ARTICLE #17 Medical Assistant Scope of Practice From Coverys Risk Management (Patricia DePaula, Medical Records Specialist) Physician practices are increasingly using medical assistants in place of nurses, for a variety of reasons and with significant impact on office efficiency. Medical assistants are trained in both clinical and administrative functions, allowing one staff member to do the work of two. These assistants can help manage patient flow by working the front desk, performing some billing functions, and also providing some clinical care. As you consider adding medical assistants to your practice or optimizing the work of the assistants you already have on staff, you might be wondering: What is the clinical scope of practice of …show more content…
Of course, successful completion of a medical assistant certification program is a good indicator of an individual’s ability to practice safely. Certification programs are available for both formally trained and on-the-job trained medical assistants, and certifying organizations include the American Association of Medical Assistants, American Medical Technologists, and the National Center for Competency Testing. Tasks That Medical Assistants May Typically Perform With an eye on patient safety, what clinical services may a medical assistant perform in your medical practice? Depending on your state’s laws and/or regulations, medical assistants are typically allowed to perform the following clinical services under the supervision of a physician or other healthcare provider, like a physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP): Measure and record vital signs Record patient information and basic information about current and previous conditions Arrange exam room instruments and …show more content…
CMS Meaningful Use Requirements As for how medical assistants can interact with patient data, it’s recommended that you consult the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their “meaningful use” requirements. In October 2012, CMS issued a guidance regarding eligible professionals under the meaningful use incentive program. This guidance includes the following statement with regard to medical assistants being allowed to enter data: “Any licensed healthcare professionals and credentialed medical assistants, can enter orders into the medical record for purposes of including the order in the numerator for the objective of CPOE if they can originate the order per state, local and professional guidelines. Credentialing for a medical assistant must come from an organization other than the organization employing the medical assistant.” Practices attesting for meaningful use must ensure that data that may be used for meaningful use attestation is entered by certified medical assistants or licensed staff members. Efficient. Effective.
Being a medical assistant is not an easy job; it requires mentally and physically functions. According to the Medical Assisting and Administrative and Clinical Competencies seventh edition, to become a successful medical assistant I have to obtain specific knowledge base, skills, and prove precise behaviors such as professional characteristics. The medical assistant is an intermediary between the doctor and the patient so the ability to think critically, analyze and communication is very important. Furthermore, it explains that the general skills of the medical assistant can be divided in...
In the beginning of fall of 2016, I got a job as a medical assistant. It’s long process to get this sort of job, at least with the University of Utah so when I finally went through the orientation, lab training, computer training, and community clinics I got to work and realized there was, even more, training. Every clinic has its personal preferences and rules, so I had to start from scratch with the training I already had. As soon as I got therenoticeI was a given a quick tour of the clinic and given all the rules, passwords and regulations. It was already too much to handle, but I was memorizing as much as I could. I can’t always function under pressure, but I tried not to let my nerves get to me.
These programs are usually available at the master's level and often require applicants to have bachelor's degrees and some amount of experience in the healthcare profession to gain admission. Many physician assistants serve as emergency medical technicians, nurses or paramedics before pursuing admission to physician assistant programs. Physician assistant programs generally take 26 months of full-time study to complete. During the first year, students focus on classroom instruction in medical science and clinical preparation. Courses may include pathology, pediatrics, diagnosis, surgical technique, emergency medicine, pharmacology and research methods. Afterward, the curriculum shifts to focus mostly on clinical rotations in various disciplines, such as general surgery, gynecology and behavioral medicine. During these rotations, students gain first-hand experience in patient care under the supervision of licensed physicians. Physician assistants are required to be licensed by the state in which they practice. Along with completion of an accredited training program, the licensing process entails passage of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, evaluates fundamental medical and surgical comprehension (www.nccpa.net). PA’s who pass the PANCE may use the Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) designation. Physician assistants must earn 100 continuing education credits every two years. They are also required to pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam every six
The physician assistant is a team player in the medical world, working daily with surgeons, physicians, therapists, and many other health care professionals. Similar to the job description of physicians, PAs see patients, take medical histories, preform physical exams, make diagnoses, order and interpret tests, and develop treatment plans (Ludwig). A physician assistant, nowadays, may even perform procedures that were once performed exclusively by physicians. Because every PA must have a supervising physician who oversees their work, it is assumed by many that PAs are “assistants to doctors”, however, that is not the case because a vast majority of PAs work independently. The extent of supervision by a physician varies depending on location and branch of medicine. Although, a physician assistant may carry out much of the same roles as a physician would, the amount of schooling required to become a PA is nearly half as many as that of a physician. Physician assistant programs nationwide require an undergraduate degree in one of many sciences, such as biology, and certain
. HIPAA privacy rules are complicated and extensive, and set forth guidelines to be followed by health care providers and other covered entities such as insurance carriers and by consumers. HIPAA is very specific in its requirements regarding the release of information, but is not as specific when it comes to the manner in which training and policies are developed and delivered within the health care industry. This paper will discuss how HIPAA affects a patient's access to their medical records, how and under what circumstances personal health information can be released to other entities for purposes not related to health care, the requirements regarding written privacy policies for covered entities, the training requirements for medical office employees and the consequences for not following the policy.
