Medical Assistant Net Blog

Doctors Hiring Older Medical Assistants

2012-01-29T11:40:00.001-05:00

"Our society is being reshaped by a rising demographic tide. Never have so many people lived into the later stages of their lives so healthy and productively," says American Psychological Association at apa.org.

Between 1995 and 2007, the number of older workers on full-time work schedules nearly doubled while the number working part-time rose just 19 percent. As a result, full-timers now account for a majority among older workers, including medical assistants working in a doctor's offices. As the population gets older due to the Baby-boomer generations maturing, so does the number of maturing adults returning to the classroom for post-secondary education and vocational training programs to learn a new trade.

Older Population Seeking Work

Studies conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau data concluded that that about 7 million new jobs will be added to the social sector between now and 2018, and that 5.9 million of the positions available will be well suited for older workers. There will be many job opportunities in teaching and care giving roles including nurses, vocational training instructors, home health aides, nursing aids, orderlies, attendants, and medical assistants.

The Department of Labor Division of Industry Employment Projections further estimates that the number of workers over the age of 54 will represent 23.9 percent of the labor force and workers between the ages of 65 and 74 will soar by 83.4 percent by 2016.

Seniors are going to need to continue to work to finance their retirement years and as these people hit the job market, hiring doctors, and other clinicians will have to determine whether they want to hire a younger, middle-aged, or older person for available medical assistant positions; see BLS Division of Industry Employment Projections chart percent of labor force by age group. Middle-aged adults are defined as persons 55-65 years of age, older are persons 65 years and older.

Benefits of Doctors Hiring Mature Workers

Mature workers are known to perform better across the range of relevant performance indicators — better interpersonal skills, better attendance, more motivated and conscientious, able to make quicker decisions and so on. As employers recognize the value they bring to their business, earnings of older workers have also risen at a slightly faster pace than the total workforce. Among these employers are doctors who find older medical assistants for their practice a perfect fit because they appreciate the fact that a mature worker has a deeper understanding and compassion for people and are dedicated to them in a meaningful way - after years of work in an unfulfilling job. Hiring an older applicant also gives them personal fulfillment knowing that they are putting a mature person to work allowing them to apply their passions to the greater good of their patients and the community.

Challenges Seasoned Medical Assistants May Face at Work

Unfortunately, working in a medical office can also become quite hectic and busy at the drop of a hat; for example in a general family and primary care practice, the busiest season is the so-called flu season, and the medical assistant must be able to handle the stress, react fast, and keep up with the fast pace.

While and older person is likely not to get as flustered under stressful situations as a younger person, fresh out of high school, there are studies which show that older workers have a harder time physically, compared to their younger counterparts and may have a harder time adjusting to new technologies and technical devices, for example technology used in this occupation are:

Accounting, billing and bookkeeping software
Email and word processing software
Medical and patient management software (e.g. EMR)
Visual electro diagnostic software
Business software applications

Further more, suitable candidates for medical office position are expected to be on their feet for several hours without a break, good hand - eye coordination, and have excellent near vision to see details at close range (such as the calibration markings on syringes, reading small print on medication labels, visualization of skin changes, identifying objects and seeing veins to draw blood). They must be able to work with a professional group or team and participate in face-to-face discussions with doctors, nurses and their colleagues.

The proportion of people 65 years and older is almost 13 percent of the U.S. population, and by the year 2030 it will be 20 percent. The website Practitioners Working With Older Adults - What Practitioners Should Know About Working With Older Adults dispels myths about older adults and raises awareness among physicians and practitioners about seasoned workers.

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Medical Billing and Coding - Medical Billing Part 1

2012-01-27T10:07:00.001-05:00

Medical billing is gaining ever increasing interest among new job seekers either shortly after graduating from high school to begin their career path or people who desire a meaningful career change or job rehab to reenter the workforce. The medical billing career has a pull on those who desire to work in the healthcare industry without providing direct patient care, such as nursing staff or medical assistants.

From: http://ping.fm/wEVlU

2012-01-27T10:04:00.001-05:00

Medical Billing and Coding - Medical Billing Part 1 http://ping.fm/Akyow

Malpractice Insurance for Medical Assistants

2012-01-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

The healthcare industry, especially doctor’s offices and medical care centers, employs an ever increasing number of medical assistants and many medical group and ambulatory care offices have become much more customer-driven when they provide services than ever in the past.

