Anybody working in the medical sector should understand the importance of confidentiality. Because medical information is personal and private, it’s necessary for everyone in the field to know how to keep it secure and protected. Patients rely on medical administrators to maintain boundaries around what is said and shared, or accessible to others.

Protecting patient confidentiality is a sign of respect for individuals as well as a way to strengthen the trust that patients have in a medical office. This trust makes it possible for health professionals to properly provide services and interact better with patients. Read on for some more ways that patient confidentiality is essential in medical office administration.

Creating Trust When You Become a Medical Office Administrator

Building trust between patients and medical professionals is important for providing people with the health care that they need. Patients who trust that their information will remain safe from exposure are more likely to share details that can help improve their treatment. The information they divulge makes a big difference in the ability of practitioners to treat and diagnose medical issues. With patients who are comfortable divulging more information, less variables and unanswered questions exist that could influence treatment.

In addition, the more comfortable you can make patients feel, the more efficiently you will be able to accomplish tasks. If you are able to put people at ease by projecting a sense of safety and confidentiality as an administrator, it fosters a calmer, more cooperative environment where things run more smoothly.

Patients are more relaxed when they trust you will protect their information

Patient-facing Roles After Medical Office Assistant Training Programs

As a professional administrator after your medical office assistant training program, you may be the first face-to-face interaction that patients have upon entering the office. You will be expected to work with the public in a way that represents the integrity of the team handling their medical services. This is a powerful and important position to be in, where you can greatly influence each person’s perspective and assessment of how their information will be handled.

Using tactful and respectful language, refraining from divulging private information, and maintaining a professional tone can all help reassure patients that their privacy is a priority. In addition, keeping your workplace organized also projects a sense of respect. When files are organized and clutter is kept to a minimum, patients are more likely to be reassured that you won’t misplace a document containing their personal information.

When patients see that you are organized, they can trust that you are keeping their records safe

Why Confidentiality Is Required in Medical Fields

Whether you are in multiple courses for medical administration or taking a medical terminology training course, you are likely already someone who values and respects people, as you are clearly motivated to help others through healthcare.

All healthcare providers, institutions and personnel must protect patient confidentiality. For example, when using patient data for medical research, professionals are required to omit information that could identify individuals. The same sentiment exists in a medical office, whether you are working in a hospital, clinic or other workplace. One of your key duties as a medical administrator is to keep sensitive records like x-rays, medical history documents or lab results limited to the patients themselves and the healthcare providers who need to see the information to do their work.

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Navigating a telephone call can be a challenging and intimidating exercise. As a medical office administrator, placing and fielding calls is an important part of the job. You may have to book, cancel, or reschedule an appointment with a client; deliver a message on behalf of your office; or take a call from another department in the same building.

Regardless of who is calling, appropriate telephone etiquette must be maintained. An administrator serves as a liaison between the medical office and many other people, including patients and doctors. Your ability to effectively maintain and manage communication helps bolster the medical office’s reputation and ensures that it runs smoothly.

But what exactly is telephone etiquette? Read on for some practical tips!

Hold the Phone, Am I Doing This Right?

Telephone etiquette might sound like an ambiguous expression. So, for clarity’s sake, let us define it: telephone etiquette is attitude and mannerism projected by a person during a telephone conversation. If you want to become a medical office administrator, you’ll have to develop good telephone etiquette so that the medical office operates efficiently and those calling remain satisfied with the service your office provides. Remember, as a medical office administrator, you are quite literally the voice of your place of work. By being polite on the phone you help improve the reputation of the entire medical office and make patients feel understood and respected.

Understanding good telephone etiquette is important for administrators

A Few Tips You Might Learn in Medical Office Administration Training

There are many ways that a person can develop and improve their telephone etiquette. Here are a few that you can try:

1. Smile! This is definitely counter-intuitive. However, while you are not visible to the other person on the line, your facial expression has considerable influence over your tone and inflection. So, let them hear you flash those pearly whites!

2. Again, in the same way that your smile can inform your tone, your posture can affect the levels of energy that you project. You might want to sit up and straighten your back now.

3. Some syllables get lost in telephonic conversation. And although being incapable of hearing precisely what a person is saying is frustrating, it is also rather embarrassing to have to ask someone to repeat themselves. So, ar-ti-cu-late!

4. The follow-up. Yes, the phone call you’re having is the most important one, but never undermine the importance of following up a conversation, especially if you suggest that you will do so. Being unreliable is against good telephone etiquette policy and it reflects poorly on the entire medical office.

5. Know when the conversation is over, but be professional. Ask the person on the other end of the line if they have any questions and make sure they know how to reach you. Then, simply thank them for their time and say goodbye.

With these tips and more, you can improve the quality of your services after medical office administration training and help build the reputation of your place of work. And remember, many of the people who are calling a medical office may be feeling unwell. You’ll have to be patient and try to display some compassion for them. Similarly, you could be talking with many older individuals who may be hard of hearing. In such situations, take the advice above and enunciate clearly and speak at a higher volume if necessary. If the person on the other end of the line asks you to repeat yourself, do so in a friendly and patient manner.

