5 Weeks 5 Certificates Introduction - Saint Christopher College

A medical office manager is responsible for the overall operations of a medical practice. Also known as medical practice administrator, or medical practice manager, careers in medical office management offer many options for qualified candidates.

Managing any type of business is tough, and management is not for everyone. Healthcare is an extremely fast-paced, busy and stressful field that can be even more demanding than most. It is a sector that is constantly changing and evolving, as it is impacted by government regulation, legal ramifications, clinical developments and pharmaceutical innovation, as well as new technology or general growth in patient load.

Medical billing specialists perform advanced clerical tasks and financial processing. They work closely with healthcare providers and insurance companies to request and process payments. As a student in a medical billing short course, you will learn the process of entering patient information into databases, as well as become familiar with medical terminology, pathology, anatomy, basic pharmacology, medical ethics and laws, and the financial practices of hospitals and insurance companies. You will also learn federal regulations that address patient privacy and insurance eligibility.

The Differences Between Medical Billing and Medical Coding

The tasks assigned to medical billers and medical coders in hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations are closely related. These tasks may be performed by a single person with extensive knowledge of both fields, or there may be different people handling the various stages of documentation, research, and billing.

Maintaining accurate records of patient's medical histories, past treatments, and vital statistics is critical to the task of providing accurate and effective health care. It is the job of the medical records manager to oversee the creation and updating of these records, ensuring that medical facilities have the most accurate and most current information possible when they need to treat a patient’s illness or diagnose an injury. For larger medical facilities such as clinics and hospitals, the medical records manager supervises medical coding and case management personnel. The medical records manager is also responsible for enacting records updating and retention policies, ensuring that procedures and regulations are being followed.

A lab tech is a person who performs the practical hands-on work in laboratories. Lab techs work in diverse settings which include health care, industry, research, and educational institutions. Lab techs may work in a wide variety of fields such as medicine, biology, chemistry, electronics, geology and the environment. In this document, it is assumed that a lab tech works predominately indoors in a traditional laboratory setting.

Students in the medical office technology short course gain clerical, procedural, and professional skills as well as knowledge of the medical field and includes word processing, computers, networks, software, document writing and preparation, and medical transcription. Medical office technology jobs often involve health information management and secretarial work. Learn about potential career paths, employment outlook and salary information. Schools offering Electronic Medical Records degrees can also be found in these popular choices.

One of the most common medical office technology jobs is that of a medical records and health information technician. These professionals are responsible for the documentation and management of patients' health information, often using electronic health records. They also protect the security of sensitive medical records in order to maintain patients' privacy. Specialized occupations within this field include medical coders and registrars.