Welcome to the program! I'm glad you're here. My name is Nancy Smith, and I'm a CCS-P. That means certified coding specialist physician-based.

Transcription

1 Demo Lesson: Welcome to A dm in ist r a t i v e M e d i c a l Specialist Slide 1: Welcome! Welcome to the program! I'm glad you're here. My name is Nancy Smith, and I'm a CCS-P. That means certified coding specialist physician-based. I started with a degree in vocational education and then took many career pathways to where I am today. I've worked as a medical transcriptionist, medical insurance specialist, patient access rep, medical records reviewer, office manager, department chairperson for medical billing and coding programs, and a certified coder and trainer. Those positions exposed me to many workplaces, including physicians' offices, a skilled nursing facility, a Level 1 trauma center, several insurance companies, and a consulting firm. A decision to enter the administrative medical specialist field can be one of the best decisions that you'll ever make! Slide 2: Introduction In today's lesson, you'll learn what an administrative medical assistant does and why. You'll also find out a little bit about other jobs in the healthcare field. Please see the course outline to find out which textbook chapters go with today's lesson. You can read the chapters before or after you work your way through this slide presentation. Slide 3: What Does a Medical Assistant Do? Here's what a medical assistant does according to the AAMA that's the American Association of Medical Assistants. The medical assistant is a multi-skilled member of the healthcare team who performs administrative and clinical procedures under the supervision of licensed health care providers. The organization uses administrative medical specialist and administrative medical assistant interchangeably to refer to medical assistants who specialize in administrative tasks. We'll use the terms "administrative medical specialist," "AMS," or "medical assistant" in this program. Slide 4: Where Does a Medical Assistant Work? Administrative medical specialists possess a broad scope of knowledge and skills that make them ideal professionals for any ambulatory care setting. When I say ambulatory care, I'm

2 talking about procedures that don't require patients to stay overnight in a hospital or clinic. That includes individual and group medical practices, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgery centers, hospital clinics, and same-day surgery centers. When you become an AMS, you might work in any of these places, plus there are AMS jobs in medical laboratories, insurance companies, government agencies, and educational institutions. Slide 5: What's the Job Outlook? The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor, predicts that employment opportunities for medical assistants will grow much faster than average. Job growth will result from the increased medical needs of an aging population, an increase in the number of Americans qualifying for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the greater volume and complexity of medical records, and managed care's preference for ambulatory care. Slide 6: Professionalism Is Essential When you become an administrative medical specialist, it's vital that you show your professionalism at all times. Your patients, colleagues, and employees will depend on you to act in ways that are moral, ethical, and respectful. That's the big picture; now let's get into the details. Slide 7: Attributes of the Medical Assistant What does it take to be an administrative medical specialist? You'll need the personal qualities of a true professional. In the next slides, I'll go through these attributes one by one. Slide 8: Communication Skills An AMS must be able to communicate well, both verbally and nonverbally, with patients, staff, and other professionals. Verbal communication includes speaking clearly, appropriately, and at the patient's level of understanding. Nonverbal communication includes maintaining eye contact and using appropriate body language. For example, if you lean against the wall, cross your arms over your chest, and stare at the floor, a patient may be afraid to ask you a question! Slide 9: Knowledge and Skill As an AMS, you'll need to know the reasons behind each task you perform. You should also know what different methods you can use to perform a task and what the outcomes are likely

3 to be. It's important to be able to execute your job well. In addition, commit to keep your skills sharp and your knowledge up to date through online refresher courses and webinars. Slide 10: How You Present Yourself An AMS should dress appropriately and be properly groomed at all times. Why? Because your physical appearance is important to patients' perception of the delivery of their care. An AMS should have an appearance that reflects good health habits. For instance, a patient might be dismayed if he or she noticed that you had dirty nails or that you smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. Good personal hygiene and following the facility's dress code are mandatory for a professional appearance. Slide 11: Empathy Having empathy means to consider the patient's welfare and to be kind. It means stepping into the patient's place, discovering what the patient is experiencing, and then acknowledging and identifying with those feelings. A medical visit can instill fear and anxiety in patients. They can feel vulnerable. When you become a medical assistant, remember to treat patients the way you would want to be treated. When patients realize that you understand their feelings, their stress and anxiety are likely to lessen or disappear. Slide 12: Your Attitude Having a friendly, warm disposition and a sense of humor will help patients feel more at ease with you. An attitude that conveys genuine interest in people makes it much more likely that your contact with patients will be positive. An essential aspect of a good attitude is respect for patients, visitors, and coworkers. Even if someone is difficult, don't treat him or her with disinterest or in an unfriendly manner. Be pleasant and courteous, and treat all patients equally, regardless of race, gender, religion, age, economic status, or sexual orientation. Slide 13: Integrity Another crucial attribute of professionalism is integrity. People who demonstrate personal integrity draw others to them because they're trustworthy and dependable. They are principled, and others can count on them to behave in honorable ways even when no one is watching.

4 Professional integrity means demonstrating sound moral and ethical principles at work. Integrity (or a lack of it) can define your reputation in the medical field. Slide 14: Ethical Behavior No discussion about personal attributes is complete without mentioning ethics. Ethics refers to a system of values each individual has that determines that person's perception of right and wrong. Ethical behavior affects relationships with patients, families, coworkers, and society in general. The AAMA has a code of ethics that sets forth principles of ethical and moral conduct as they relate to medical assisting. Slide 15: More Attributes You probably already know that being a dependable employee means being a team player, being punctual, and limiting absences from work. Flexibility is the ability to find solutions to problems and develop alternative action plans. If you have initiative, you notice work that needs to be done, and you take action to complete those tasks without being told to do them. Accountability is the willingness to accept responsibility. Finally, a desire to continually learn and grow is the mark of a true professional. The administrative health field is always changing, and you must commit to keep learning and growing. Slide 16: Certification Certification implies that an individual has met competencies in his or her field, ranging from entry-level skills to expert ones. Many different certifying bodies measure competencies, through testing and with or without job experience. Certification is voluntary, not mandatory, for medical assistants. However, certification shows your commitment to the profession. And the continuing education requirements ensure that you'll maintain up-to-date knowledge and continue your skill development. You can continue your education through meetings, seminars, workshops, conventions, publications, and webinars. Slide 17: Why Get Certified?

5 Certification gives you a competitive edge in the marketplace... and that provides more career choices and increases your earning potential. Slide 18: The Healthcare Team The team concept is critical to the quality of patient care, and your value as a competent and professional medical assistant will be immeasurable to your team. To ensure quality medical care, you must be able to communicate effectively with other members of the healthcare team not only in person but also through the medical record. These healthcare professionals include physicians, of course. They also include physician extenders. Those are people who aren't doctors but perform some tasks that doctors traditionally do. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are two examples of physician extenders. The team also includes allied health professionals. This subgroup includes medical assistants, emergency medical technicians, physical therapists, and many others. Slide 19: Physicians Physicians who use scientifically accepted methods of diagnosis and treatment, including the use of prescription drugs and surgery, have earned either the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Both types of physicians have licenses to practice all phases of medicine in every state in the country, and both are in every medical and surgical specialty. Slide 20: Physician Extenders Physicians in private practice are increasingly relying on the training and expertise of physician extenders. Physician extenders include physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) who function under the supervision of a physician but may diagnose, order tests, develop treatment plans, and write prescriptions. Slide 21: Allied Health Professionals Allied health professionals bring specific educational backgrounds and a broad array of skills to the healthcare team.

6 Slide 22: Allied Health Professionals (continued) Here are more examples of allied health professionals. Slide 23: The AMS Job Description The administrative medical specialist serves in many capacities to ensure that the medical office runs smoothly. Job descriptions can vary according to the employer, but your job is likely to include the duties on this list. Slide 24: The AMS Job Description (continued) This job has many facets! Slide 25: The CMS Job Description People sometimes confuse an administrative medical specialist with a clinical medical specialist. Here are a CMS's job duties. As you can see, they differ from the ones you'll be learning. Slide 26: Matching Game Try this matching game to see how well you remember what we covered today. I won't keep track of your score this is just for fun. Slide 27: Summary In today's lesson, we discussed what a medical assistant does. We talked about what skills and talents you'll need as an AMS and why you'll need them. And I introduced you to the different professions that you may interact with in your new line of work. Pat yourself on the back you're just about done with this lesson! Please complete the quiz and the assignment before you move on to Lesson 2. And if you have any questions, please ask your facilitator. In Lesson 2, we'll tackle two issues that will be vital to you as a medical assistant: managing stress and improving communication.