Medical Office Assistant Course Curriculum

The comprehensive curriculum of Blackstone’s online Medical Office Assistant course covers a broad range of topics.

Unit I: Blackstone’s Skills for Success

Chapter 1

Covers learning styles; instrinsic versus extrinsic motivation; self-efficacy and self-determination; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners; and field dependence versus field independence.

Chapter 2

Covers study skills, including choosing a place to study; scheduling time, goal setting; monitoring your study sessions; and avoiding procrastination.

Chapter 3

Covers learning strategies, including SQ3R; note-taking skills; memory tricks; references; and how to take multiple choice tests.

Unit II: Introduction to Computers, Keyboarding and Office Technology

Chapter 1

Covers how computers are used in the office today, the different types of computers, and the parts of a computer system.

Chapter 2

Covers basic keyboarding skills using Blackstone’s Online Typing Tutor.

Chapter 3

Covers the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), URLs, the different types of Internet connections, search engines, email, and other uses for the Internet.

Chapter 4

Covers other types of office technology, including office telephones and the different types of telephone calls; fax machines; photocopiers; multipurpose machines; transcribers; digital cameras; and wireless communication.

Unit III: Anatomy and Medical Terminology 1: An Introduction

Chapter 1

Explains how medical terms are constructed and analyzed to determine meaning; discusses types of medical terms; explains the function of combining vowels and how terms are pluralized.

Chapter 2

Covers prefixes relating to number, size, color, negation, position and direction, as well as those with the same meaning or opposite meaning.

Chapter 3

Covers common roots and combining vowels as well as suffixes which indicate the word’s part of speech; also discusses suffixes related to pathologic conditions, diagnoses, and surgical incisions.

Chapter 4

Introduces the body cavities, body planes, and directional terms.

Unit IV: Anatomy and Medical Terminology 2

Chapter 5

Discusses the anatomy and physiology of the skeletal system, including the bones; the axial and appendicular skeletons; and the joints and ligaments; also provides a list of relevant medical terms.

Chapter 6

Covers the muscular system, including the types of muscles and their functions, and related diseases and disorders; lists relevant medical terms.

Chapter 7

Provides and overview of the integumentary system, including the skin, hair and nails; discusses diseases and disorders as well as lists relevant medical terms.

Chapter 8

Covers the respiratory system—including the nose, pharynx and lungs—as well as diseases and disorders related to this system; lists relevant medical terms.

Unit V: English Usage and Written Communication

Chapter 1

Covers the parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Chapter 2

Covers the parts of a sentence, including the subject, predicate, direct and indirect objects, subject complements, phrases, and clauses.

Chapter 3

Covers pronoun/antecedent agreement and pronoun usage; explains how pronouns are used in sentences; covers subject/verb agreement.

Chapter 4

Covers sentence types and sentence punctuation.

Chapter 5

Covers fundamentals of written communication, including using active versus passive voice, writing unified and coherent paragraphs, and writing topic sentences for paragraphs. Discusses common types of business communication, including business letters and memorandums.

Unit VI: Time & Stress Management

Chapter 1

Discusses determining personal values through assessment activities and making decisions based on personal values.

Chapter 2

Covers creating new habits and patterns of behavior.

Chapter 3

Explores setting realistic goals and objectives to achieve desirable outcomes.

Chapter 4

Discusses prioritizing activities, projects and to-do items.

Chapter 5

Covers effective planning and scheduling.

Chapter 6

Explores how to analyze and deal with interruptions.

Chapter 7

Introduces the use of daily TimeLogs.

Chapter 8

Covers tips and tools to use in personal and work settings that assist with time management.

Chapter 9

Explores how self-esteem influences productivity.

Chapter 10

Provides tips for controlling stress at home and in the workplace.

Unit VII: Anatomy and Medical Terminology 3

Chapter 9

Covers the cardiovascular system, including the structure of the heart, function of blood vessels, and related disorders and diseases; lists relevant medical terms.

Chapter 10

Discusses the function and parts of the urinary system, including kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra; covers related diseases and disorders as well as medical terminology.

