Medical Office Procedures and Administration Fundamentals

This course will benefit anyone considering a career in allied health, as well as those already working the field. Allied Health Professionals must be committed to the key attributes of professionalism and strive to reflect this within the delivery of patient-centered, safe, and effective care. “Professionalism” is a broad term which reflects many different skills and abilities. For an individual to exhibit professionalism, they must be armed with specific skills and abilities that do not always show up within certification requirements, or even within career training curriculum. Soft skills are hard to measure and are typically less well-defined than hard skills. However, soft skills are what set many job candidates apart. Professionalism is not just what one knows. It is how one does their job, how one behaves, and how one comes across as they interact with others. The purpose of this course is to support students with soft skills training that will provide the tools needed to demonstrate a higher level of professionalism on the job. Key components of the course focus on patient interaction, proper office behavior, medical ethics, diversity and cultural bias, emotional strength, professional appearance, and communication. The course maintains a focus on the key attributes that are true markers of professionalism. This course was created with input from healthcare professionals working in the field, healthcare employers that hire our graduates, professional educators, and even former MedCerts students. The end-result is a collection of modules that touch on the soft skills that are truly important in the real world of allied healthcare. In this course, students are engaged through scenario-based learning that allows for real interaction with virtual coworkers and patients. Additionally, game-based activities keep students engaged and entertained throughout their learning journey.

The Medical Administrative Assistants and Office Procedures course is a beginner-level course focusing on critical administrative functions – including compliance, patient intake, and medical records management – in three lessons. In the HIPAA and HITECH lesson, students gain an understanding of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The lesson covers essential regulations regarding patient privacy, confidentiality, and the secure handling of health information. The Patient Intake and Processing lesson focuses on compiling demographic, insurance, and medical history information. Students will learn the procedures for creating patient records, verifying insurance coverage, and navigating electronic health records (EHR) systems. The Managing Medical Records lesson teaches the critical aspects of medical record keeping, including filing, retrieving, and maintaining both paper and electronic records. The lesson covers legal requirements, patient confidentiality, and best practices for ensuring that medical records are accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible to authorized personnel. By the end of the course, students will be well-equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to manage the day-to-day office operations of a medical practice, with a special focus on patient processing, record management and regulatory compliance.