Professional Conduct and Attitude of the Medical Assistant

The certified medical assistant's duties are similar, if not largely identical to those of non-certified medical assistants, except that medical assistants who are certified are often held to higher standards than their non-certified counter parts when it comes to accountability.

While they are equally responsible for basic routines as medical record filing, taking vital signs, preparing patients for exams, processing insurance authorizations and writing referrals to specialists for further evaluations they may be also responsible to perform complex diagnostic screening tests that require special medical apparatuses and equipment such as a Holter Monitor, oxygen-, cardio-pulmonary and respiratory device, EKG and X-ray machine, or special tools and injections for allergy skin testing. Experienced certified medical assistants may also be asked to administer medications and fill out prescription pads for medications which the doctor will sign.

What Doctors Expect

Steve Verno, a certified medical biller in Florida told us: "Doctors can be tricky in their wants and desires. Some have been burned badly by a previous employee, so they don't want that to happen again."

Attitude and Dependability

The certified medical assistant's main duty is to support healthcare providers, most often the doctor they work for, in all areas of the medical office and practice. Their taking care of essential administrative and clinical tasks allows the doctor to focus directly on the patient's medical and health concerns without being bogged down by daily office maintenance and clerical routines. A doctor is not interested, nor trained in the intricacies of medical office and business administration, but a medical assistant is. All the doctor wants to know, does my medical assisting staff have the right professional and can-do attitude, flexibility and knowledge to keep the office running smoothly and patients happy.

Attitude: Whenever the medical assistant interacts with others communication must be carried out in a honest and compassionate manner, while treating everybody equally with understanding, dignity, caring, and kindness! A general attitude of friendliness and empathy can go a long way.

Dependability: Doctors and patients expect their medical assistants to be reliable, skillful, truthful, trustworthy, efficient, and confident.

MA15Years tells us: "Care for your patients as it was your mother, your father, grandmother etc., and you will have happy patients, which trickles down to happy co-workers. And most, and foremost, treat others the way you want to be treated and be proud of your title, yourself, and your accomplishments."

Flexibility and Versatility

Many medical assistants are trained in the administrative areas which includes checking and following up on insurance claims and referrals, as well as reviewing superbills and encounter forms. When it comes to medical billing and coding procedures for reimbursement it is important to know CPT and ICD-9 codes. Lack of knowledge could easily hurt the provider and the patient and could lead to a possible audit, fines, loss of license, or sanctions from Medicare and Medicaid.

Discretion and Integrity

The information that medical assistants have access to falls into the category of "privileged communication". Medical assistants have no right to divulge any medical or personal information about a patient, however trivial it may seem, to any unauthorized individuals. The prohibition of release of confidential information is essential to the doctor-patient relationship, and the doctor's and medical assistant's integrity.

Professional membership associations and certification bodies have established standards of practice for medical assistants and disciplinary measures for violations of such. When complaints are filed against a certified medical assistant it will be investigated and appropriately dealt with. A medical office hiring a certified medical assistant can request the applicant's status and verify their credentials with the professional membership association who issued the credential.

• Employer's Expectations of the Medical Assistant
  
  Employers have expectations. Appearance can positively, or negatively influence the opinion of the medical assistant and the overall reputation of the facility.
• Medical Assistant Proper Identification and Background Check
  
  No where is the need for proper identification and personal integrity as great as in the medical and healthcare field among doctors and allied health professionals.