Doctors and their medical assistants must be sensitive and highly entuned to their customers and responsive and dedicated to their patients needs; however, while providing excellent services andcare medical assistants must keep abreast with various rules and regulations and be aware of any local and state laws that may pertain to them at the work plase, as to not unintentionally overstep their boundaries and scope of practice.

Just like any other service-providing individual, medical assistants can also be held liable for any mistakes or accidents that cause loss or injury in a court of law. To further protect themselves, carrying their own professional liability insurance policy can make a big difference and provide peace of mind. Professional liability insurance take on different forms and names depending on the profession. For example, in reference to medical professions it is often called malpractice insurance coverage. It is well worth the effort. Medical assistants should never assume that they cannot be sued and that the insurance rider on the docotr's malpractice insurance fully or adequately covers them, especially if they are hired on a temporary basis, or to complete their educational externship.

Medical Assistant Education, Jobs, and News

2012-01-22T15:12:00.001-05:00

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via l.wbx.me

Medical Coding's Code-Pendency With Medical Billing

2012-01-17T19:58:00.001-05:00

What is a Medical Coder?

A medical coder is not a medical biller, but medical coders need basic medical billing knowledge to competently and efficiently do their job, since both disciplines are so closely related and code-pendent (pun!)

There are over 819,000 physicians and surgeons; 2.4 million registered nurses, 77,000 occupational therapists, 182,000 physical therapists, 94,000 respiratory therapists and a plethora of other allied health professionals in the USA alone. Naturally they ALL want to get paid for their medical services and supplies provided to the public. This is where the medical coder comes into play! The medical coder gets the ball rolling by initiating the reimbursement process. The process begins by abstracting coded information from the patient's medical record into the financial system for billing.

Correct medical coding is just as crucial as correct medical billing in getting paid for services provided, otherwise, when ever a claim is not properly coded, filed, submitted, and processed it leads to denials, and this means losses for the provider. Naturally a professional business cannot prosper on losses. When medical coding firms or doctors outsource their medical coding and billing it is critical to assure the chosen individual or company is well versed in the latest coding standards and follows AHA, UHDDS, HCFA and HCHS coding guidelines, latest medical billing criteria, and uses clearinghouses to get the job done in an efficient manner.

Medical coders and well as medical billers must have the ability to read and understand handwritten physician notes and documentation and a working knowledge of at least one patient management system, along with familiarity with electronic medical records and ability to discuss and resolve claims issues with clinic staff and patients.

The close relationship between medical coding and billing is undeniable and inescapable! While they are well respected and highly regarded they often face adversities from insurance companies, such as inappropriate denials, poor payments and other obstacles and disservices to the doctors and patients that the must resolve working hand in hand with each other to coordinate their efforts. Their mutual goal is to meet patient and health insurance billing needs of doctors, clinics, hospitals, home health care service agencies, and similar businesses in the health care network. Although regarded as two different disciplines, medical coding and billing professionals work hand-in-hand to assure health care providers get paid for all procedures and materials rendered.

Online Skills Review for Medical Assistant Students

2012-01-17T13:24:00.001-05:00

Our New Medical Assistant skills review is 100 % free online and open to everybody either already working or interested in a new medical assisting career - accessible instantly, no signup required.

If you are planning a career as a new medical assistant we provide a creative look at what a medical assistant does and a glance behind the scenes of a busy medical office to help you evaluate your knowledge. While this is not intended to be a complete medical assistant course each chapter covers many important areas of medical assistant knowledge.

Our goal is to introduce you to basic concepts of the medical assistant discipline and briefly touch on fundamental skills typically encountered in a medical office, from organizational, administrative and clinical duties, infection control methods, medical record management, policies, confidentiality, consent for medical treatment, to incident reports and release of medical information. All chapters are printable as PDF with ads removed.

Creative medical assistant course review and online self study resources for new and seasoned medical assistants - Review essential skills and do simple learning exercises for self-study instantly online.

