Medical Bills – Evaluating Your Personal Injury Insurance Claim – Auto
Medical Bills - Evaluating Your Personal Injury Insurance Claim
Dan Baldyga
The value of a personal injury claim has a direct relationship to the amount of your medical bills. Why Because a claim with medical bills of $500.00 is worth three to five times more than a claim with $100.00, or less. And that
A Career In Medical Assisting – Pregnancy
A Career In Medical Assisting
Danni R.
My name is Danni R, and I am a certified medical assistant and online educator. I am writing this article to introduce you to an exciting career in the allied health profession that has existed for quite a long time but is just recently gaining the attention and recognition it deserves. I am talking about a career in medical assisting!
A Career In Medical Assisting
Medical assisting is a field full of opportunity for those who enjoy working side by side with physicians and others in a medical office or clinic regardless of gender.
Traditionally, medical assisting has been a profession dominated by women, mostly because of biased counseling and recruiting, and misconceptions about the workforce.
However, opportunities abound for men and women with multiple health care skills and state-of-the-art knowledge in various medical sciences. The key to a successful medical practice or clinic is to hire competent medical assistants to handle routine administrative and clinical tasks.
The common goal of all medical assistants is the care and treatment of patients whether male or female.
More and more men are entering into the medical assisting profession which proves that this career is a field full of opportunity for anybody regardless of gender. Male medical assistants, just like their female counterparts, are highly valued and respected members of the healthcare team who enjoy working side by side with physicians and other healthcare practitioners!respected members of the healthcare team who enjoy working side by side with physicians and other healthcare practitioners!
Who Are Medical Assistants
In general the medical assistant is a highly trained, multiskilled professional who plays an important role in the medical office or clinic, either in the front or in the back offce.
Medical assistants who work in what is called the front office schedule appointments, greet the patients, handle referrals, call and return phone calls from patients, call the pharmacy, oversee paperwork, handle correspondence, make sure lab test results are mailed to patients, arrange for hospital admission, and take care of billing and bookkeeping.
Medical assistants who work side by side with the physicians and nursing staff in the back office call the patients in from the waiting area, take their vital signs, show them to the exam room and treatment areas, ask them about the reason for their visit, and collect information such as a list of medications.
Medical Assistants collect specimens as ordered, and make sure that lab work is done, help with examinations and treatments, sterilize instruments and supplies, assist with minor surgery, and administer medications as ordered by the physician, and last but not least they make sure the offices onhand supply of medications is properly maintained and samples are restocked, and last but not least the waiting areas and exam rooms are kept clean and attractive.
Occupational Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the medical assistant field will be one of the fastest growing occupations through the year 2010. Medical assistants held about 329,000 jobs in 2000. Sixty percent worked in physicians offices; 15 percent worked in hospitals, including in- and outpatient facilities.
The rest were employed in nursing homes, offices of other health practitioners and other healthcare facilities.
Training
Formal training in medical assisting while generally preferred is not always required. Some medical assistants are trained on the job, although this is becoming more and more less common than in the past. Applicants usually need a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Recommended high school courses include mathematics, health, biology, typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills. Because medial assisting students must acquire both administrative skills, and competencies, and clinical skills and competencies prior volunteer experience in the healthcare field, or working as a nurse assistant or home health aide can be very helpful.
As a matter of fact medical assisting has become a transitional career for many nurse assistants and home health aides. Although there is no licensing for medical assistants, some States require them to take a test or a course before they can perform certain tasks, such as taking x-rays.
Employers prefer to hire experienced workers or certified applicants who have passed a national examination, indicating that the medical assistant meets certain standards of competence.
An Important Question!
Recently I was asked whether a medical assistant has to know the strenght of drugs and how medications are prescribed. This is an important quiestion!
I explained, that safe and effective drug therapy requires more of you than simply handing out or administering a drug or a prescription to a patient.
Therefore, an important part of the vactional training of a medical assistant is pharmacology. Not only is it an important part of the medical assisting education, it is essential!
A medical assistant is expected to have a basic knowledge of medications, which means they must be familiar with common types of medications, i.e. prescription drugs regulated drugs, and Over the Counter OTC medications, their brand and generic names, their usual indications, and their recommended dosages, and dosage forms.
Also, the medical assistant is expected to know the purpose and effect of drugs, conditions under which drugs may or may not be used i.e. pregnancy, drug interactions, toxicity, and be able to summarize possible reactions to a drug. In addition, the medical assistant must be able to read and understand all medical terms and abbreviations that appear on a prescription label and on a written prescription.
