills, play the role of a “medical biller” as you answer the
following questions. Be prepared to present your responses in class.

1. What is the vital role of a medical biller in a healthcare system.

2. Discuss the process of medical billing.

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 OAMT 40013 – MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES
Module 4
Employment Opportunities for
Administrative Medical Assistant and
Medical Office Manager

Introduction

The word administrative in the administrative medical assistant’s job title refers to more
than clerical or office tasks that contribute to the care of patients. The word also describes the
management functions that assistance fulfill on a daily basis. In many practices, career
advancement to office management may be an outgrowth of skills and abilities used everyday on
the job.

Part 4 – Employment Opportunities for Administrative Medical Assistant

And Medical Office Manager

Topics: Week 17

A. Medical Administrative Assistant Job Description

B. Skills and Qualifications

C. Medical Office Manager Job Description

D. Skills and Qualifications

E. Successful Characteristics

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lessons/topics, the students should be able to:

• Decide to pursue a career in a medical office or other healthcare facilities;

• Plan to advance in medical office career by taking training courses

and certifications accredited internationally such as TESDA and other
organizations;

• Appreciate the program for providing courses that matches the requirements
of medical administrative assistant and medical office manager.

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Course Materials:

An exciting new career as a Medical Administrative Assistant can open up a whole new
world of possibilities. The path to becoming a Medical Administrative Assistant is one that will not
take an extended amount of schooling or one that is filled with high tuition costs. Starting out on
this new career path is easy to do and it can quickly lead to a rewarding future that is filled with
great benefits, flexible work hours and competitive pay.

A. Medical Administrative Assistants’ Job Description

A medical administrative assistant plays in an integral role in the day-to-day operation of

a medical facility. Patients generally encounter a medical administrative assistant as soon as they
enter a doctor’s office, hospital or health care facility. This encounter involves checking patients
in and getting all their paperwork in order, in addition to detailing their medical histories. Medical
administrative assistants also compile medical charts and records to better assist physicians.

There is sometimes the added responsibility of making sure lab results are transferred to
the appropriate place. Medical administrative assistants handle a wide range of responsibilities
when it comes to inputting data into computer systems. If there is any kind of information vital to
a patient’s history or situation, it is usually documented with the help of a medical administrative
assistant.

B. Skills and Qualifications

A diploma or associate degree in medical office administration can help prepare you for
entry-level healthcare administrator roles. You’ll start by learning medical terminology and
basic medical billing procedures – a foundation of knowledge that you can build on later in your
career.

You can advance your medical administrator career by pursuing a degree in healthcare
management. Taking this next step will help you gain the analytical, problem
solving, management and leadership skills you need to stay competitive in the changing
healthcare industry and can prepare you for roles as a health insurance manager, physician
practice manager and more.

The Bachelor of Science in Office Administration program of the Polytechnic University of

the Philippines provides courses that will develop the skills of the students to be able for them to
work as a medical administrative assistant or as an allied health professional. These courses are
medical office procedures, medical terminology, medical transcription, and computer information
skills. At a higher level in college provides management courses and leadership skills.
In other international universities such as at Herzing University, diploma graduates can
seamlessly transition to the associate degree program, and associate degree graduates can
easily move on into bachelor’s degree program in health sciences or healthcare administration.
This makes it possible for the students to work in career-level jobs throughout, because of the
variety of possibilities the degree provides,” said Herzing University graduate Rhiannon
McCalliRhiaps.

Sources: https://www.healthcaresystemcareersedu.org/medical-administrative-assistant-careers/
https://www.herzing.edu/healthcare/health-sciences-program

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C. Medical Office Manager Job Description

Healthcare office managers, also known as medical office managers, are administrative
staff who handle the day-to-day operations of medical facilities, such as doctor's offices, hospitals
or nursing homes. Medical office manager responsibilities are in many ways similar to those of
other types of office managers, in that they must create schedules, manage budgets, maintain
records and assign work to those under them. However, there are also numerous other
responsibilities that medical office managers must attend to, such as ensuring the facility complies
with government regulations in regards to healthcare and sensitive personal information.

