Medical Administrative Specialist Program

Complete program description

Industry Description
Medical administrative specialists perform a variety of tasks necessary to run a medical office or within an insurance or related office. In a large medical office, the medical administrative specialist will focus on more of the non-patient, office duties working more directly with the administrative team of the facility (with other medical office personnel such as receptionists/schedulers working at the receptionist desk and scheduling appointments).

In a small office, the medical administrative specialist's job many include a greater variety of duties, including transcribing reports, composing and processing correspondence, accounting for payments and posting charges, completing insurance forms, coordinating patient care, scheduling patient appointments, recording and delivering messages, maintaining financial records, maintaining patient files, making calls for physicians, arranging hospital admissions and arranging physicians' meetings/conferences.

The medical office is a rapidly changing office setting as more and more functions are being automated.  Doctors and nurses are being trained to input more of their own data and voice transcription is increasingly used in hospitals and clinics. This is leaving the medical administrative specialist with more time to do more administrative work; and the need for good computer skills; excellent communication and organizational skills, and interpersonal skills continues to grow.

Careers
In the fast-growing healthcare field, the medical administrative assistant functions in physicians' offices, health clinics, outpatient facilities, medical laboratories, hospitals, health insurance companies, medical supplies and equipment businesses, and pharmaceutical companies.

• Job duties/skills may include:
  Transcribing medical documents/reports                    
  Accounting for payments and posting charges
  Coordinating patient care                                          
  Recording and relaying messages
  Processing insurance claims       
  Maintaining patient files
  Scheduling patient appointment   
  Arranging hospital admissions
  Maintaining various financial records       
  Scheduling surgeries
  Making calls for physicians and other healthcare professionals           
  Arranging physicians' meetings and conferences
  Using automated record system to access     
  Entering and editing patient information                      
  Composing and processing correspondence

Wages/Outlook/Advancement
Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Medical secretaries generally advance by being promoted to other positions with more responsibility. Some become office managers. Medical secretary experience can also lead to jobs as sales representatives for drug companies or for manufacturers of computer software.

Program Description
The Medical Administrative Specialist program consists of administrative courses, designed to develop basic office and computer skills, and additional credits of specialized medical office courses. In addition to keyboarding and basic computer skills, the student will receive training in communications, word processing and other advanced software, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, medical office procedures, and (as an elective) medical transcription. In the fast-growing healthcare field, the medical administrative assistant functions in physicians' offices, health clinics, outpatient facilities, medical laboratories, hospitals, health insurance companies, medical supplies and equipment businesses, and pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, the medical administrative specialist must be extensively trained both in the administrative support area and in medical office area.

IMPORTANT Anoka Technical College requires all students seeking diploma or A.A.S. awards to meet the following requirement, new student assessment scores exempting students from taking Basic Math and Basic English, or Completion of Basic Math and/or Basic English courses with a "C" grade or better.

Program Essentials

Length of Program
Associate of Applied Science   62 credits

Start Dates
Fall Semester                        August
Spring Semester                    January

Program Contact
Pat Rishavy
Phone   (763) 576-4837
E-mail   prishavy@anokatech.edu

For information on how to apply or how to schedule a campus tour, contact the Admissions Office.
Phone  (763) 576-4850
E-mail   info@anokatech.edu