Chapter 11

Introduces the digestive system, including the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and accessory organs; covers related diseases and disorders as well as medical terminology.

Chapter 12

Covers the peripheral and central nervous systems, their function, related diseases and disorders, and medical terminology.

Unit VIII: Anatomy and Medical Terminology 4

Chapter 13

Discusses the glands that make up the endocrine system as well as related diseases and disorders; also lists relevant medical terms.

Chapter 14

Provides an overview of the anatomy of both the eyes and the ears (the sensory system); covers related diseases and disorders as well as medical terminology.

Chapter 15

Covers the blood, lymphatic, and immune systems and their functions; discusses relevant diseases and disorders as well as medical terminology.

Chapter 16

Provides an overview of both the male and female reproductive systems; covers related diseases and disorders as well as medical terminology.

Unit IX: Administrative Medical Assisting 1

Chapter 1

Examines learning styles, time-management strategies, problem-solving techniques, test-taking strategies, and other effective study skills.

Chapter 2

Discusses the healthcare industry and the history of medicine; explains the role of the world healthcare organization; and describes the types of ambulatory care, doctors, medical practices, medical specialties, and various healthcare occupations.

Chapter 3

Covers the medical assisting profession, including its history and considerations for choosing a position.

Chapter 4

Explores professional behavior in the workplace, including confidentiality, goal setting, prioritizing, and teamwork.

Chapter 5

Describes interpersonal skills, including verbal, nonverbal and transactional communication; explains defense mechanisms and the stages of grief; and covers ways to deal with conflict and overcome barriers to communication.

Chapter 6

Discusses rights and duties as related to ethics, types of ethical problems and the process for making an ethical decision.

Chapter 7

Examines medical professional liability, contracts, negligence, types of damages, the importance of informed consent, legal disclosures, physician licensing, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Unit X: Administrative Medical Assisting 2

Chapter 8

Covers computers in the medical office, file formats, networking, browsers, and computer security.

Chapter 9

Describes proper telephone techniques, including how to hold a handset, using a pleasing telephone voice and being courteous; explains how to handle angry callers and those with complaints or emergencies; and discusses how to take a telephone message correctly.

Chapter 10

Explains how to schedule appointments, including using appointment books and computerized appointment scheduling, offering choices to patients, and dealing with late patient arrivals.

Chapter 11

Discusses patient reception and processing, including patient amenities, preparing for patient arrivals, methods of chart placement, and making patients feel comfortable.

Chapter 12

Covers the office environment and daily operations, including actions to take before opening the office, patient traffic flow, operational expenses, the use of white noise, and safety precautions.

Chapter 13

Provides an overview of written communications and mail processing, including business letters and faxes.

Chapter 14

Explores medical records management, including ownership of records, subjective and objective information, correcting entries in a patient record, basic filing systems and color-coding of files, as well as preparing a patient’s medical record, informed consent form, or record release form.

Chapter 15

Discusses health information management, including the characteristics of quality health data, concerns of quality assurance, HIPAA, the functions of the National Center for Health Statistics, total quality management, and the function of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Chapter 16

Covers privacy in the physician’s office, including the rights of patients under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, incidental disclosure, and the role of the Notice of Privacy Practices.

Unit XI: Professional Development and Medicolegal Ethics

Chapter 1

Discusses how to maintain a professional appearance through attire and good grooming habits, as well as attitude and self-esteem; covers verbal and nonverbal communication, proper introductions, and business etiquette.

Chapter 2

Discusses medicolegal ethics in healthcare; covers the code of ethics; discusses aspects pertaining to the healthcare record including the purpose of ownership, how to correct mistakes, and the importance of timeliness.

Chapter 3

Guides allied health students through the HIPAA guidelines, discussing the Privacy and Security Rules, Protected Health Information, access control, de-identified information, and work area security.

Unit XII: Administrative Medical Assisting 3

Chapter 17

Introduces diagnostic coding and the ICD-9-CM manual, as well as the use of V and E codes.