This website is not new, in fact it has been online since 2002. Initially these lessons were offered through UniversalClass.com but we have decided to make them available to everybody on the Internet. Each and every medical assistant skills review chapter highlights important responsibilities and case scenarios a new medical assistant must know and know how to handle. These lessons were initially provided at UniversalClass.com with special focus on real situations and daily medical office routines. Similar modules might be taught in formal medical assistant vocational training programs.

The goal of this series of online medical assistant skills review chapters is to provide basic concepts and theories concerning health and illness, patient care, and medical office technology and procedures. It is a basic introduction to daily medical office routines and the art of medical assisting.

Opportunities In the Medical Office Are for Everybody

2012-01-08T12:02:00.001-05:00

Opportunities for Everybody and All Ages

Opportunities in the medical office exist for everybody, including late bloomers. It is not limited by age, gender, race, religion, or even certain disabilities. There is plenty of room for men and women of all ages. From the employer's point of view, the young energetic medical assistant right after high school is just as valuable as the mature and experienced professional, as long as they have the right attitude and the drive to succeed. Each one brings special talents and skills to the office, and if they qualify medical office managers are ready to hire them. Medical assistants can work in almost any medical facility where they are supervised by the physician who hired them. Doctors and senior medical staff train, supervise and monitor their medical assistant's activities right on the job.

Where can I work as a Medical Assistant?

The neat thing about being a medical assistant is that the opportunities in healthcare disciplines and medical services are so wide open and varied. There are countless general and special focus areas, such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology, cardiology... you name it, and you can work in so many places, from small single-provider to large group practices, to ambulatory health clinics and large regional medical centers—it's all out there and available to you in your role as a medical assistant.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants (PA) also like to have at least one or two medical assistant on their staff to keep the office running smoothly and efficiently. It is their responsibility to keep the office's work flow going and contribute to the doctor's ability to provide efficient patient care.

Temporary Job Opportunities for Flexible Medical Assistants

2012-01-07T13:41:00.001-05:00

Medical Assistant Temp Employment

Where Do Medical Assistants Find Work?

Many umemployed medical assistants seeking jobs often miss out because they forget about temporary work opportunities; they forget that many work opportunities in a medical office and healthcare facilities come from the need to replace workers on temporary leave of absence, either due to an extended vacation, sickness, pregnancy or under the family leave act to care for an ill family member.

Job market. The job market for medical assistant remains excellent. Healthcare has added 41,000 new jobs in 2011 and medical offices, clinics, and hospitals are continually looking for qualified applicants to satisfy the increasing demand for qualified workers to fill the employment gap.

Job prospects. Job seekers applying for medical assistant positions should find excellent opportunities through temporary staffing agencies and recruiters, since medical assisting is projected to account for a very large number of new jobs and many other opportunities in today's labor market.

Medical assistant students also often seek temporary work to gain hands-on experience while in school and earn the money they need for their family, or education. So, they often seek out local temporary staffing agencies to help them find job assignments that fit in with their schedule and family obligations. This is where visiting a temporary staffing and employment agency can really help, and help fast.

Qualified medical assistants with formal training and experience usually have the best chances to get hired quick to fill the employment gap. Often this temporary employment arrangement can eventually lead to a permanent full time position within that company, or at best, provide a strong letter of recommendation which can open doors in a different office that's recruiting additional permanent staff.

Role of Medical Assistant As Diverse As Scrub Top Patterns

2012-01-03T12:23:00.001-05:00

No two work places in health care and medicine are the same. Medical assistants are found in small to large doctor's offices and clinics with an incredible amount of diff rent medical specialties and focal points. Some specialize in family medicine, others in pediatrics, others in geriatrics, ambulatory medicine and services, dermatology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, and many more.

The roles of these medical assistants are as diverse, colorful and versatile as the places you find them and the scrubs and uniform patterns they wear:

floral patterns and garden print
dragon flies and ladybugs
puppies and kitten paws
sun, moon, and stars
Easter bunny and Santa Claus
smiley faces and clowns

you name it!

Likewise, no two medical assistants are the same, the palette of faces, ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds match the diversity of their uniforms and tops: young, old, male, female, blond, brunette, brown and gray, curly and straight, thin, skinny, tall, big, short, certified and non-certified; the list is long. Every medical assistant has unique talents and many stories to tell. Each and every one is unique and an important member of the medical office team and their community.

