What Is an Administrative Medical Assistant?
Medical assisting is a medical career that is becoming more popular among health care industry employers. Due to their knowledge and skills, medical assistants are one of the most in-demand health care positions currently available in the United States. There are two main types of medical assistants: clinical and administrative. Clinical medical assistants work in the back office at a medical practice or organization providing patients with medical care and assisting doctors and other health care providers with examinations and treatments. Administrative medical assistants are a vital part of a medical practice or organization. They commonly work in office type settings and perform clerical duties rather than hands-on patient care.
Common job duties of an administrative medical assistant
An administrative medical assistant is a trained medical assistant who performs essential duties required for the efficient operation of the health care organization or medical practice. Common job duties of an administrative medical assistant include answering phones, scheduling patients and maintaining medical records. Some administrative medical assistants also maintain filing systems and databases ensuring that all patient information is up-to-date and accurate. They also assist with incoming and outgoing correspondences, medical billing and coding, transcription and managing supplies and equipment. Administrative medical assistants coordinate patient testing and medical care. They also work with insurance companies getting approval for treatment and processing insurance claims for payment.
Most common places to find employment as an administrative medical assistant
Administrative medical assistants work in a variety of settings. They are often employed by hospitals, medical practices, insurance companies, medical research facilities and urgent care centers. Other places where administrative medical assistants find employment include medical billing companies and medical transcription companies. Administrative medical assistants may also work as a physician’s or medical researcher’s personal assistant. They may also choose to work as an educator employed by schools which offer medical assistant training programs.
Education requirements for an administrative medical assistant
In the United States there are currently no formal education requirements for administrative medical assistants although training programs are available throughout the country. Some employers offer on-site education and training however most employers prefer to hire administrative medical assistants who have successfully completed a medical assisting program through a structured training program. Medical assisting programs are available through many community colleges, technical schools, vocational training centers, universities and through some employers. Some traditional medical assisting training programs focus on skills required to work as a clinical medical assistant. In these cases, the student may consider choosing to complete an administrative assistant training program and then take the supplemental classes, such as medical terminology, anatomy, medical billing and coding, needed to work as an administrative medical assistant.
Benefits of working as an administrative medical assistant
There are many benefits to working as an administrative medical assistant. An administrative medical assistant is an ideal career choice for those who wish to work in health care but prefer not to provide hands-on patient care, treatments or procedures. Administrative medical assistants have the advantage of choosing the work environment that is best suited for them. They have the option to work in any health care setting and specialty. An additional benefit to working as an administrative medial assistant is job advancement to positions such as medical office manager or supervisor.
Rachel Dennis works as both a professional writer and health care provider. She has been a licensed health care provider since 1998, with work experience as a medical assistant, certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician. She has been writing since 1994 and has been published both on-line and in print.