Medical Assistants Giving Injections

Attention: there has been a lot of controversy and headlines about medical assistants giving Botox shots, and the law remains fuzzy on this particular issue. Medical assistants in a typical medical office setting are often asked to administer different types of injections, such as vaccines, medications, hormones, B12, and intradermal injections like TB skin and allergy testing when ordered and supervised by the physician. In order to do this they must be fully trained and supervised. Medical assistants can give any of these "shots" only if the doctor is present. He/she doesn't have to literally be standing over the medical assistant observing the procedure, but must be present in the office or the building and be reachable at the spur of a moment. Any medical assistant who administers injections without a doctor's orders, or without a doctor present, even if it is to an established patient who had them before, or is on a regular schedule, is in violation of the law.

Remember: The practice of medicine and medical assisting comes with certain rules and limitations. If you are unsure what a medical assistant can and cannot do then first check with your employer and employee handbook, then follow up with your State Medical Board/Board of Medical Examiner.

Photo credits: Oklahoma Army National Guard, 120th Med. Co.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenationalguard/3840301550/

Medical Assistants Help Doctors Work on Ways to Serve Patients and Save their Bottom Line

We have said it many times before, due to the ever rising cost of running a medical office, or clinic and cutbacks and restrictions imposed by health insurance companies and HMOs doctors are facing unique challenges of  providing efficient patient care and keeping bills and medical office staff paid.

The rapidly changing landscape in medicine and healthcare, as well as the struggling economy and labor market makes it vital for doctors in a private or group practice to keep tabs on all business metrics and adjust their cost and procedures if necessary, such as:

• expand office hours
• cut back on medical office staff
• cross-train and retain employees
• increase flexibility/multitasking
• retain existing/obtain new patients
• carefully track expenses
• purchase discount/volume supplies
• switch to electronic prescriptions
• electronic medical records (EMR)
• schedule appointments efficiently
• recover past due accounts

Another way to run the medical office more cost efficiently is to retain experienced staff and replace nurses (RNs and LPNs) who are primarily trained in patient care and often are unfamiliar with the business and administrative aspects of a medical office,  with well trained medical assistants who can handle not only the clinical but also administrative tasks, such as book keeping, appointment scheduling, health insurance verification, specialist referrals and some basic medical transcription, data entry and medical coding and billing.

Most doctos appreciate the fact that a medical assistant who graduated from a formal medical assisting training program or holds a degree is trained and well prepared to handle both, clinical (back office) and administrative (front office) functions, so if a medical biller, or medical records secretary calls out sick, the doctor can slide the medical assistant into that position without having to hire temporary staff. Typically, everyone in the medical office has a specific function, but if there is a need, or they are not busy doing their primary job then they can do other things on the list that keeps the office running.

Read more:
Medical Practices Keep Eye on the Business Side - NYTimes.com

The Making of Future Medical Assistants

Medical Assistant Training Programs, a gallery on Flickr.

Nice to see so many upcoming future medical assistants in training. I also noticed quite a few MALE medical assistant in “action” to learn medical assistant skills side-by-side with their female counter parts. Some decades ago this was virtually unheard of. Employers and even many admissions counselors at vocational training institutions had a certain image of what a typical medical assistant should look like–and it was not a man (unless it was the doctor!). It wasn’t until this decade or so, where this stereotypical thinking gradually changed and we are seeing more men in scrubs. The medical assisting occupation is clearly undergoing transformation and accepting men in the medical assistant role. GREAT PHOTOS… they nicely capture the “making” of successful future medical assistants with endless possibilities.