Medical office workers are critical to the support of clinical staff in the health care industry. Physicians, nurses and other direct patient-contact personnel rely on well-trained medical office staff to assist them in the creation and retention of quality medical documentation based on patient care. Medical office work may include transcribing medical documents, creating and processing correspondence, coding of diagnoses and procedures, scheduling patient appointments, pulling and filing of medical records, releasing of information, collecting or abstracting medical data, understanding reimbursement methodologies, meeting physician documentation needs, as well as other related duties.
Applicants should possess excellent communication skills, meticulous attention to detail, good spelling, finger dexterity, and extreme accuracy in their work. Candidates considering this field should be comfortable listening to dictated material for an extended periods, editing documents created through the use of voice recognition software, and possess knowledge of patient confidentiality regarding health information.
Graduates of the Medical Coding Diploma program are proficient in coding diagnoses and procedures, abstracting medical data, meeting physician documentation needs, and other related duties. Courses taken to meet requirements for the Medical Coding Diploma also prepare a student to continue into the Health Information Technology AAS degree program.
The Healthcare Documentation Specialist Certificate program prepares students to be proficient in transcribing medical documents, creating and processing correspondence, assisting with release of information, meeting medical provider documentation needs, and other duties. Courses from the certificate are applicable toward the Medical Office Professional AAS degree.
Medical Office Certificate program graduates are prepared to assist with scanning information into electronic health records, releasing patient information, meeting physician documentation needs, scheduling patients, and other related duties.
Program Delivery Methods
Hybrid, online and traditional in-class courses on Saint Paul College campus, St. Paul, MN
