Which of the following greetings by medical administrative assistant is appropriate when answering the telephone?

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2. What Does a Medical Administrative Assistant Do (With Skills)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published January 3, 2022

Healthcare settings can offer a wide variety of professional opportunities beyond traditional medical roles like doctors and nurses. Organized individuals without medical training who are still interested in working in a hospital setting may enjoy the role of medical administrative assistant. These individuals are an essential part of the administrative team in a doctor's office, hospital or clinic. In this article, we provide an answer to the question "what does a medical administrative assistant do?" along with descriptions of the role, important medical administrative assistant skills and their typical work environment.

Related: Learn About Being a Medical Office Assistant

What is a medical administrative assistant?

A medical administrative assistant is a professional who performs organizational office and front desk related tasks for a medical care provider. These individuals may perform duties similar to a receptionist, including greeting patients as they arrive, scheduling future appointments and handling payment and insurance. They may also help patients fill out paperwork or to answer questions that the patients may have to the best of their ability.

This is an entry-level position and can be an excellent way for entry-level individuals to explore working in a medical setting. Medical administrative assistants interact with patients and medical staff, so an interest in talking with many different types of people can be useful for individuals interested in this position.

Read more: Clinical Medical Assistants vs. Administrative Medical Assistants: What's the Difference?

What does a medical administrative assistant do?

A medical administrative assistant is responsible for a range of organizational and administrative tasks that help the hospital facility at which they work run smoothly. Their specific duties may include:

• Checking patients in for appointments: When a patient enters a doctor's office, it's the responsibility of the medical administrative assistant to take their information and make a note that they've arrived for their appointment. They may also provide paperwork for the patient to fill out at this time.

• Scheduling patient appointments: A medical administrative assistant may schedule patients for future appointments as they exit the office. They may also schedule or reschedule patients over the phone.

• Take phone calls: Receptionist duties like taking phone calls are also an important part of the medical administrative assistant position. They may schedule patients, answer non-medical questions or direct callers to the appropriate resource for medical questions.

• Filing insurance claims: Many individuals have medical insurance which pays for part or all of their medical treatment. The medical administrative assistant may take the patient's insurance information and help file their claim.

• Processing payments: Patients with and without insurance may pay some medical fees themselves. The medical administrative assistant can process these payments and explaining payment plan options for more substantial medical fees.

• Updating medical records: Medical administrative assistants may help update patient's charts and medical records based on their paperwork or appointment notes. In some cases, they may also take the patient's history by asking questions about their lifestyle or medical past and noting these in their record.

• Communicating information: These professionals may help communicate information like patient lab results across hospital departments. This can be particularly helpful when a patient is seeing multiple doctors within a hospital or across different healthcare settings.

Important skills for a medical administrative assistant

A medical administrative assistant may greatly impact the operation of the medical facility in which they work. For this reason, it's important for these professionals to develop a skill set that may properly equip them to overcome any challenges they may face in this position. Here are some important skills for medical administrative assistants:

Organizational skills

Medical administrative assistants may benefit from the ability to employ a detail-oriented precision to create structure and order within their work. This may include taking detailed and accurate notes, properly updating hospital records and maintaining a neat and organized appearance within the office. When there are many patients waiting to be seen by the doctor, these skills may help them manage the waiting room as efficiently as possible.

Related: 30 Career Paths for Administrative Assistants

Administrative skills

Medical administrative assistants use their administrative skills to complete business related tasks for the healthcare facility at which they work. These skills may include filing, updating the office schedule or calender and replenishing office supplies. A medical administrative assistant may also benefit from technical skills and computer knowledge because they may use computer software for scheduling, payment processing or accessing medical records.

Communication skills

Talking to patients is also an important part of the medical administrative assistant's job, so communication and customer service skills can also be useful. These may include the ability to explain complex medical terminology clearly to patients and to maintain a polite and helpful attitude. These professionals are also responsible for communicating with other members of the medical team, and may use their communication skills to impart relevant information in a clear manner.

The medical administrative assistant position can also require communication about sensitive information, including patient medical records. For this reason, a detailed knowledge of the laws around patient information privacy and a basic understanding of the medical terminology used can be essential communication tools for these professionals.

Related: How To Write an Administrative Assistant CV in 9 Steps

Medical administrative assistant work environment

Medical administrative assistants often working hospital settings and doctors offices. They can also work in outpatient clinics or long-term care facilities. Regardless of the type of facility in which they're located, they often work from behind a front desk. Types:

Hospital

An administrative assistant working at a hospital may work in a particular department, like dermatology or sports medicine. This can influence the type of doctors they help support and the patients with which they interact. A hospital work environment may also entail unusual hours and patients with a wide range of illness severity, including emergency situations, depending on the department in which you choose to work. These can be a useful factor to consider when deciding if a hospital work environment may be best for you.

Read more: The Pros and Cons of Working in a Hospital (With Solutions)

Clinic

One major difference between a hospital and a clinic is that clinics often operate according to regular business hours. This means that medical administrative assistants who choose to work at a clinic may be more likely to work regular business hours and to have holidays off from work. Clinics are also generally smaller than hospitals and may focus on one particular area of care, such as pediatrics or physical therapy. Medical administrative assistants who choose to work in these settings may experience a calmer work environment and spend more time scheduling, both in person and over the phone.

Private practice

A private practice in the medical field refers to a situation in which a physician runs their own small clinic without the partnership of a larger medical institution. Medical administrative assistants who chose to work at a private practice may be part of a smaller medical facility team. This can provide a more familial atmosphere, and may also result in expanded responsibility and the potential for longer work hours.