The medical assistant's duties on the job encompass tasks that are equally versatile and varied. They range from registering new patients from young to old, different ethnicity and gender, verifying health insurance coverage of everybody who is registered, setting up and organizing examination rooms, scheduling appointments, collecting and processing co-payments, keeping logs and medical records organized, to directly assisting providers during a requested procedure and following up on patient calls, questions and laboratory results. The medical assistant's day are busy and never boring. The colorful scrub tops represent their the plethora of responsibilities and skills.

For those who want to communicate with other medical assistants and network with their peers can do so through the very active, open Medical Assistant Web Forum, however, the forum does not encourage, nor solicit, or request posting of job requests and recruitment advertisement. Presently available medical assistant jobs are updated daily and listed on the medical assistant jobs page.

Medical Assistant

2012-01-02T18:26:00.001-05:00

http://www.medicalassistant.net

2011-12-30T20:24:00.001-05:00

Do you Know What do Doctors Wants in a Medical Biller? http://ping.fm/GMOhg

2011-12-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

Medical Billing and Coding - Medical Billing Introduction Part 1 http://ping.fm/y6xnu

2011-12-30T19:34:00.001-05:00

Help with CO Medicaid Timely Filing http://ping.fm/x8boc

Certified Medical Assistant Professional Medical Office Team Member

2011-12-29T20:10:00.001-05:00

Working in the health care field offers a wide range of opportunities and many of these careers do not require years of formal education and training. One of these opportunities is becoming a certified medical assistant. In general, a certified medical assistant requires a high school diploma and then undergoes training to earn a medical assistant diploma. Upon graduation they chose to voluntarily take one of the different offered certification exams to earn credentials that are recognized in the medical assisting discipline, this also includes Registered Medical Assistants (RMA), who are also certifed.

Becoming a Certified Medical Assistant

Medical assisting is an excellent career choice for those who truly enjoy helping people with unique concerns. The work is gratifying as well as rewarding that goes beyond words: that's thousands of young and old people from all walks of life that you will be making a difference to, directly and indirectly, including your own. Before getting started as a certified medical assistant, there are some things that need to be considered such as your education, financial responsibilities and most importantly, your ability to work with people of all ages.

The certified medical assistant career encompasses clinical responsibilities and administrative duties in a medical office. On the clinical side you will perform duties such as taking and recording vital signs, new patient interviews and registration, providing patient education, preparing patients for their exams, assisting physician, EKG's, assisting with X-rays, using CPR when needed and ordering and maintaining supplies.

The administrative skills include front desk duties, answering phones, greeting patients, verifying medical and health insurance coverage, organizing medical and financial records, corresponding with patients and vendors, processing and coding insurance forms, accounting, billing and banking procedures, calling in prescriptions to the pharmacy, communicating with other allied health professionals and providers and being an all around professional medical office team member.

1.) Education:

Becoming a certified medical assistant will require formal training from a school for medical assistant, either ending with a medical assistant diploma or a 2 year degree in medical assisting (Associates of Science, A.S. in Medical Assisting). Once you have graduated you will then be required to pass one of the national medical assistant certification exams of your choice to earn the certified medical assistant status.

2.) Financial:

Education costs money and this can be accomplished through your own finances, or obtaining government funded education loans when enrolling in a formal medical assisting program. Normally if you cannot afford to pay tuition costs, most of the time you will qualify. These loans will cover college tuition costs, but will not cover your transportation, food, or simple school supplies. These low interest student loans typically become due 6 months after graduation and you will have to start making monthly payments until they are completely paid off.

With determination and commitment, becoming a certified medical assistant is an excellent and fulfilling career decision many have already chosen and never regretted it.

Online Job Application and Resume Submission Is A Matchmaking Process

2011-12-27T20:58:00.001-05:00

Times have changed and so has the way your medical assistant resume is submitted to potential employers. Where some decades ago application letters and resumes were handwritten on fine paper with a small wallet size photograph similar to a passport photo attached, the typewriter eventually replaced the ink pen. Then, resumes were typed on resume paper, often containing linen or cotton fibers with matching envelopes, sent by mail. Today, where most jobs are advertised on the Internet, resumes sent by mail are replaced and outdone by resumes submitted electronically via email. Online application forms have replaced the written resume and often go to the front of the line when properly submitted. Those who are still combing the Sunday Classifieds and faxing, or mailing their resumes to HR departments are no longer reaching recruiters and hiring managers in a timely manner. There are now thousands of job boards and other places where medical assistant jobs are advertised.

With the Internet and easy access to computers and mobile devices, even at the workplace, everything has changed. Online job boards (Monster, DICE, Job.com, Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc.) have replaced the classifieds as the "matchmaker" for candidates and available jobs. Companies that use the job boards have built entire infrastructures around posting jobs and receiving, sorting and sifting resumes. If you use one of these online job boards to submit your resume it may also be cross-posted on their major partner sites to help you get better exposure and a greater response. Also, it allows employers and recruiters to match you to jobs you didn't even know were available. By creating your account through major online job boards you will be able to access and modify your personal information as needed.

Vacant positions for medical assistants advertised will feature information about the position, including employer's expectations, job summary, salary, geographic location, essential qualifications, merit criteria and other important messages. This is your cue. When filling out your application use the wording used in the ad to match your qualifications, skills, expectations and anything else you are bringing to the table as close as possible to the ad; don't hesitate to copy and paste. Many utilize automated word recognition and screening software and if your application doesn't match the job to a "Tee" it will get dropped right into an automated resume database without a recruiter ever looking at it.

Staffing and recruitment specialists work away from the public's eye; you don't know them and they don't know you. To put the odds in your favor state three or more reasons why you should be chosen for an interview. If you are multilingual and have multicultural experience through a job, sports or leisure activity, mention it! Show that you can get along in a community, even under stressful conditions. Show that you are adaptable and can deal with unplanned events in specific, or unexpected situations. Should you have a personal contact name and email address and you decide to email your resume to a hiring manager then remember:

carefully choose the subject line for your email
send directly to hiring managers and recruiters
use your main email address (and don't use a silly name)
attach a personal cover letter (MS Word document or PDF)

Unless you have carefully read the job description for the position and match your application and resume accordingly efforts are pretty much a numbers game. No matter how qualified you may be, no matter how many hours you spend combing the job boards it won't work unless you know how to make the online job application process work, and work it to your advantage.

Don't be tempted or persuaded to use a so-called resume blaster service; it isn't personal and job specific enough and it gets recognized by receiving email systems as a "blasted" resume and filed in the bin for later use (if that much). You can pay $69, $99, $129, or more for these services but do not provide the edge you sought. Your resume is just lost in the pack of hundreds of indistinguishable other candidates.

Medical Assistants Stating their Name

2011-12-19T22:53:00.001-05:00

Without a single doubt, it is good practice and courtesy for a medical assistant to state his, or her full name when greeting and checking in patients. Properly stating a name establishes identity and builds trust and rapport with patients. Simply stating a first name, while also wearing a name tag with the full name and credentials visibly printed is sufficient, and many medical offices now require it.

A typical greeting, when a patient is called in from the waiting area would be:"Hello, my name is Judy and I am your medical assistant." If a patient asks for a full name it would be improper to withhold this information and certainly will not go over well with the patient, nor the doctor under which the medical assistant works. Refusal implies lack of cooperation, empathy and courtesy and comes across as unprofessional in a health care setting.

Equally unprofessional is when the medical assistant habitually omits stating his/her name when addressing or calling a patient in. Unfortunately, this happens all too often, where the medical assistant routinely calls in patient after patient with a simple:"Hello, how are you, please follow me," and shuffles the patient along the corridor toward the scales to chart a weight. It would be so simple to properly greet a patient and giving a name so the patient can feel welcomed and keep track of who said, or did what for future reference.

Last, but not least, a medical assistant stating his/her name, title and credentials would prevent any misunderstandings as to whether the patient is dealing with a medical assistant, or nurse. There is a big difference between the two professions and their scope of practice and medical assistants should NEVER tolerate, imply, or leave any questions as to their identity, credentials and role.