I believe that people everywhere should always have access to adequate medical care. Where you live should not determine whether you live, and the PA profession was created to improve the availability of healthcare in rural and other underserved areas. As a PA, I would be eager to help people have not had access to the care they needed. I want to serve those that need medical attention but don’t have the means to obtain it—whether in rural Michigan, the inner-city of Atlanta, or the backwoods of Arkansas. Making great medical care accessible to all is crucial to improving public health, and it is a necessity across this country and the world. As a physician assistant,
You can make special requests specifying how you would like your doctor's office handle confidential communication.
The steps of education to become a medical assistant is obtaining a Post-secondary degree (offers social/ economic benefits), Associate’s degree (course of study usually 2 years community college, junior college, technical college), and High school diploma (graduation of high school). To attend this job (medical assisting) it takes 2 years at the most. The main degree for this job that is needed is an Associate’s degree. Training starts when you apply for the job and you get called in for training to prepare you for the experience before you actually start the
Moreover, as a physician assistant, my duties and responsibilities would include various tasks. I would examine patients and review patients’ medical history. I would perform diagnostic tests and diagnose a patient’s injury. I would provide treatment and console patients’ on the proper treatment. Lastly, I would assess
In the United States, depending upon the state in which they work, nurse practitioners may or may not be required to practice under the supervision of a physician, frequently referred to as a “collaborative practice agreement”. However, in consideration of the shortage of primary care/internal medicine physicians, many states are eliminating or lessening the restrictive authority which allows and nurse practitioners the ability to function more autonomously (AANP 2015).
The median salary of 2013 is $31,890("Medical Office Administrator: Job Description, Duties and Requirements." par. 4 and chart). Work is available in doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, and health departments. You need to understand medical terminology and basic healthcare procedures. A medical assistant will also be responsible for managing information, medical and office purchases, and in some cases project management (par. 1). Your basic duties include answering phones, scheduling appointments, and organizing medical records. Processing insurance forms, preparing reports, scheduling of hospitalization or other procedures are important duties. Being able to do bookkeeping tasks- billing patients, preparing financial reports, processing software etc. - and being able to work with basic office machinery such as fax machines, credit card machines, and dictation equipment (par.
Nursing assistants work in many types of settings including nursing homes, hospice, mental health centers, assisted living residences, home care agencies, hospitals, rehabilitation and restorative care facilities (Sorrentuino & Remmert, 2012). There are many types of Long-term care centers. For this paper, I will focus on the long-term care centers often referred to as nursing homes. These LTCs are "licensed facilities that provide extended care for individuals who do not require the acute care provided in a hospital but who need more care than can be given at home" (U.S Department of Health And Human...
I am interested in pursuing the Physician Assistant (PA) degree because of my experiences both within the medical field and as a patient. These experiences have led me to believe that a team approach to patient-centered medicine provides the best and most comprehensive care possible. Further, the PA profession offers me the opportunity to continue my lifelong passion of helping others, giving back to my community, and provides me with further opportunities to teach.
A Physician Assistant (PA) practices medicine with a national and state license. They are authorized to prescribe medicine in all the fifty states (What is a PA? para. 1). Physician Assistants’ responsibilities vary on the state laws, the practice setting, and their experience. They can perform procedures, get medical histories, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications, order and interpret laboratory tests, and assist in surgeries and counseling (What is a PA? para. 3) PA’s can care for about eighty percent of patient conditions (Vorvick & Zieve para. 2).
During my observership, my clinic intern mentor was Shiyama Hassan. Overall it was an enjoyable, less stressful academic experience.I got a chance to take patient histories, examination and patient’s vital sign monitoring and charting. I didn’t feel much difference in observing my mentor taking the history and when I was taking the history, it could be related to my past experience. However, every time I was curious to know what is happening with the patients and what caused him to seek naturopathic medical advice. During this clinic shadowing, I saw genuine interest of my mentor and supervisor to help patients concerns, unlike to allopathic model of prescribing medication. It helped me to improve my interviewing skills to look root cause for