Medical Office Administration

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants mainly work at healthcare facilities or offices, performing daily tasks that keep operations intact. Whether they are scheduling appointments or tracking medical inventory, medical secretaries and administrative assistants have a variety of functions and work in various roles.

Although secretaries can train on the job, medical secretaries may require additional training to learn industry-specific terminology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics2, some medical secretaries learn industry-specific terminology and practices by attending courses offered at community colleges or technical schools.

Although there are some similarities between medical assistants and medical office administrators, they should not be used interchangeably. Medical assistants work directly with patients, doctors, and insurance companies1—while medical secretaries manage the day-to-day tasks of a medical office.

As a medical secretary, you will use your skills, education, and experience to support a large number of operational functions. Medical secretaries may transcribe dictation and prepare reports or articles for physicians or medical scientists. They also take simple medical histories of patients, arrange for patients to be hospitalized, or process insurance payments. Medical secretaries need to be familiar with medical terminology and codes, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.²

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants are responsible for a broad range of duties, some of which may include:2

• Arrange hospital admissions for patients
• Complete insurance or other claim forms
• Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff
• Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files
• Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff
• Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms
• Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies