What is Medical Office Administration?
Medical offices, like all businesses, need qualified professionals to keep operations moving along efficiently. Medical office administration encompasses all of the managerial and support roles that provide administrative services in a medical office setting, including records and billing clerks, receptionists, office managers, and administrative assistants. The following article discusses the roles and responsibilities in medical office administration.
<h3 id="section---FieldOverview">Field Overview</h3>
<p>Medical office administrators work in physicians' offices, medical clinics, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and many other healthcare service settings. They are responsible for front office duties, including tasks ranging from answering phones and greeting patients to managing health records and transcribing medical documents. Some of the work requires specialized skills, such as the usage of medical terminology or medical coding. Typical duties in medical office administration include:
</p>
<ul><li>Diagnosis and procedure coding
</li><li>Maintaining records
</li><li>Scheduling appointments and procedures
</li><li>Ordering supplies and equipment
</li><li>Medical transcription
</li><li>Insurance filing and billing
</li></ul><h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutSomeMedicalAdministratorOccupations">Important Facts About Some Medical Administrator Occupations</h3>
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<table border="1"><tr><th> </th><th> Medical Transcriptionists </th><th>Medical Assistants </th><th> Medical Records/Health Information Technicians</th></tr>
<tr><td>Median salary (2021)*</td><td>$30,100</td><td>$37,190</td><td>$46,660</td></tr>
<tr><td>Job outlook (2021-2031)*</td><td> -7% </td><td> 16%</td><td> 7%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Entry-level education </td><td> Post-secondary non-degree award</td><td> Post-secondary non-degree award</td><td> Post-secondary non-degree award</td></tr>
<tr><td>Work environment </td><td>Hospitals, physicians' offices</td><td> Physicians' offices, healthcare facilities</td><td> Hospitals, physicians' offices</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p>
<h3 id="section---CareerOptions">Career Options</h3>
<p>A number of careers are available in the field of medical office administration. Entry-level employees may work in reception or office assistant positions. Those with more experience take on managerial and leadership roles, including those as office managers or records clerks. Career opportunities might be dependent on the skills that the employee possesses; some positions require specialized skills and knowledge. Medical administrators can work as:
</p>
<ul><li>Transcriptionists
</li><li>Hospital unit managers
</li><li>Admissions clerks
</li><li>Records managers
</li><li>Medical office assistants
</li><li>Medical coders
</li><li>Billing clerks
</li></ul><h3 id="section---Education">Education</h3>
<p>Since some job duties required specialized knowledge, employees who have completed an educational program in medical office administration might have an advantage in the job market. Programs range from those awarding certificates to those awarding associate's, bachelor's, and graduate degrees. Graduate degree programs prepare students for careers as hospital administrators or those in other high-level positions. Associate's degree programs provide training for entry-level positions or careers as a coder or transcriptionist.</p>