Chapter 18

Introduces procedural coding and the CPT-4 manual, as well as modifiers and assigning evaluation and management codes.

Chapter 19

Covers the basics of health insurance, including types of insurance policies and classifications of insurance benefits; discusses other major third-party payors, types of fee schedules, and types of managed care options; and explains how to perform eligibility and verification of benefits and preauthorization procedures.

Chapter 20

Introduces the CMS-1500 claim form, as well as methods of preventing claim rejections and checking the status of claims.

Chapter 21

Covers professional fees, preparing monthly statements, accounts receivables procedures, processing credit balance and refunds, and using collection agencies.

Unit XIII: Administrative Medical Assisting 4

Chapter 22

Introduces banking services and procedures, including types of bank accounts, requirements of a negotiable instrument, kinds of endorsements, writing checks for bill payment, preparing a bank deposit, and reconciling a bank statement.

Chapter 23

Covers management of practice finances, including common bookkeeping systems, employment records required by the IRS, common periodic accounting reports, the W-4 form, setting a budget, maintaining petty cash funds, and processing employee payroll.

Chapter 24

Describes medical practice management and human resources topics, including types of leaders, motivating employees, ways to prevent burnout, the interview process, mentoring, and conducting performance reviews and staff meetings.

Chapter 25

Provides an overview of medical practice marketing, as well as tips for providing excellent customer service.

Chapter 26

Explains common medical emergencies and the administrative medical assistant’s responsibilities in an emergency.

Chapter 27

Examines job search methods, resumé and cover letter writing, the interview process, and starting a new job.

Unit XIV: Medical Office Practice 1

Chapter 1

Introduces medical informatics, or the use of computers and computer information technology in health care, and issues related to the privacy and security of medical information.

Chapter 2

Introduces the Windows environment and its terminology.

Chapter 3

Covers the use of MediSoft in the medical office, including relevant terminology, the use of various coding systems, the role of MediSoft in accounting, the claims submission process, and MediSoft’s various accounting reports.

Chapter 4

Introduces the MediSoft and Office Hours windows and toolbars, as well as entering appointments and printing an appointment schedule.

Unit XV: Medical Office Practice 2

Chapter 5

Covers entering patient and case information in MediSoft, as well as editing, saving and printing information.

Chapter 6

Describes transaction entry, including entering, editing and applying payments and charges. Also covers claim management, printing a Deposit List report, and checking on a patient’s billing status using Quick Ledger and Quick Balance.

Chapter 7

Explains the process of submitting electronic claims and the function of a clearinghouse.

Unit XVI: Medical Office Practice 3

Chapter 8

Provides an overview of the kinds of reports produced in MediSoft, including day sheets, aging reports, patient statements, patient ledgers and analysis reports.

Chapter 9

Discusses using the custom design grid to create several types of reports.

Chapter 10

Covers establishing a new practice database and entering practice, provider, address, and patient information, as well as insurance carriers, several types of codes, patient profiles, and cases and transactions.

Chapter 11

Discusses MediSoft’s file maintenance and backup utilities.

Unit XVII: Creating an Effective Workplace Environment

Chapter 1

Discusses the various types of knowledge, types of goals used in the workplace, different means of providing feedback, incentives common to the workplace, and the different roles exhibited in the workplace.

Chapter 2

Explains techniques that promote effective nonverbal communication, listening and speaking. Explains proper technological communication techniques.

Chapter 3

Explores the concept of culture, the importance of cultural diversity in the workplace, and overcoming barriers caused by diversity.

Chapter 4

Covers attributes of successful teamwork, the role of the team leader, and overcoming barriers to effective teamwork.

Unit XVIII: How to Find a Job in Healthcare

Chapter 1

Covers job-search correspondence, including resumes and cover letters.

Chapter 2

Discusses job-search techniques such as networking and using online employment search engines.

Chapter 3

Discusses job interviews; explains how to dress for an interview, what to bring to an interview, what to expect during an interview; discusses common questions asked during an interview and how to follow up after an interview