Medical Office Administration

Catalog description

MA115 prepares learners for the medical assistant’s role in supporting the administrative and business operations of a medical practice. Instruction focuses on ethical and compliant appointment scheduling, patient communication, insurance processing, medical billing, and financial procedures. Learners apply diagnostic and procedural coding systems (ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS) to document medical necessity and ensure accurate reimbursement. Additional topics include insurance verification, referrals, claims submission, accounts receivable, bookkeeping, cash flow management, and an overview of domestic and global healthcare systems. Professionalism, telephone etiquette, patient-centered communication, and career readiness are emphasized throughout the course. The laboratory component provides hands-on practice with front office and administrative tasks essential to a modern medical practice. Learners perform patient record processing, medical record management, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, billing and coding, telephone communication, and financial transactions including claims, payments, and collections. Core medical assisting skills reinforced throughout the course include administering intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC), and intradermal (ID) injections; performing phlebotomy and capillary punctures; and operating EKG equipment.