Medical Assisting

About the Authors:  Margaret Schell Frazier, RN, CMA, B.S. Margaret studied nursing at Parkview Methodist School of Nursing, completing an ADN at Purdue University, then a B.S. in Health Sciences at St Francis University. She continued her formal education at Indiana State University, taking courses in technical education. Margaret spent 13 years as an educator in the health careers field, specializing in medical assistant education. In addition to teaching mainly in medical assisting programs, she was assigned to curriculum development in pharmacology technology, physical therapy assistant, phlebotomy, massage therapy, EKG technician, and medical dictation. She also worked twice on the statewide medical assisting curriculum review committee. As an RN, she spent over 23 years at an intercity hospital working in maternal child health, including 8 years in labor and delivery. She then transferred to the emergency department where she worked for over15 years. This experience also afforded an opportunity to work in the ambulatory care center on weekends while teaching medical assisting classes. She also worked in the office of an ENT practitioner and in addition to office duties served as a private surgical scrub. Margaret has been a member of AAMA since 1988 and a CMA during that time. She has served the organization at all three levels, local, state, and national. Her work has been published twice in the national professional journal, and has published other books. She has presented at several national meetings in continuing education seminars. She is recognized by schools around the country as an expert in curriculum development and implementation.   Retirement from nursing and the teaching arena was not a retirement from the medical field. Margaret is president and consultant of M and M Consulting and still works in both areas of a physician’s office, administrative and clinical. She spends many hours at her computer writing books and in her flower shop, Margie’s Rose, where she relaxes while arranging flowers. As early as she can remember, Margie (as she is known to her friends, students, and colleagues) has been interested in the medical field. She would read anything she could about medicine and still does. Her childhood neighbor was a physician and he encouraged her, as did her father, to keep learning about medicine and to do her best in that field. Margaret was married in 1957. She and her husband have four children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live on a small farm in rural northeast Indiana. Connie Morgan, MEd, RN, CMA, graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1978 with a BS in Nursing and received RN licensure the same year. She was certified as a medical assistant in 1993 and remains current in skill level and certification. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Education in 1995. Connie became “hooked” on teaching when she started assisting nursing students during their clinical rotation. In the years since, she has taught nursing students at St. Joseph’s Diploma School of Nursing in Fort Wayne, IN, as well as the public, the general and clinical staff at Munising Memorial Hospital in Munising, MI, and medical assistant and practical nursing students at Ivy Tech Community College in Kokomo, Logansport, and Wabash, IN. Connie has worked in a variety of clinical areas, including nursing homes and surgical, oncology, orthopedic, urology, obstetric, pediatric, intensive care, and ambulatory care settings as a nurse, and as a medical assistant in insurance, pediatric, and podiatry settings. In addition, she has worked to promote the medical assistant profession by maintaining membership in the American Association of Medical Assistants since 1993, serving as a CRB/CAAHEP surveyor since 1996, and editing articles for the magazine Certified Medical Assistant for the past few years. She continues to teach in the medical assistant program at Ivy Tech Community College.

Unit I Introduction to the Medical Assisting Profession

Chapter 1 The Medical Assistant Profession and the History of Healthcare

Chapter 2 Medical Assisting Today

Chapter 3 Professionalism n the Workplace





Chapter 4 Medical Law and Ethics 

Chapter 5 Interpersonal Communication Skills

Chapter 6 Patient-Centered Care and Education

Chapter 7 Considerations of Extended Life

 

Unit II Administrative Responsibilities of the Medical Assistant

Chapter 8 Written Communication

Chapter 9 Telephone Procedures

Chapter 10 Front Desk Reception

Chapter 11 Patient Scheduling

 

Unit III Managing Health Information in the Medical Office

Chapter 12 Medical Records Management

Chapter 13 Electronic Medical Records

Chapter 14 Computers in the Medical Office

 

Unit IV Managing the Medical Office

Chapter 15 Equipment, Maintenance, and Supply Inventory

Chapter 16 Office Policies and Procedures

 

Unit V Understanding Health Insurance: Billing and Coding Procedures

Chapter 17 Insurance Billing and Authorizations

Chapter 18 ICD-9-CM Coding

Chapter 19 Procedural Coding

 

Unit VI Accounts Payable and Banking Procedures

Chapter 20 Billing, Collections, and Credit

 

Unit VII Managing the Medical Office: Banking Procedures and Human Resources Management

Chapter 21 Payroll,Accounts Payable, and Banking Procedures

Chapter 22 Managing the Medical Office

 

Unit VIII The Clinical Environment

Chapter 23 The Clinical Environment and Safety in the Medical Office

Chapter 24 The Clinical Visit: Office Preparation and the Patient Encounter

Chapter 25 Medical Asepsis

Chapter 26 Surgical Asepsis

Chapter 27 Pharmacology and Medication Administration

Chapter 28 Vital Signs

Chapter 29 Minor Surgery

 

Unit IX Diagnostic Testing in the Medical Office

Chapter 30 Diagnostic Procedures

Chapter 31 Microscopes and Microbiology

Chapter 32 Hematology and Chemistry

 

Unit X Medical Specialties and Testing

Chapter 33 Urology and Nephrology

Chapter 34 Medical Imaging

Chapter 35 Cardiology and Cardiac Testing

Chapter 36 Pulmonology and Pulmonary Testing

Chapter 37 EENT

Chapter 38 Immunology and Allergies

Chapter 39 Dermatology

Chapter 40 Endocrinology

Chapter 41 Emergency Care

Chapter 42 Gastroenterologyand Nutrition

Chapter 43 Orthopedics and Physical Therapy

Chapter 44 Obstetrics and Gynecology

Chapter 45 Pediatrics

Chapter 46 Neurology

Chapter 47 Mental Health

Chapter 48 Oncology

 

Unit XI Nontraditional Medicine

Chapter 50 Alternative Medicine

 

Unit XII Career Strategies

Chapter 51 Competing in the Job Market

 

Appendix A: Correlation of Text to the General, Clinical, and Administrative Skills of the CMA (AAMA) 1125

Appendix B: Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) Medical Assisting Task List 1129

Appendix C: How to Become a Successful Student 1131

Appendix D: Preparing for the CMA (AAMA) and RMA (AMT) Certification Exams 1133

Appendix E: Translation of English–Spanish Phrases 1137

Appendix F: Normal Blood Values/Disease Conditions Evaluated for Abnormal Values 1139

Appendix G: Common Medical Abbreviations 1145

Appendix H: Medical Terminology Word Parts 1147

Appendix I: Answers to Chapter Case Study Critical Thinking Questions and In-Practice Scenarios 1159

Appendix J: Introduction to Medisoft Advanced (version 12) and Medisoft Simulation 1177