2011-12-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

http://ping.fm/6OTad

Subject: Medical Assistant Training Through ROP

2011-12-18T22:58:00.001-05:00

Someone has just posted a new coment in our Medical Assistant NET forum about joining Regional Occupation Program (ROP) for vocational training in California, where high school students are eligible to take appropriate ROP classes, including medical assisting. The discussion thread in our forum is rather extensive with lots of feedback, discussion and advice. The latest message was posted by Kat (from the ip address 66.27.143.33).

Message: Health Care Student

Hi everyone, I appreciate reading the post by "Teach" and providing her insight since I am looking into an ROP MA program (CA) to start medical assistant training in the next six weeks and will help me and my family tremendously. I need to work, have children and I know how to make sure I get the medication labels straight. I understand Lori's concerns in that discussion thread and they are valid yet, RNs are sued, doctors are sued, and MAs need to be competent too. This comes with common sense, an ablility prior to walking into the classroom. I had to pass an exam prior to my registration date. EMT's have less training than MAs. I have an MBA, and taken my RN prerequisites yet, moving to California where the clinicals are at 6:00 AM, I can not do that with children who start school at 8:00 AM. MA is my plan B to actually work in my field, and thanks again Lori for your post, and helping me understand the benefits about the MA ROP program. Affordable, fast, and efficient (for those who work hard and want to pass the exams) :). ~ Kat, SMA

ROP typically offers classes on a trimester basis, with many new courses starting throughout the year for California high school graduates and eligible adults. Job training opportunities offered are phlebotomy courses, clinical and administrative medical assisting, dental assisting, various other medical career programs, citizenship courses, High School diploma and GED courses, and more, depending on available resources and faculty at various institutions across California.

Role of the Medical Assistant - Essential to Medical Offices Everywhere

2011-12-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

Anonymous said today...

1:36 AM CMAs are not nurses. They are not LPNs or RNs. CMAs cannot work independently. You don't have a license. You can't pass meds. As an LPN I do a full med pass (IM/SQ injections, PO meds, inhalers, etc...) treatments (wound tx, creams, etc). Neuro assessments, skin assessments, pain assessments, behavioral assessments... put phys orders in, change orders, order UAs based on MY assessments (MD can sign later). Deal with trachs, feeding tubes, ostomys, pressure ulcers, diabetics, PICC lines, post-op pts. you name it. And all of this is with a doctor not present. More responsibility = more pay and more respect and more knowledge. As far as vitals? Shit my STNAs do those. Do people really think getting vitals is a skill??? And when I'm working with crappy STNAs I also will wash and toilet my patients (all 26 of them). I bust my ass and I don't count it done unless I see a STNA do it or I do it myself. I'm sick of CMAs who walk a pt to a room, get a set of vitals, ask some questions and leave-acting like they have any idea what LPNs do. You dont even pass meds. Seriously. Know your role. LOL.

Just A Medical Assistant said...

Let's not belittle medical assistants and marginalize their role! Medical assistants are ESSENTIAL to the modern single-doctor or group medical practice within ANY medical specialty. Let me tell you, and other LPNs and nurses, who often are just as confused as to what medical assistants can and cannot do, as you seem to be.

This is the SHORT summary of medical assistant duties:

Medical assistants are essential to the medical office. For every nurse in the medical office you now find at least 2 medical assistants, one in the front office, and one in the back. Medical assistants typically build strong, long lasting relationships with the doctor, their colleagues, nursing staff and patients. At the end of the day, they return home knowing they have made a difference in many people's lives in their community. If a mother has a sick child the administrative medical assistant will fit them into the doctor's schedule to be seen, if blood, or any other specimens need to be collected, such as a throat or wound swab for a bacterial culture, the clinical medical assistant will take care of that. Chances are the clinical medical assistant is fully trained and qualified to take the administrative medical assistant's chair up front, and the administrative medical assistant can slip into the role of the medical assist in the back handling clinical tasks under the supervision of the doctor.

If the doctor prescribes crutches, a walker, or cane, then it will be the medical assistant's responsibility to make sure the patient returns home knowing how to safely use these devices. The medical assistant's role is to make sure that adequate care and attention is given to each and every patient who arrives and leaves from their doctor's appointment, young or old, and of course, appropriately handle any unforeseen situations, including medical emergencies, promptly notifying the doctor of any such critical events.

