Current growth in the healthcare industry and its faster than average projected growth from 2022 – 20321 have made it a desired career path. There are many different career options with many requiring specialized skills.
You may want to break into the healthcare industry but not want to take an active role in providing patient care. A medical administrative assistant program could be the career training solution you have been looking for.
What Does a Medical Administrative Assistant Do?
There are no needles to use when you work as a medical office administrative assistant. Instead, you provide the administrative support a healthcare office needs to help it run effectively.
There are a wide variety of medical administrative tasks ranging from medical billing and coding to patient chart maintenance. Scheduling appointments and ensuring data quality also fall under the heading of administrative assistant tasks.
What Type of Medical Administrative Assistant Training Is Required?
Industry-specific training is often required to perform duties in this role.2 One way to learn the information needed to work in this role is to enroll in a medical administrative assistant education program. Medical administrative assistant schools can provide the education and skills needed to pursue an entry-level position.
As a medical administrative assistant, you need to learn:
Medical terminology
When filling out paperwork for submission to an insurance company, you need to know medical terms. To ensure the proper billing codes are used, you must know the meaning of the names of different procedures and how to code treatments for insurance claims.
Maintenance of electronic health records
HIPAA standards apply to all people employed in the medical industry. You have access to personal and private information about patients seen at your workplace. You must know how to ensure their privacy while maintaining records. You must also be prepared to work with proprietary database software to input and track patient information.
Insurance protocols
As a medical administrative assistant, you might need to determine the amount of coverage offered by a patient's insurance provider and how to fill out claim forms to ensure payment. A mistake on a billing claim can lead to the patient being billed for covered services. This is stressful and can cause double billing. You need to understand the ins and outs of filling out insurance forms and pre-authorizing different treatments with a provider.
These are just a few of the skills you need to become a medical administrative assistant.
What About Medical Administrative Assistant Certification?
Some employers may prefer to hire medical administrative assistants who are certified. Certification involves passing a competency exam and helps verify your knowledge and skills for performing in this role.
The educational institution you attend may help prepare you to sit for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exam, if eligible.
To Pursue a Medical Administrative Assistant Career Path
With a diploma or associate degree, you can enter a growing field with advancement potential.. As the healthcare industry expands, so does the need for qualified medical administrative assistants.
You may also progress from a medical administrative assistant to an office manager with the right combination of education and experience, if this is your goal.
Earn your education as a medical administrative assistant, become certified, and enjoy a career in a growing field.
If you’d like to learn more about UMA’s healthcare programs and services, including our medical administrative assistant programs, contact us today.
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics. Healthcare Occupations. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm#tab-4