Remember, people don’t usually call a medical office if all is well…

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Medical office administrators play an essential role within health care teams, making sure that the administrative side of clinics and hospitals run smoothly so that patients can reliably receive the care and services they need.
In doing so, they draw on a broad range of skills and competencies – including a general knowledge of medical terminology. For some, learning complex and unfamiliar terms like xerosis, epistaxis, and fasciculation can seem challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right methods and some practice, anyone can master the vocabulary of the medical field.

If you’re interested in training for a rewarding office administration career in a clinic, hospital, or government health agency, here are some helpful tips you can use to memorize medical terminology.

1. Knowing the Roots Will Help When You Become a Medical Office Administrator

Many medical terms are derived from Greek and Latin roots. Although medical terminology can sometimes seem complicated, becoming familiar with these basic roots can help make it easier to understand and easier to memorize. By knowing the roots of a word, you can also guess the approximate meaning of unfamiliar terms, by looking at which roots have been combined to create them.

Take the medical term hepatitis, for example. Hepatitis is formed from the combination of two roots: hepato, which refers to the liver, and itis, which is Latin for inflammation. By familiarizing yourself with these roots, you can guess approximately what the term refers to – an inflammation of the liver – and more easily understand and remember related terms, such as hepatic artery (the artery that supplies blood to the liver) and dermatitis (inflammation of the skin).

2. Flashcards Can be a Great Way to Learn New Vocabulary

Another great way to learn the vocabulary you’ll need when you become a medical office administrator is through the use of flash cards. If you’re not familiar with the flashcard method of memorization, it generally involves using index cards, with a term written on one side and its definition on the other. You can then either flip through terms, guessing at the correct definition, or flip through definitions, guessing at the correct term, always checking your answers as you go. This method can be very effective for learning full medical terms or common roots, as it provides instant feedback and can be done anywhere. With new dedicated mobile apps, you can even practice with flashcards on your phone.

Flashcards are an effective and portable way to practice new vocabulary

3. Experiment with Different Methods to Learn What Works Best For You

It’s useful to remember that each person has a different learning style, and one of the best things you can do when memorizing new medical terminology during medical office administration training is to find the specific method that works best for how you learn.

Auditory learners, for example, learn best by using sound. If this describes you, then you might consider recording yourself sounding out vocabulary so you can listen back to it throughout the day, or creating tunes or jingles to help remember unfamiliar words. If you’re a visual learner, on the other hand, coming up with memorable mental images to associate with each new word might work better.

If you experiment with different methods, you’ll eventually find which ones work best for you. After that, it’s just a matter of practice!

A strong grasp of medical terminology will help when you become a medical office administrator

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If you’re considering a career as a medical office assistant, you may be looking into the type of training and experience you’ll need to pursue this path. You may also be wondering whether you’re going to have the time and discipline needed to begin a new career, especially if you have other existing commitments.

A training program that includes a self-directed component will provide you with some flexibility to fit your studies into your existing schedule.

Self-directed learning allows students to take control over their education, providing them with the program modules to learn on their own, as well as one-on-one instructor support, should they have difficulty with any of the course material.

Want to know how you can succeed in a medical office administration training program that is partially self-directed? Read on for a few important strategies for learning success.

Remember Why You Want to Become a Medical Office Administrator

Before you begin your medical office administrator program, you should have a clear goal and a reason for pursuing this career. Being goal-oriented will reduce the risk of procrastination and of you growing bored over time.

If you’re considering medical office administration training because you would like to unlock more lucrative and in-demand career opportunities, reminding yourself of this goal is a great way to stay focused throughout your program. As you study, try to visualize yourself working in a medical office and the benefits that doing so may entail, such as potential for career growth, a higher salary and greater job satisfaction.

Keep your goals in mind to sustain your motivation throughout medical office administration training

Use the 5-Hour Rule to Make Long-Term Progress in Your Career Training Program

How do you put a growth mindset into action? Take Benjamin Franklin as an example. Franklin dropped out of school at age 10, but went on to become a brilliant statesman, inventor, businessman and author. One of the keys to his success was setting aside one hour each day to learning, by reading or writing. This strategy has become known as the 5-hour rule. While an hour a day doesn’t sound like much, it quickly adds up to a substantial 5 hours over the workweek. For one hour each weekday, study the modules in your career training program and you’ll find that learning a small, incremental amount each day is manageable and leads to big gains over time.

Your Career Training Instructor Can Help You Engage with Course Materials

A good medical office assistant training program that incorporates self-directed learning won’t leave you completely to your own devices. Instead, you will have an instructor who will be available to offer one-on-one support and guidance. Make use of the instructor’s help by reaching out with any questions you may have about the course materials. Not only can your instructor help clear up any problems you may be having, but the more you engage with the instructor, the more you will ultimately engage with the course material itself.

Reach out to your career training program instructors with questions

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