Aside from "just" taking vital signs and "only" escorting a patient to the examination room medical assistants know how to use the latest Electronic Medical Records databases and software, explain treatment procedures, prepare, position and drape patients for examinations (yes, they do know what Trendelenburg is, distal, lateral, medial and supine, etc.), give injections, pulmonary function test, EKG, Holter monitor, splints, bandages, eye and ear lavage and assist the physician when asked during an exam, or a procedure.

They also respond to patient's concerns in a courteous and professional manner, route their messages to the intended person, and respond back with an answer if so requested, help patients obtain their prescriptions, show them how to correctly take medications, draw blood, monitor patients and make them feel comfortable during the entire visit.

Furthermore, the medical assistant keeps the doctor on schedule in a succinct manner, patients informed and comfortable, waiting and examination rooms clean, reception area and clinical floors on track and the office workflow running smoothly. And no matter how busy the office gets, from time to time they have to show new medical assistant hirees and medical assistant students on externship the ropes so they can learn the necessary routines. All in all, a medical assistant is an important contributor to the doctor's medical practice and business.

In Conclusion: I don't know what a STNA is; furthermore I have to add that many of the LPN skills listed in the above post truly fall under the classical nursing duties that is essential to in-patient, in-hospital, or nursing home care. Medical assistants do not wash patients, we don't toilet patients, and rarely do you attend or monitor patients with trachs, feeding tubes, ostomys, pressure ulcers, diabetics, PICC lines, or post-op patients in an ambulatory setting. With all due respect to the nursing profession, I do believe this LPN is working in a nursing home (where she is well within her element) and is mistaking medical assistants with nursing assistants, or, at least, not fully aware of the medical assistant's role and scope of practice. I hope this article and posted link helps.

More at Medical Assistant NET: What is a medical assistant?

Applying for Advertised Medical Assistant Jobs

2011-12-15T19:36:00.001-05:00

http://medicalassistantprofession.com

Phlebotomist

2011-12-12T19:44:00.001-05:00

Phlebotomists are worthy of our continual never ending thanks, respect and admiration. Not only do they perform dozens of venipunctures per day with great exactness, they are also required to juggle many other jobs.

The Phlebotomist work under the direct supervision of a physician, a medical laboratory scientist, or a lead phlebotomy technician in the clinical areas of a small annexed medical office laboratory, or in a hospital, hospital laboratory, freestanding diagnostic lab, or in a blood bank and donation center.

In our lab they perform so many jobs in fact that their official title in our organization is "Patient Service Rep". I wonder how many phlebotomists among us think that this is an appropriate title?

Some phlebotomists travel to given locations to collect blood samples; for example, they may travel from house to house to collect specimens from homebound persons. After the specimen has been collected the phlebotomist labels the collection tubes and gets them ready for transport to the lab. The samples will be analyzed to help diagnose, or monitor illness and deficiencies.

Most blood tests are performed on anticoagulants whole blood, plasma, or serum. Blood specimens must be collected in the proper collection tubes and containers and in the right order of draw. The collection tubes must also be correctly labeled and promptly transported to the laboratory. Needless to say, blood specimens should be refrigerated until placed in the courier box for transport to the laboratory.

Phlebotomists in California are heavily monitored by the state and must be licensed with the California State Medical Board in order to work as part of the allied healthcare professional team.

Phlebotomists in California have several levels of licensing. Those wishing to work in phlebotomy in California must first complete an unpaid 40-hour internship where 50 successful blood draws on patients via venipuncture and 10 finger/heelsticks must be properly performed and logged. All this must be done before entering the phlebotomy career, because California regulation mandates that you cannot work as a phlebotomist without a license. This rule also applies to medical assistants and other allied health professionals with blood drawing responsibilities in the state of California.

Tough Decisions: Online Medical Assistant Program or Campus Based?