As one might expect, medical office managers work closely with doctors, nurses, and
allied health personnel at their facility to ensure that patients are receiving adequate care. They
may also interact with insurance companies and medical suppliers. Medical office managers
typically work full-time schedules, and the position is one that may require overtime on occasion.

Medical Office Manager Education Requirements

To begin a career as a medical office manager, it is generally required to hold at least a bachelor's
degree, although master's degrees are sometimes preferred. Degrees in areas such as public
health administration, business administration, and nursing are among the most common.
Bachelor's degree programs in these majors commonly include courses such as:

• Healthcare information systems management

• Leadership and ethics in healthcare
• Quality assessment for patient care improvement
• Finance for healthcare

While an education in medicine is not strictly necessary, some courses in basic areas such as
anatomy and physiology or microbiology may be worthwhile. For individuals who are already
educated in a medical field, such as nurses, and are looking to advance their careers, past work
experience can be very beneficial, especially when combined with a master's degree. Online
programs in business administration and healthcare administration are fairly common, and can
usually be completed entirely online.

An outstanding medical office manager possesses a balance of business and clinical knowledge
and skills. It is important that they can manage the medical support staff, properly keep financial
documents and the overall ensure that the patient receives excellent health care. There are many
areas to consider when profiling the best candidate for your practice.

Education

Due to the nature and responsibilities of the position, most medical practice managers have a
high school diploma and a college degree (or even an advanced degree). Consider the current
size of the practice and desired goal or potential size of the new practice this should be a factor
in need of education for the position. For example, smaller practices may not be able to afford or
require a candidate with an advanced degree or several years of experience, whereas a larger
practice with many physicians and hundreds of patients may need a manager with an advanced
degree like an MBA to develop more in-depth business plans.

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Experience

While education is important, the candidate's previous experiences can truly testify to the skill set
that they have developed. The practice’s business needs will dictate the requirements for the
applicant’s background and previous job experience.

D. Successful Characteristics Seen in a Medical Practice Manager

Education and experience are very critical, but it is important to not overlook the role of employee
interaction and personality blend with the current staff and working environment. Remember the
medical practice manager will play a very renaissance position for the practice.
Here are some critical areas and matching characteristics needed:

Communication: The position will require clear communication with every person that interacts
with the practice. This area is very fluid and may often require being the liaison between two
separate parties. For example, communicating with the support staff the needs of the physician
or communicating with a representative of a vendor the practice conducts business. No matter
the parties involved the manager must aim to communicate effectively properly.

Leadership: This position will require the flexibility to lead the staff to ensure the practice workflow
and productivity are always moving forward. A good leader is always capable of motiving the staff
to work, building on their skill set, while also developing them by delegating tasks to capable
people.

People skills: This position is individuals and patient care centric. It helps that the individual have
an outgoing, friendly, and positive outlook when encountering patients or medical support staff.
Consider that this position will also be responsible for mediating issues that may arise with a
patient's dissatisfaction or even between two employees. The ability to quickly resolve conflicts
while demonstrating empathy is very necessary.

Organization and productivity: This position area is important because the manager must
oversee patient care, financial responsibilities, all while streamlining processes to make the work
output efficient.

Activities/Assessment:

1. Write a Reflection Paper about the opportunities of a BSOA graduate in the

field of medicine and healthcare. Be prepared to present your responses in class.

