Medical Assistant - HHC
Summary:
The Medical Assistant is primarily responsible for providing support to the clinical providers and community health nurses by facilitating patient flow, assisting with various patient care activities, and performing related administrative and clerical functions. The Medical Assistant is responsible for providing optimal service to patients, respecting and demonstrating patient confidentiality, being culturally competent, and working within the established parameters of the job at all times. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives, within the framework outlined below.
This position supports Heartland Health Center’s mission, to improve the well-being of the communities we serve by providing accessible, high-quality healthcare.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
● Welcome and greet patients, guests and external parties using Heartland Health Centers standardized customer service tool (AIDET).
- Review patient schedules and EMR, in advance of the patient visit to identify outstanding medical reports, in order to report the results to the attending Provider on staff.
- Ensure there are adequate supplies in preparation for each patient’s visit. Additionally, notify your site manager when there is a shortage of supplies.
- Maintains patient flow by escorting patients from the waiting area to the examination room. Assists the ongoing management of patient flow by ensuring that rooms are efficiently utilized, minimizing patient wait time.
- Prepares patients for their visit, examination procedure and/or treatment in accordance with established work flows. Obtains and documents vital signs, required screenings and patient complaints.
- Prepares appropriate paperwork for procedures, laboratory work, tests, or referrals for provider/Community Health Nurse (CHN).
- Assists providers and nurses with procedures in accordance with established protocols. Assist providers and nurses in urgent and emergency medical situations, including obtaining and operating medical equipment in accordance with established protocols and standards.
- Administers medication and/or immunizations administered intramuscularly, intradermally or subcutaneously under the direction of an RN and physician. Appropriately documents medication administered.
- Under the direction of a provider or CHN, provides assistance by returning patient telephone calls related to prescription refills, normal laboratory results, referrals, etc. Provides assistance with placing telephone calls to pharmacies to request prescription refills, as specifically ordered by a provider.
- Maintains a high quality patient care environment by cleaning, preparing, and stocking all examination rooms and treatment areas in accordance with established standards. Assists in the care, cleaning, sterilization, and maintenance of medical equipment and instruments. This includes the monitoring of relevant expiration dates, established maintenance schedules, and assistance in maintaining medical supply inventories.
- Understands, respects and complies with patient confidentiality and HIPAA regulations.
- Assists in the collection, labeling, and processing of specimens. Performs phlebotomy and point of care testing (POCT) laboratory tests as requested and as outlined in the Illinois Clinical Laboratory Act and related regulations.
- Adheres to OSHA and infection control policies and procedures.
- Participates in health screenings, educational programs, and team meetings, as required.
- Performs reception duties, patient service, clerical and other functions as needed to support the efficient operation of the practice.
- Performs wound dressing changes and wound cultures.
- Provides patient education and instruction, as directed by the Provider.
- Specifically prohibited activities include (but are not limited to):
- Independent telephone triage;
- Independent health history or risk assessment;
- Independent diagnosis or treatment of patient;
- Independently prescribing or refilling prescriptions;
- Handing out medications samples;
- Aterial punctures, IV injections of any kind
- Medical treatment, analysis or reading test results;
- Advising patients about their condition or treatment regime;
- Administering any anesthetic agent.
- Adheres to professional standards as outlined by governmental bodies, appropriate professional associations, private funding sources, agency plans, policies and unit guidelines. Participates in periodic evaluation reviews and/or in house and external staff training to ensure adherence to standards. Initiates requests for assistance or guidance from supervisor to address new policies/procedures or complex concepts affecting compliance within the Medical Assistant scope of practice.
- When not performing medical assistant related tasks, may:
- Perform reception functions, including answering and accurately directing incoming calls from patients, community organizations, medical organizations, and other external parties
- Provide front desk administrative support in the health center, including registering and assessing patients for program eligibility.
● Accountable for using critical thinking and problem solving on any issues/problems that interfere with carrying out job responsibilities and if this problem/issue cannot be resolved or handled, then the problem and lack of resolution must be communicated to the employee’s manager.
● Accountable for being knowledgeable about and actively participating in HHC’S quality initiatives.
- Performs other job related duties as assigned.
- Successfully completes required competency testing annually, and as necessary.
- Required to provide coverage to School-Based or Community Health Center sites, as needed.
Additional Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Additional duties when working at a school-based health center.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Education and/or Experience:
High School Diploma or GED and graduation from a medical assistant program is required.
- Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
Current CPR certification is required and must be maintained by the employee.
American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) CMA Certification -or- American Medical Technologists
(AMT) RMA certification preferred.
Bilingual skills may be required depending on the specific language needs of the population served.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
- The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
- Unresricted ability to provide physcial restraint. Unrestricted ability to provide physical restraint.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
- While performing the duties of this position, the employee may frequently be exposed to air- and/or blood-borne pathogens.
- While performing the duties of this position, the employee may be required to perform duties at off-site locations.
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