Medical Administrative Assistant

Medical Administrative Assistant

Salary: TT$5,000.00

Location: Port of Spain

Industry: Healthcare

Employment Type: Permanent

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Administrative medical assistants work alongside physicians and are responsible for the everyday happenings in the clinical office. They are cross-trained to perform administrative and clinical duties. They work at the front desk, dealing with patients. They assist patients with checking in, scheduling appointments and filling out medical documents or forms. Other tasks they perform may include filing records and submitting insurance forms. Administrative medical assistants are instrumental in helping patients feel at ease in the physician’s office and often explain the physician’s instructions. Most of the training is performed on the job.

What does a medical administrative assistant do in a private practice?

The smaller the facility, the fewer the employees and the less clearly defined are the roles. Private physician practices often have an “all hands on deck” philosophy. In this setting, you may be responsible for duties that go beyond the typical medical administrative assistant job description. 

This may include duties that would typically be handled by a medical assistant or medical coder. Small practices often focus on a team environment. This type of entrepreneurial thinking empowers employees to pick up on tasks as they are needed.

Since it is common for only one medical administrative assistant working at a time in the office, the ability to multitask and prioritize is especially important. It’s a common occurrence that they will be greeting a patient, the phone will ring and the doctor will ask for something all at once. A successful medical administrative assistant will be able to execute all while keeping their composure.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES (may include but not limited to):

1. Welcoming patients
2. Answering the telephones
3. Using computer applications including virtual consultations
4. Booking and rescheduling appointments
5. Documenting patient information – personal information and contact details
6. Retrieving patients’ notes/files/electronic patient records (EPRs)
7. Updating and re-filing patients’ notes/files
8. Updating EPRs including data entry
9. Uploading pdf files and images to EPR
10. Filling insurance forms
11. Typing letters and medical reports
12. Generating and circulating correspondence
13. Billing and bookkeeping
14. Tallying accounts at the end of each day – settlement of Linx machine etc. (i.e. daily collections)
15. Organizing office accounts including data entry
16. Completing monthly salary sheets
17. Completing monthly National Insurance forms
18. Collecting consultation fees
19. Collecting surgical fees
20. Booking surgical lists
21. Arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services
22. Completing surgery paperwork and instructions for patients
23. Communicating regularly with patients prior to their provisional date for surgery to ensure all paperwork and necessary investigations have been completed (including fitness for surgery as per patient’s GP or other physician)
24. Stock taking and ordering of stationery and other office supplies
25. Reporting malfunctioning of medical equipment and organizing repairs of same
26. Reporting problems with air-conditioning, telephones and/or office appliances and organizing repairs of same
27. Entering data on to computer/backing up of files on computer
28. Labelling and uploading clinical photographs to EPR
29. Stock-taking from drug cupboard
30. Transcribing results from laboratory printouts

CLINICAL DUTIES (may include but not limited to):

1. Taking a brief medical history on all new patients
2. Explaining treatment procedures to patients
3. Preparing patients for examination and procedures
4. Instructing patients about medication and special diets
5. Preparing and administering medications as directed by physician
6. Dispensing medications as directed by physician
7. Disposing of expired drugs
8. Applying and/or changing dressings
9. Testing Visual Acuity
10.  Administering eye drops
11.  Assisting the physician during clinical examination and procedures if required
12.  Performing measurements of the eye
13.  Performing Optical Coherence Tomography
14.  Performing Visual Field Analysis including obtaining patients’ refraction from optometrist if required
15.  Checking blood pressure
16.  Taking electrocardiograms (ECGs)
17.  Checking blood sugar
18.  Chaperoning for physician during examination of female patients
19.  Tidying and sanitizing the office and examination stations between patients and at the end of the day
20.  Assist in the training of replacement/additional staff