Careers in Medical Administration
Medical administration is the umbrella term encompassing all the detailed data and communication procedures and tasks that are vital contributions to safe and effective healthcare. There are many exciting and diverse career opportunities for those wishing to pursue a career in a medical setting that is as critical for the delivery of quality care as the practical clinical component.
Health Administrator
A Health Administrator is another broad term which could take multiple forms but is usually concerned with the leadership and logistics of a hospital or healthcare organisation.
With very few recognised qualifications available, medical administrators must therefore be practical people. Other traits that help professionals to thrive in this field include the ability to manage, flexibility, and an innate desire to help others.
Career paths could even branch into executive and specialised areas such as becoming a medical insurance claims manager, medical practice managers or laboratory manager. Additionally, the skills gained are well suited to personnel-focused roles such as HR or training inside or outside hospitals.
Receptionist
A great entry point into medical administration is to work as a receptionist. Responsible for managing patient appointments and queries, receptionists are essential in enabling physicians and other professionals to carry out their jobs effectively.
Key skills for this role include excellent time management, communication, and customer service skills. People with these skill sets make up the Appointmaid team at Synapse Medical Services; our remote, personalised reception service that can manage appointments and inquiries, and cover holiday breaks.
Medical Transcriptionist
The often overwhelming workload of doctors and practitioners means they need help recording the vast amounts of information they encounter. A medical transcriptionist creates reports and other medical documents from dictated recordings.
For this role, high attention to detail, fast typing skills and an in-depth knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy is required. Following a course that can last between 6 months and 2 years, medical transcriptionists can work in many environments including specialist and surgical practices, hospitals, government departments or educational institutions.
Synapse hosts a dedicated team of medical transcriptionists who convert recordings directly from your smartphone or dictaphone into reports with a standard turnaround time of 24 hours.
Clinical Coder
Clinical coders are responsible for converting detailed patient information on injuries, illnesses and procedures into universal codes that are often used for government auditing, financial claims and insurance purposes.
A course in coding, teaches a detailed understanding of anatomy, physiology and medical terms, which are necessary prerequisites for a successful career in clinical coding. There are many courses available on the subject but it is important to study one that is accredited by an official regulatory body – for example, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in the USA.
Synapse Medical offers remote clinical coding services in both the US and Australian modifications of the ICD-9 and ICD-10 frameworks. These services provide solutions for ongoing remote clinical coding, clearing an arrears backlog or covering staff absences.
If you’d like to learn how Synapse Medical could help you be more efficient with your medical practice, call us on 1300 510 114 or contact us online.