This course provides an opportunity to learn and practice basic traditional and computer-related medical office procedures, and to acquire the necessary skills to work in a variety of medical-oriented workplaces. While the primary focus of this course is on the role of the medical assistant in a doctor’s office, many of the examples, procedures, and tasks apply to other medical environments such as dental offices, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, health-care plan and workers’ compensation offices, laboratories, specialists’ practices, medical association offices, etc.
During the course, students learn about health-care personnel and their role in providing quality patient care. Students also learn about medical ethics and the medical environment. Students develop and apply such skills as communicating with patients, health-care providers, and others; handling the medical office reception area; scheduling appointments and managing time; preparing and processing medical documentation; managing medical records; medical billing (manual and computerized); preparing and processing medical financial records; and handling purchasing and inventory control for medical office supplies. Throughout the course, students are given Internet Web site references to help them expand their medical knowledge. Included in the course are five appendices of supplemental information.
