A lot goes into a medical visit. It’s not just the doctors and nurses involved. Without a team of non-clinical professionals, the healthcare system would come to a standstill. There’s an entire symphony of activity going on behind the scenes, all coordinated by a medical office administrator. If you’re ready for a career that is challenges and rewarding, consider enrolling in a medical office administration program.
What Does a Medical Office Administrator Do?
Medical office administrators are responsible for the non-clinical activities in a medical office setting. They plan, perform, organize, and supervise the day-to-day operations in doctor’s offices and similar healthcare environments. It’s a non-clinical role that requires a business and medical background. The work includes:
Revenue Cycle Management
Cash flow is critical for medical facilities and private practices to function. However, the revenue collection process is complex with many moving parts. As a medical office administrator, you’ll coordinate the workflow, from patient scheduling and filing insurance claims to payment processing and collections, ensuring a bank balance high enough to pay the bills.
Recordkeeping
Data is everything in healthcare. Medical office administrators manage electronic data storage and filing processes, so information is organized, accessible and secure.
Human Resources
A successful medical practice is the sum of its parts. Putting the right people in the right places can make or break a business. Medical office administrators are responsible for hiring qualified candidates. You’ll explore recruiting options, interview candidates, and guide new hires through the orientation process.
Scheduling
Busy healthcare providers have responsibilities beyond what they do at the office. Doctors, for example, may move between the office and hospital before management meetings, educational conferences, and community obligations.
Medical office administrators oversee the schedule, making sure that the appropriate personnel and resources are available to serve patients without overwhelming the budget or staff.
Developing Policies and Procedures
Every medical office has an employee handbook with policies and procedures that must be followed. Medical office administrators work with practice owners and supervisory staff to create guidelines that keep operations running smoothly.
Budgeting
Budgeting is an important tool for meeting financial goals. The cost of labor, equipment and inventory can drain profits, even non-profit organizations need to track expenses carefully to afford capital improvements. Medical office administrators help create department budgets and oversee spending.
Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
Healthcare is a highly regulated field with many rules to protect patients and staff. As the manager in charge, you’ll monitor team compliance with HIPAA, OSHA, JACHO and Department of Labor regulations.
You’ll also coordinate staff meetings and continuing education needs for the administrative and clinical teams. Most healthcare professionals require continuing education credits to renew their licenses or certifications. You’ll track the schedules and paperwork.
Customer Care
Patient satisfaction is the measure of success in healthcare. Medical office administrators develop customer care policies, serving as an example and a resource for the medical staff. You’ll work with team members to improve performance while investigating complaints and developing policies to prevent recurrences.
Quality Control and Assurance
Meeting quality care benchmarks is an essential part of the revenue cycle. You’ll collaborate with the clinical team to improve health outcomes that affect the bottom line.
As an administrator, you don’t have a medical role, but you’re responsible for the support network that makes quality care possible. You’ll set the standard by insisting on consistency and productivity. Everyone wins when they’re on the same page.
How Do You Become a Medical Office Administrator?
Medical office administrators need a broad knowledge base and practical skills to succeed. The best preparation is higher education. Vocational schools offer associate degrees, two-year programs that qualify graduates for most of the same entry-level positions as applicants with bachelor’s degrees.
You’ll enjoy lifestyle-friendly schedules and perks like career services. Breaking into the field has never been easier. An associate degree demonstrates the proven skills employers need, giving you a competitive advantage in the workforce.
The curriculum is comprehensive and covers what you need to know through a fusion of classroom learning and hands-on activities. You’ll graduate well-prepared to take the reins of a medical office and build on your career.
What Do You Learn in a Medical Office Administration Program?
Medical office administration programs prepare you to lead. You’ll learn both practical and soft skills while honing your communication and critical thinking. Topics include:
Medical Terminology
You can’t survive in a medical office without learning the lingo. The focus of this course is to familiarize you with the language. You’ll learn to decipher terms based on their prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Other topics include approved abbreviations and terminology associated with medical conditions, treatments, and procedures.
Tech Literacy
Medical office administrators not only use technology, but they also teach others the ropes. You’ll need more than a basic understanding of how digital systems work.
Coursework includes hands-on experience with the most common hardware and software applications used in medical practices. You’ll brush up on Microsoft Office while learning more about computers, communication networks, and electronic data storage. You’ll graduate better equipped to manage the technical issues that impact office operations.
Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records contain the clinical and financial data used to manage medical offices. You’ll get an overview of how they work and how the staff interacts with them in different roles. Theory is reinforced with practical exercises, case studies that simulate the clinical environment. You’ll learn to access, update, store and share data.
Medical Office Procedures
Medical office procedures is an umbrella term for the common administrative practices in healthcare settings. Students explore the broad issues affecting the healthcare system while examining the key processes affecting the revenue cycle. You’ll learn to perform the procedures you’ll ask others to adhere to. Topics include:
Admissions – The admissions process is among the most important in the revenue cycle. It lays the foundation for optimal clinical and financial outcomes. You’ll learn why confirming identity, verifying insurance information, and validating the reasons for admission are critical.
Scheduling and Resource Allocation – Scheduling is more than filling the calendar. You need an approach that maximizes resources and control expenses while still providing top-quality care. This course covers the principles of scheduling and how to make the most out of assets.
Records Management – Data is only useful if it’s easy to find. Coursework covers record classification systems, filing methods, and management plans.
Insurance Coding – Most healthcare consumers have some form of insurance coverage, but companies demand large volumes of data with which to make coverage decisions. Medical coding streamlines claim forms by assigning alphanumeric codes to symptoms, conditions, diagnostics, procedures, durable medical equipment, and supplies. You’ll learn how proper coding drives reimbursement, inventory management and quality assurance by making services trackable.
Associate degree programs cover the common coding systems, including:
ICD-10
Developed in the late 1800s, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the world’s oldest coding scheme. Now in its 10th Edition, it’s used globally to classify disorders and injuries for reimbursement and public health surveillance.
With a few keystrokes, medical office administrators can use ICD-10 data to identify which disorders their clinics treated most, making it easier to budget for staff and supplies.
CPT
The Common Procedural Terminology Code index assigns five-digit numbers to diagnostics and surgical procedures. Developed by the AMA, they help office managers with billing and logistics. Knowing how many x-rays your practice performed this year is the key to goal setting and planning for next year.
HCPCS
The Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) is a two-part coding system developed for the federal government. Level I is the CPT index. Level II covers medical equipment, assistive devices, ancillary services, such as ambulance transport, and select specialty drugs. You’ll use HCPCS codes when billing Medicare and Medicaid.
Medical and Business Law
As a business leader, it’s critical to understand the legal considerations involved in providing healthcare. The rules are different than for most businesses. And as the person who evaluates vendors, you’ll need to learn the ins and outs of contracts.
Office administration programs cover the basics, including the applicable criminal and civil statutes, the Uniform Commercial Code, a uniformly accepted set of state laws governing US commercial transactions, and medical liability concerns. Graduates will have a good feel for the regulatory environment in medicine and how to encourage compliance among staff.
Personnel Management
Medical office administrators supervise a wide range of staff from billing specialists and clerical assistants to the receptionist and cleaning crew. You’ll need to understand their roles and how to motivate them to do a good job. Programs cover your role as a supervisor, focusing on communication skills and decision-making techniques. You’ll explore the world of labor relations and how to build an effective leadership mentality.
Medical Finance
Medical finance covers topics from insurance to collections. You’ll learn about the revenue cycle and how medical facilities are paid. Subjects include health insurance models, Medicare, Medicaid, Workers’ Compensation, commercial insurance, and managed care organizations.
Using case studies, you’ll file mock insurance claims, troubleshoot denials and invoice pretend patients for the balance. Practical bookkeeping and accounting techniques are emphasized throughout.
Final Thoughts
The medical field is growing at an unprecedented pace, creating rewarding career opportunities. However, not everyone with a passion for healthcare is meant to be a doctor or nurse. If you have the logistical skills to bring order out of chaos, you’ll be in demand as a medical office administrator. Not all heroes wear scrubs.
Now that you know what the role of a medical office assistant is, do you want to learn more? Start by attending a school that offers one of the best Medical Office Administration training programs in Sarasota, FL. An Associate of Science in Medical Administration from Meridian College prepares you for the day–to–day challenges of managing a healthcare organization. You’ll also benefit from better work hours, advancement opportunities and greater financial security.
Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a medical office administrator.