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References and Suggested Readings:

1. Today's Medical Assistant : Clinical & Administrative Procedures / Kathy Bonewit-West,

Sue A. Hunt, Edith Applegate. St. Louis, Missouri : Elsevier, ©2016, PUP-NALLRC;
ils.pup.edu.ph

2. Medical Transcription : Techniques and Procedures

Marcy O. Diehl. ©2012 St. Louis, Mo. : Elsevier/Saunders, [2012]Copyright date: ©2012
PUP-NALLRC; ils.pup.edu.ph

3. Fundamentals of Accounting: Bbookkeeping 1 / Amelia M. Arganda.

Anvil Publishing, Inc., ©2016, , PUP-NALLRC; ils.pup.edu.ph

4. Medical Terminology Complete / Bruce Wingerd.

Edition: Second edition.Copyright: Boston : Pearson, ©2013
PUP-NALLRC; ils.pup.edu.ph

5. Occupational health and safety for the 21st century / Robert H. Friis
Publisher: Burlington, MA : Jones & Bartlett Learning, ©2016

Web References:

• https://study.com/articles/Healthcare_Office_Manager_Job_Description_Duties_and_Requir
ements.html

• https://www.spine-search.com/practice/hiring-medical-office-manager

• https://www.healthcaresystemcareersedu.org/medical-administrative-assistant-careers/

• https://www.herzing.edu/healthcare/health-sciences-program

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 OAMT 40013
MEDICAL OFFICE PROCEDURES

FINAL EXAMINATION

Part 1

Directions: Read each statement or question below carefully and fill in the blank (s) with the
correct answer.

Directions: Read each statement or question below carefully and fill in the blank (s) with the
correct answer.
No. Answers Questions Score
1 Standards of right and wrong.
2 Adherence to rules and regulations.
3 Behavior and customs that are considered good
manners.
4 They’re specialists in digestive organs.
5 These are specialists in the nervous system.
6 These doctors give you drugs to numb your pain
during surgery.
7 They’re experts on the heart and blood vessels.
8 These are specialists in diseases of the blood,
9 These primary-care doctors treat both common
and complex illnesses
10 They care for children from birth to young
adulthood
11 A chronological record of ongoing patient care and
progress
12 These are lab reports, x-ray reports, and reports
from special procedures
13 A systematic control of records from creation
through maintenance to destruction.
14 It contains chart notes, all medical and laboratory
reports, and all correspondence about the patient.
15 files are kept in one place used by many people in
the medical office.
16 files are kept in one place of use to only one staff
member.
17 Checking the files if the document is in good
physical condition
18 It is the mental processing of selecting the name,
title, or classification under which an item will be
filed.
19 It is the actual placement of an item in its correct
place in the file.

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 20 It is the placing of a number, letter, or underscore
beneath a word to indicate where the document
should be filed
21 arranging them in the order in which they will be
filed
22 It is the placement of related material alphabetically
by subject categories.
23 A process of evaluating calls to decide on the
appropriate action.
24 It is a record of services rendered, daily fees
charged, payments received and adjustments
25 The bank may return a check that has not been
completed properly.
26 It is a fund containing small amounts of cash to be
used for small expenses.
27 Banking by computer can contribute to both
efficiency and accuracy
28 The checks and cash placed into the account
belonging to the practice/owner.
29 A check dated in the future cannot be cashed until
that future date.
30 review of all financial data in order to ensure the
accuracy and completeness of data. The assistan

Part 2

Enumeration. Write your answers on a yellow pad paper. (Scores = 45)

1. Enumerate the skills and abilities that an Administrative Medical Assistant must possess
to advance to the position of Medical Office Manager. Explain your answer and
give examples. (1-5 five points each item)

2. Enumerate the duties and responsibilities of the Medical Office Manager. (6-12)
3. Five simple steps Medical Office Manager can do to keep the medical office running
smoothly and efficiently. (13-17)
4. Examples of medical supplies used in common procedures (18-25)

Total Score = 75

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Course Grading System

Class standing 70%

• Quizzes
• Assignments
• Activities
Midterm / Final Exam 30%
100%
Midterm Grade + Final Term Grade = FINAL GRADE

GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP SAFE ALWAYS!

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