2011-12-11T23:39:00.001-05:00

http://medcareeredu.com/tough-decisions-online-medical-assistant-prog

Don't Rely On Medical Billing Forums—Documentation Is The Key

2011-12-09T19:32:00.001-05:00

All too often we receive questions regarding specific medical billing issues and matching medical codes in our forum; but that's not just our Medical Billing Forum alone, that's ANY medical coding and billing forum on the Internet is packed with questions regarding specific (CPT) codes and urgent requests for help. That way, if something goes wrong they have someone else to blame.

Medical Coding Questions Posted in a Forum

Unfortunately, this tells us that there are medical coders (and medical billers) who, quite frankly, have no clue; they are inadeqately trained, or self-trained, and when they hit a wall, they post their question in a forum in hopes to get answers or find someone (anyone!!!) to give them approval of codes they have somehow come up with themselves. This could be a student with a test question, or homework assignment, or a medical coder, or biller already working but that is in over his or her head. One example of such requests posted to our medical billing forum is asking for help with a specific CPT code. It reads:

"I bill for a rheumatologist. I am familiar with most codes that he uses but last week he gave XYZ-medication (*brand name removed - not relevant for this example) to one of his patients who had a severe drug reaction. There was considerable disruption in the office and the direct observation lasted 2 hours. The doctor wants me to bill for his observation services but I am not sure which code to use. I was thinking may be 99058 will fit the bill, but the doctor insists that the code should be time specific since he spent two hours on the patient's care. Can someone please help?"

Medical coding must never be performed without first looking at the original documentation and the final decisions regarding coding issues rest with the provider. It must be clearly understood that a forum is not an official organization, agency, or anything else that provides a final decision regarding coding or billing issues. A forum is not here to code visits, to train a visitor how to code, or to recommend which codes to select. All a forum, its members and/or guests do is provide limited guidance. Guidance is limited to what is presented by a poster, however, what is presented may, or may not be true, accurate or correct.

The CMS website, specifically at https://www.cms.gov/MLNEdWebGuide/25_EMDOC.asp states:

"Providers are responsible for the correct submission of claims and response to any remittance advice in accordance with current laws, regulations and standards."

The patient's medical record must show detailed entries as to time, who did what, when, for how long, was it the doctor who monitored the patient directly, or was it delegated to a nurse or a medical assistant, what directives were given, was emergency intervention provided, and if so, how much total direct hands on and face-to-face time from the doctor was involved? When it comes to accurate medical coding, any code selected must be:

medically necessary
documented as being rendered
the proper code for the documented services rendered.

Telling a patient to sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes before they can leave after an injection and direct face-to-face attention after an acute reaction can both be described as monitoring, but it doesn't always mean it can be billed it at a higher level.

The Doctor Makes the Final Decision

The provider knows what was done and everything must be coded as it was documented in the patient's records. A medical coder can research a subject, provide suggestions and present supporting documentation from the proper sources to to make a point, however, the final decision rests with the doctor.

Documentation is the key.

Worthless Medical Assistant Certificates and Diplomas

2011-12-08T10:24:00.001-05:00

"Is there Really Such a Thing as a Worthless Medical Assistant Certificate, or Diploma?"

Many might not know that marketing fake and worthless diplomas, certificates and degrees is a billion dollar industry - at least 800 million a year in the U.S. alone. So big is this market that various state offices, consumer protection agencies and educational websites warn people to use caution when it comes to new schools and distance education programs.

Understand the definition of certified medical assistant and the medical assistant certification process and advantages, know how to locate qualified training to earn medical assistant credentials, and the difference and benefits of various programs offered, otherwise you might wind up with a piece of paper that is not worth your money and time. Realize that fake schools and diploma mills do exist and therefore, do your research.

TSS, a medical assistant school graduate, shared with us:

I'm a real go getter and everyone in my class was really hurt when we found out we were not getting certified... I feel like our school might be "black balled" and it's hurting the good students. We did hear some companies say they would not use our school's grads any longer because of the way they performed, appearance, lack of knowledge and that was with all the programs, not just the medical ones. ~ by TSS, MA Student

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) each year hundreds become victims of unrecognized programs and online scams offering certificates and diplomas that are not fulfilling their promise. Any aspiring medical assistant must be well informed and research different forms of formal and non-formal on-the-job medical assistant training programs and then decide for themselves which one will lead to the desired work experience, credentials and degrees they seek.