Medical Office Practice, Certificate

Degree: Certificate
HEGIS Code: 5214
Curriculum Code: 0980
Campus Location: North
Health Sciences Division

• Program Description
• Admission Requirements
• Department Notes
• Program Competencies
• Curriculum

Program Description

The Medical Office Practice Certificate program offers training in the administrative aspects of Medical Assisting profession, preparing students for positions for employment in a variety of medical and health care settings. While, the duties of administrative medical assistants vary from office to office, this program has been structured to include all the administrative courses required by the Medical Assisting AAS program. These include courses in medical terminology, medical law & ethics, computer applications, physician office coding, anatomy & physiology and basic emergency healthcare.

The goal of the Medical Office Practice Certificate program is to produce graduates who possess the necessary knowledge of contemporary medical office practices and the skills to be an efficient entry-level administrative medical assistant. It has been designed to build an administrative skill set applicable to the medical profession. Students will build a professional vocabulary of medical terminology, understand medical law and ethics for health care professionals, and learn computer skills using a Microsoft Windows environment to record and retrieve simulated patient data, schedule appointments, create communication and correspondence to other healthcare personnel, and handle billing office procedures using proper ICD-10-CM and CPT codes. In the medical office, administrative medical assistants may also answer telephones, greet patients, verify insurance information, update patient records and complete billing and insurance reimbursement forms.

Upon successful completion of all required coursework, Medical Office Practice students may elect to apply their administrative knowledge, skills and abilities at an affiliated clinical site during an 80-hour, off-campus, supervised Practicum externship experience. This unpaid Practicum Experience will bridge the gap between student and allied healthcare professional and provide an opportunity for practical administrative experience observing and /or performing administrative tasks while interacting with other members of the healthcare team. The Medical Assisting Department is not responsible for re-assigning students due to absenteeism and/or non-compliance with Practicum site requirements. The program also provides a broad base of information which allows graduates to successfully continue their education in a related medical field or use credits to pursue a Medical Assisting AAS degree.

 

Admission Requirements

Admission criteria includes:

• high school degree or HSE (High School Equivalency);
• completion of all developmental English courses

Progression

Students must maintain a minimum grade of C in all Medical Assisting (MA) courses and a minimum grade of C- in all other required courses. If minimal grades are not attained or if the student has withdrawn (W) from the course, a second failure in a repeated course (a grade below a C in MA courses; or grade below a C- in all other required courses), or a second withdrawal (W) from that course will result in dismissal from the Medical Assisting Program. All courses may be repeated only once. 

Medical Office Practice courses are integrated and sequenced in a specific manner to enable students to attain program competencies.

Note: A felony conviction may impede a student from being eligible for an elective practicum placement. 

Graduation Requirements

• Once accepted into the program, students must complete all Medical Office Practice courses within a two-year time period
• For graduation, students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 and a minimum grade of C in all Medical Office Practice courses
• Upon completing all required coursework for the Medical Office Practice program, students must apply for graduation at www.ecc.edu/graduate
• Earning a MedicalOffice Practice Cerificate does not constitute certification
• The issuance of a Medical Office Practice Certificate is not contingent upon passage of any external certification examination

Department Notes

• Students are responsible for providing transportation to off-campus clinical sites if assigned to a Practicum Experience to observe and/or perform administrative skills for 80 hours in a practical setting.
• Student accident insurance is available and highly recommended for part-time students.
• Students who have previously taken a medical terminology course at another institution or who have had experience working in the medical field, may elect to schedule a proficiency test to obtain credit for Medical Terminology I (MA 115) and / or Medical Terminology II (MA 125). Upon successful passing of the Medical Terminology I (MA 115) proficiency test, the student may elect to take the Medical Terminology II (MA 125) proficiency test. Any interested student should call the Department Secretary at 716-851-1554 to schedule an appointment to take the test. Note: Students MUST take the proficiency tests PRIOR to attending the respective courses.

 

Program Competencies

Upon graduation with a certificate in Medical Office Practice, the graduate will be able to:

• Perform administrative skills; including identifying styles and types of applied communications as they relate to medical documentation and computer applications, and maintain records of Accounts Receivable/Payable and supply inventories
• Create and organize electronic medical records in a practice management system, record and retrieve simulated patient data, schedule appointments, create healthcare communication and correspondence, and bill office procedures using proper procedural and diagnostic coding for third party reimbursement
• Recognize the legal implications and ethical considerations of personal and professional ethics regarding the delivery of healthcare
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic and applied mathematics for managing medical business practices and finances
• Perform professional level CPR skills and first aid procedures for bleeding control, fractures, seizures, shock, syncope, and diabetic patients
• Demonstrate the necessary cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning domain standards and apply appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities consistent with acceptable professional conduct standards while performing administrative medical assisting procedures, including quality assurance practices in healthcare

Curriculum

Total Degree Credits: 30