Medicine is a broad field with many career opportunities. If you’re interested in healthcare but prefer managing staff rather than patients, there are jobs for you. As a medical office administrator, you’ll contribute to patient care but in an indirect, hands-off way. Let’s look at this essential role and how much time you’ll spend working directly with patients.
Do Medical Office Administrators Work with Patients Face-to-Face?
Careers in healthcare involve various degrees of patient contact. Nurses, for example, provide personal care and assist with personal hygiene and activities of daily living, such as showering, getting dressed, and using the toilet. Medical assistants have a less involved role but with some hands-on responsibilities, including performing diagnostic testing and positioning patients for treatments or minor surgical procedures.
However, there are also medical jobs requiring little to no patient contact, such as health information technician, medical transcriptionist, and laboratory technician. Medical office administrator is an in-between role that involves working with patients but only at an administrative level.
What Does a Medical Office Administrator Do?
Medical office administrators support patients, peers, and professionals in healthcare office settings. Their responsibilities include various administrative, clerical, and customer service functions, each with a patient care component. The extent of your interaction may vary significantly depending on your employer and job description.
In larger healthcare facilities, specialized roles may require more or less patient involvement. In a more intimate environment, you may take on more diverse responsibilities, including greater patient engagement.
Examples include:
Scheduling
Medical office administrators manage the daily calendar, scheduling and rescheduling appointments based on availability and provider preferences. Efficient scheduling enables the proper allocation of resources, such as treatment rooms, medical equipment, and support staff.
Clinicians can maximize their productivity while minimizing patient wait times and preventing bottlenecks, overcrowded waiting rooms, and rushed care. Scheduled appointments provide dedicated time for healthcare providers to interact with patients and address their concerns, contributing to developing a strong therapeutic relationship. As a medical office administrator, you’ll work with patients to plan ideal visit times.
Patient Reception
Medical office administration is a customer-facing position. In this role, you’ll be the patient’s first point of contact by phone and in person. In charge of first impressions, you’ll manage patient reception, creating a safe and hospitable atmosphere that helps patients feel comfortable and cared for. A warm welcome sets the stage for a positive patient experience.
Check-In and Check-Out Procedures
Check-in and check-out procedures are the foundation of administrative efficiency in healthcare environments. The process involves several steps that ensure patients are correctly identified and their information verified for documentation and billing purposes.
Medical office administrators work with patients to confirm or update demographic data while reviewing consent forms and providing relevant information about their visit or follow-up needs.
Insurance Verification
Insurance verification involves validating a patient’s coverage to ensure accurate billing. Completed before scheduled appointments, it facilitates claims processing and clarifies the patient’s financial responsibility.
You’ll collaborate with patients and insurers to determine coverage so providers know what policies will and won’t pay for. This helps guide treatment decisions and potential appeals.
Payment Collection and Processing
Patients typically owe copayments for medical services. Unlike co-insurance, it’s a set amount owed regardless of the final bill. Medical office administrators collect copayments and other balances before or after visits, processing cash, checks, and credit card remittances. You’ll post payments on patients’ accounts, provide receipts, and explain billing information as needed.
Billing and Coding
Medical billing begins at check-in with the creation of an electronic superbill, a comprehensive check-off form describing the services provided during a visit. It serves as the primary source of billing data for patients and providers, ensuring accurate reimbursement for the time and supplies required for treatments.
Medical office administrators initiate the process in the patient’s electronic health record. You may be asked to enter preliminary billing codes associated with the type of visit planned. Billing specialists will then submit the completed form to the insurer or ask you to give the patient a copy if submission is their responsibility. Accuracy is critical.
Communication
The phone is the patient’s gateway to care. Medical office administrators don’t answer clinical questions but play a vital role in directing inquiries to the appropriate staff. As a liaison, you’ll facilitate communication between patients and providers, ensuring prompt attention. You’ll also manage incoming and outgoing mail, emails, and faxes while handling questions about services, office hours, and scheduling protocols. This includes working with patients, vendors, and referring healthcare providers.
