1. PROFESSOR DANIEL

2.  Versatile profession  Employment is available in a variety of settings The MA is a valuable part of the health care team

3.  Community colleges, junior colleges, and proprietary schools  Requirements are based on entry-level MA responsibilities in the medical office  Accredited programs have administrative and clinical courses and a practicum  Bachelor’s degree programs available

4.  Empathy  Attitude  Dependability  Initiative  Flexibility  Desire to learn  Physical attributes  Ability to communicate  Ethical behavior

5.  Medical assistants are not licensed ◦ Medicine and nursing are licensed professions  Medical assistants are allowed to perform clinical procedures under physician’s or other licensed health care practitioner’s supervision ◦ In some states, authorization is required for some procedures ◦ AAMA lists which procedures medical assistants can perform

6.  Individual and group medical practices ◦ Individual practices  Also called the solo practice  One primary provider sees and treats patients  One provider responsible for all costs

7.  Individual and group medical practices ◦ Group practices  Two or more providers share costs  Providers consult each other  Patients may request same provider for all appointments  Ensures there is always a provider on call  About 68% of providers practice in a group

8.  Urgent care centers ◦ Usually private, for-profit centers ◦ Provide primary care, treat routine injuries and illnesses, and perform minor surgery ◦ Providers are often salaried employees ◦ See higher volume of patients, usually for a lower cost than hospital emergency room

9.  Managed care operations ◦ Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) provide full range of services under one roof ◦ Preferred provider organization (PPO) is a physician’s network ◦ Independent physician association (IPA) treats patients for an agreed-upon fee

10.  Boutique or Concierge Medical Practice ◦ Sought by patients discouraged with insurance reimbursement ◦ Provides immediate access to provider 24/7 ◦ Convenient, unhurried appointments ◦ Unlimited email, fax, phone consultations ◦ Home/work visits as needed ◦ Coordination of any specialist referrals ◦ Set fee for services required for the exclusive service

11.  Performs both administrative and clinical functions ◦ Receptionist, secretary, office manager, bookkeeper, patient educator, insurance coder and biller, etc. ◦ Screens patients when scheduling appointments  Maintains a positive attitude  Functions under supervision of professionals  The chapter references other professions  The course home page has video’s for you

12.  As communicator and liaison between physician, patient, hospital staff, etc.  First to come in contact with the patient ◦ Directs, informs, and guides patient

13.  Foundation for all patient care  Therapeutic communication skills create feelings of comfort for patients

14.  Involves two or more individuals exchanging information  Involves sending and receiving messages

16.  The sender begins cycle by encoding message  The message delivered via a channel or mode of communication  Speaking  Listening  Gestures or body language  Writing  The receiver must decode the meaning of the message  Feedback takes place after receiver has decoded message sent by sender

17.  Listening skills ◦ Active listening involves verifying message from sender ◦ Received message is sent back to sender worded slightly differently  Takes place when message is spoken  Sender and receiver must apply same meaning to spoken words

18.  The five Cs of communication ◦ Complete ◦ Clear  Eye contact enhances clarity  Articulate and enunciate  Time to process message  Message must be heard ◦ Concise ◦ Cohesive ◦ Courteous

19.  Good communication skills help establish rapport with patients ◦ Call patients by full name ◦ Encourage patients to verbalize feelings ◦ Give technical information to patients clearly  Allow patients to make practical application to their health needs

20.  Body language ◦ Unconscious body movements, gestures, and facial expressions  Body Language ◦ Expressions that accompany speech ◦ Kinesics is study of body language ◦ Body language learned first ◦ Body language influenced by primary caregivers and culture

21.  Feelings and emotions are communicated through nonverbal means ◦ 70% of language is nonverbal ◦ Tone of voice communicates 23% of message ◦ Spoken word communicates 7% of message

22.  Facial expression ◦ Eyes reflect feelings ◦ Staring is invasion of privacy ◦ Cultural influences affect facial expressions  Personal space ◦ Comfortable personal space ◦ Handled differently by various cultures ◦ Explain procedures that will be invasive

23.  Posture ◦ Relates to position of body or parts of body ◦ Involves at least half the body  Position ◦ Face-to-face communication ◦ Should enable observation of verbal and nonverbal cues

24.  Gestures and mannerisms ◦ “Talk” with hands ◦ Enhances spoken word  Touch ◦ Appropriate touch is therapeutic ◦ Not all patients are comfortable with touch

25.  Verbal and nonverbal messages must agree  The meaning of mixed messages  Clustering groups of nonverbal messages  Masking conceals true feeling or message  Perception ◦ Conscious awareness of one’s own feelings and the feelings of others ◦ Sense another’s attitudes, moods, and feelings ◦ Follow perceived assessments with verbal validation ◦ Easily misinterpreted

26.  Age and gender barriers  Economic barriers  Education and life experience barriers  Bias and prejudice barriers  Verbal roadblocks to therapeutic communication

27.  Regression  Denial  Repression  Projection  Sublimation  Displacement  Compensation  Rationalization  Undoing  Barriers caused by cultural and religious diversity ◦ Caregiving expectations ◦ Time focus