MA 117 - Medical Administrative Practice I

A study of medical office communications with a focus on written correspondence, telephone techniques, non-verbal messages, formal reports, informal proposals, meeting agenda preparation and minutes, patient education and community resources. Direct writing style for a specific purpose will be emphasized. Use of proper medical terminology, abbreviations, acronyms, eponyms, and sound-alike words will be integrated into sentence structure and proofreading. Use of library reference materials, Internet, and online databases will be used to conduct medical research on an assigned topic. The impact of technologies on oral and written communication will be addressed.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• apply non-verbal communication skills by reading/using body language and recognizing barriers to communication;
• demonstrate active listening, reflection, restatement, and clarification techniques to obtain a patient history;
• write correspondence with the purpose to inform/persuade, promote goodwill, respond to a request, and/or educate the patient in a medical office environment;
• format medical community resources pamphlets, prevention newsletters and informal proposals referencing medical dictionaries, library materials, and/or online databases to clarify medical terminology, abbreviations, eponyms, and acronyms used in medical correspondence; and
• apply professional telephone procedures used in a medical office including triage, screening, directing, and prioritizing calls.