Documentation is an equally important aspect of healthcare communication. Phone calls, emails, and faxes from patients, insurers, and associated providers should be documented in the patient’s chart. An ongoing record of communication promotes continuity of care.
Recordkeeping
Medical office administrators create, update, and maintain electronic and paper medical records. You’ll be responsible for keeping files neat and organized. Duties may include preparing charts before visits, uploading electronic documents, and scanning paperwork into electronic health records. The goal is to keep data current and easily accessible.
Data security is a large part of the role. Patient privacy regulations are strict, so you’ll ensure patient records are properly stored and secure. When handling requests for medical information, you’ll verify the patient’s identity and obtain a release of information form. And when patients change healthcare providers, you’ll coordinate with patients and other healthcare facilities on record transfers.
Medical Transcription
Medical transcription is the process of converting spoken medical information into written notes. Healthcare professionals often dictate their observations to save time on data entry. Medical office administrators may transcribe patient histories, examination findings, diagnoses, and treatment plans into patient records using transcription software with medical terminology and informational support features.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Healthcare is vastly regulated. As a public service, rules are in place to protect patients, the public, and employees. Medical office administrators help manage regulatory compliance issues by implementing and monitoring adherence to compliance strategies.
Safety, for example, is paramount in healthcare environments. As an administrative team member, you’ll be proactive about preventing injuries. For example, if you see a wet floor, you’ll alert environmental services while putting up a “wet floor” sign alerting patients to the risk. People stay safer when everyone works together.
Compliance with accreditation criteria is also essential. Facilities must meet specific standards to be certified or to participate in certain insurance programs. Promoting patient privacy, for example, is one way that medical office administrators contribute to a team effort.
Managing Office Equipment and Ordering Supplies
Healthcare offices run on electronics and supplies, from computers to paper clips. As a medical office administrator, you’ll keep the supply closet stocked, working with vendors to place orders while minimizing waste. And when the computer stops working, you’ll arrange for prompt repairs.
Professional Collaboration
Medical office administrators collaborate regularly with clinical staff to ensure a seamless patient experience. This includes working with doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and other clinical personnel to coordinate patient arrivals and inform them of emergencies. You’ll also work closely with the billing department to gather the information required to complete claims.
Beyond daily communication, however, medical office administrators contribute to the efficiency and development of the facilities they work for, bringing ideas for improvement.
How Do You Become a Medical Office Administrator?
You don’t need a degree or a diploma to become a medical office administrator. Still, few individuals have the experience and skill set required to tackle the role without it. For entry-level positions, a technical college diploma is the gold standard. Employers see it as proof that you have the skills to succeed.
Programs cover topics from medical terminology to electronic health records. Students learn hands-on in a supportive atmosphere with the same tools and equipment used in healthcare offices.
However, beyond practical skills are the soft skills students learn in technical college programs. Defined as personality-driven qualities that enable someone to work effectively with others, soft skills are crucial for working with physically and emotionally vulnerable patients.
While some people are born with many soft skills, they’re not fixed traits. Most can be learned and cultivated through education and experience. For example, engaging in classroom activities and group projects helps develop your communication and problem-solving abilities. You’ll graduate as a self-assured professional, confident in your practical and people skills.
Final Thoughts
Healthcare is a person-centered industry. Whatever your role, everything you do is ultimately for the patient’s benefit. If your talents lie in logistics or hospitality, a career in medical office administration may be a better fit than nursing or other personal care professions. You can still serve patients and the community in the best way for you.
Want to Learn More?
All healthcare facilities, from hospitals and physician’s offices to rehab centers, clinics, and every other medical practice, rely on skilled Medical Office Administration programs. We’ll train you in various medical administrative procedures and processes. Plus, you’ll get real-world experience through a 135-hour school externship in a healthcare facility. You’ll also interact with people from all walks of life, making your daily routine anything but dull.
So, let’s take the first step together! Contact us now to learn more.
