Medical Office Assistant

Duties of a Medical Office Assistant

A medical office assistant plays an important role. The duties of a medical office assistant include both administrative and clinical activities. The administrative duties of a medical office assistant concern dealing with patients. A medical office assistant needs to greet and direct patients as to what to do. He or she will also need to answer telephones. The administrative duties of a medical office assistant also include maintaining and updating medical electronic records, getting insurance authorization and verification, and adjusting schedules in cases of emergencies. The duties of a medical office assistant can also involve scheduling doctor-patient appointments, dealing with forms for insurance claims, and arranging for laboratory services and hospital admissions.

The duties of a medical office assistant also involve bookkeeping, OSHA guidelines maintenance, copy machines, fax, and computer operation, routine composition of office correspondence, and dealing with accounts payable, accounts receivable, as well as billing, coding and collecting medical insurance. The duties of a medical office assistant do not end there though. It also involves some clinical duties. The clinical duties of a medical office assistant involve taking medical histories of patients, taking the vital signs of patients, and preparing the patients for their examinations. Clinical duties of a medical office assistant also include giving assistance and support to physicians when they perform examinations, sterilizing equipment, and taking blood samples.

Moreover, the clinical duties of a medical office assistant also include dealing with electrocardiograms, removing sutures and changing dressings, as well as giving assistance during emergencies. The clinical duties of a medical office assistant also involve taking blood pressures, doing basic treatment procedures, and doing other routine works that if not done could really confuse and inconvenience everyone, from patients to doctors. The duties of a medical office assistant are many and require dedication as well as excellent organizational skills. One who does the duties of a medical office assistant to his or her best is a greatly valued asset in the medical circles.