How to Create a Positive Work Environment

When you are a medical administrative assistant you might be working 40-hour long weeks. You are going to  have to be able to work in a nice positive environment. Here are some tips on how to create a positive work environment.

1. Accept the right position: Secure a position that positively suits you. You should know what your key skills are, what type of work you want to do, what kind of role you would like, and where you see yourself in five years
2. Be a positive person: Show coworkers that you are available and wiling to help them
3. Take responsibility: Take responsibility for the direction of your career
4. Communicate with your manager: Meet with your manager regularly to ensure you are on track for meeting his or her expectations, and your performance goals
5. Be social: Interact with your colleagues in a non-working way

 

Career Outcomes

Today’s health-care industry can offer a wealth of opportunities to well-trained medical administrative assistants. With the education you earn, you can become a medical administrative assistant and join the team in workplaces such as:

• Hospitals
• Insurance companies
• Pharmacies
• Doctors’ offices
• dental offices
• chiropractic offices
• general practitioner’s offices

What medical administrative assistants actually do is to make sure that the patients pay their medical bills and that the insurance companies follow through and pay their part of the patient’s medical bills as well. The job of medical administrative assistant is a great opportunity for people who enjoy keeping financial books, handling money and taking care of an office budget.

Talking Correctly on the Phone

When you answer the phone while in a Doctors Office there are many things that you should remember.  It's not all just about how your procedure is in answering the phone it's also your tone and the way you talk.  Here are some tips on how you talk correctly on the phone:

• Smile while on the phone, it helps keep an upbeat intonation as you speak
• Never, never lose you temper, always keep your professional courtesy  
• Be direct and simple on your sentences
•  Try to keep the same tone of voice during the entire conversation.  The caller could misunderstand the way you're speaking and think you are joking with them, try not to vary much on your tone and keep a moderate one
• Do not use slang or use words that you would use with your school buddies, friends,or mumbles like "uh huh" or "um"  
• Always be positive on the phone, even on bad day
• If you're taking notes during the call, take them immediately and accurately, ask the caller to spell it, if needed
• Don't leave people on hold for too long, just about 30-45 seconds, then ask if the caller wishes to continue to hold or to call back later

How to Code Folders for Medical Filing

Patient medical information should be stored as a unit record.  This means that all information is stored together or quickly accessible as one record.  For privacy reasons, it is not recommended that patient records be filed by social security number.  Here are the instructions on how to file properly:

• Research the filing coding systems.  They include:

• Numeric with color codes, based on assigned medical record numbers.     
• Alphabetical, generally by patient last name.

• One type is combination color-coded numeric systems.  These are the most commonly used forms of medical filing.  These filing systems are best for larger organizations because there is room for additions of records within combination's of numerals. 

• The other type is alphabetical coding, usually by the patient's last name, to file medical records. However, this system is best used only in small facilities with low patient turnover rate because large numbers of common last names can cause file retrieval to be time consuming.

• Provide the appropriate code file folder.  Once the filing method is chosen, then the appropriate information can be placed in the medical record file folder.  Many file folders can be purchased with pre-printed colors and blocks of numbers.  For smaller offices using color coding, color-coded numeric stickers can be purchased and placed on the tab-edge of blank folders.  Once records have been coded, then patient name and medical record number also should be written or added with a label on the front of the file folder.

• Ensure file coding information matches patient information on the inside of the record.  Because medical records are legal documents for patient care, it is imperative to be able to retrieve the correct information quickly while treating the patient.