Common Tasks Handled By An Administrative Medical Assistant

Becoming an administrative medical assistant can be the perfect career path for someone who has an interest in medicine. Unlike the many years of schooling needed to become a physician or a nurse, it only takes between eighteen and twenty four months to become an administrative medical assistant.

Depending on the office that you work in an administrative medical assistant may be called on to perform various duties. These duties fall into both the clerical and medical areas.

Some of the clerical tasks that an administrative medical assistant may have to perform are to record medical histories and to update patient’s charts. Both of these are vitally important to maintaining the integrity of the patient’s information. The doctor and the medical staff of the environment you work in will depend on you to keep accurate and thorough records.

Answering the telephone and scheduling the appointments might also be the responsibility of the administrative medical assistant. Although it might seem like a secretarial position, it actually requires knowledge of the medical field. You’ll be speaking to patients directly about their medical concerns and it will be up to you to decide how pressing their needs are. The administrative medical assistant is often the very first person the patient speaks with when they call the office for an appointment.

Billing is also another very important area that is often looked after by the administrative medical assistant. You’ll become proficient in handling all types of medical claim forms and you’ll be the person who contacts the insurance companies regarding payments on the patient’s accounts.

You’ll also often be asked to contact other physicians on behalf of the doctor you work for. This might be to request additional medical history on a particular patient or to book an appointment for a patient with a specialist.

Ensuring that the office has adequate medical supplies including syringes and swabs is the job of the administrative medical assistant. You’ll keep a careful eye on inventory and place orders as warranted.

Aside from the clerical duties, an administrative medical assistant also needs to perform some medical related jobs in the office. Depending on the individual office and the doctor’s needs this may include drawing patient’s blood, preparing specimens for the laboratory for testing and assist with X-ray preparation.

These jobs help the administrative medical assistant become proficient in dealing directly with patients. These duties are taught under careful supervision while the administrative office assistant is still in school.

Once you’ve completed the course in administrative medical assistant and received your diploma you will be able to apply for employment with any medical office or clinic. Your education will ensure that you’ll do your job at the level the physician who employs you expects you to.