Medical assistants need to be attentive to ensure that the physician is aware of all medications, again, both prescription and OTC, that the patient is taking.
Furthermore, the medical assistant must be familiar with and follow federal, state, and legal guidelines, maintain awareness of federal and state health care legislation and regulations, and maintain and dispose of regulated substances in compliance with government guidelines and be aware of office policies and procedures. Because controlled drugs ae subject to many laws, a medical assistant is legally responsible for adhering to all related regulations.
The most efficient way to prepare for these responsibilities is to read the package inserts and drug labels that accompany all medications, whether they are drugs from drug company representatives drug-reps, or drugs ordered by the practice.
Another excellent source of information is the Physicians Desk Reference, or PDR, which most medical offices receive free of charge every year.
About The Author
My name is Danni R., I am a certified medical assistant CMA, CCMA, and CMAA and former medical assisting instructor at Porter & Chester Institute, and Branford Hall. I also teach medical assisting, basics of medical terminology, anatomy, and health care sciences online classes at UniversalClass.com. You may also visit my web sites at www.certmedassistant.com, www.medicalassistant.net, www.medicalbillingandcoding.net, www.MApharm.com, or www.phlebotomycert.com to get better acquainted with me and my work!
Health and Medical Advice on the Internet: Use it Wisely to Overcome Illness and Find More Happiness in Your Life – Diet
Health and Medical Advice on the Internet: Use it Wisely to Overcome Illness and Find More Happiness in Your Life
M6.net
I’ve got a bit of a problem with depression and anxiety. I’ve been tackling these problems for several years without the use of modern medicine. Tai Chi, meditation, martial arts exercise, and positive interaction with other people seem to keep a lid on my illnesses most of the time. I don’t like the idea of medication’s side effects, and I don’t believe the answers in life are often found in the easy path E.G. taking a pill, but rather on the hard path of effort and determination. This is not to say that I don’t feel medicine is not effective, not at all, I just feel all the options should be looked at before making big decisions to do with one’s health.
Health of body and mind has always been one of the most important issues in life for us humans. Seeing a doctor is usually the best option when one comes down with an illness or ailment, but people have always tried alternative routes to recovery: E. G. the ‘home doctor’ books of old. Maybe you don’t like sitting in a room waiting with a bunch of other sick people-you might catch something there! You could be housebound, or maybe you feel like hearing several opinions as you’ve found past experiences with some doctors have been tainted by poor judgments. Well, the Internet is here with a multitude of options to help you get better.
Medical advice and data abounds on this household tool in the form of self-help sites, searchable medical encyclopedias, support groups, live chats with doctors, and you can even have professional consultations on-line for a fee. My advice is to just be wary of the type of language that the site is expressing. Many sites will have extensive lists telling you of all the symptoms in the Universe: everybody on Earth could be construed as being ill in some way! This can cause people with a propensity for hypochondria to start diagnosing themselves with all sorts of diseases. In my case, reading about all the symptoms of depression actually made me feel more depressed as it made me focus on my weaknesses without too many optimistic perspectives or treatments expressed on some sites.
Look for sites that look at things in a positive light. Maybe search out some alternative therapies as well so you can get all the possible different approaches that can be taken to tackle your illness. Some websites can be very helpful with interactive features like ‘Ask the doctor”, on-line questionnaires, and question and answer archives that give you an idea of what others have asked and the solutions they were presented with. There is heaps of information on both prescription and over-the counter medicines so you can make your choices in an informed manner. You can often find information specific to groups, like children, the elderly, men and women.
Just remember your body is your temple and you must be wary of many variables not often foretold in literature. Beware of medicines from other countries as they may be different or have different names. Keep in mind only you know your personal history, all people are different, and always get several opinions. Watch out for sites with grandiose claims as miracles come from higher powers and not from companies who might just want to get rich quick!
I do acknowledge the fitness and diet sites as being very useful as well. You can devise your own fitness plan derived from lifestyle information, and forums and newsgroups give you many opinions on which road to take. You can have your diet analyzed by on-line trainers, some of which send free newsletters and even send you emails of encouragement to help you towards your goal.
So, there’s a whole new world of on-line health advice and information for humanity to access right from home. Get all your options and remember your attitude is often the first real step to overcoming physical, mental, and spiritual adversity!
About The Author
Jesse S. Somer - M6.Net - http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a simple human hoping to show others like him about the positive vibe the Internet is creating in people all over the world.
priyankaa@m6.net