Medical Administrative Assistant

The medical administrative assistant is one of the most important jobs within a physicians office.  This may seem a bit over reaching but the fact is that many doctor’s offices fail because the administration of that particular office is not properly handled.  The medical administrative assistant handles a variety of tasks within a doctor’s office.  They handle and review client correspondence and communication.  They manage the overall office and all of the workers.  They design and ensure proper functionality of the overall office work flow.  They handle, update, and complete patient charts.  They work directly with patients and work with them in scheduling appointments, handling prescriptions, and all of the other duties within the office.  But most importantly, specialized medical administrative assistants are oftentimes responsible for handling all of the medical billing and interactions with insurance companies.  This in and of itself is one of the most critical and difficult functions within a medical office, and it requires a talented administrative medical assistant.  Without this task being handled properly the entire office can fail due to lack of payments from patients and their insurance companies.

The medical administrative assistant needs to be an organized and detail oriented person.  They also need to have great communication skills in order to not only handle and communicate well with patients but also in handling and dealing with insurance companies and other bill payers such as the various government reimbursement programs.  This is not to say that all medical administrative assistants do all of these tasks, but it shows you the range of duties, as well as the critical nature of this position.  The good or bad news, depending on what you want from your medical assistant position, is that you are not normally called on to do clinical duties, therefore your specific physical interaction with sick patients is limited.

Salary Range of a Medical Administrative Assistant

The following chart lists the salary range and the general expectations for a medical administrative assistant.  The two main factors influencing the salaries are the type of office and the more obvious years of experience. After the chart is a brief explanation of the numbers, be certain to read this explanation because oftentimes charts can be misleading as they represent nationwide averages.

Type Of Office

Year of Experience

Average

less than 2

 3 to 5

6 to 9

10 to 15

Over 16
Outpatient Doctor’s Office

$13.19

 $14.11

$15.14

$15.99

$17.45

$15.34
Hospital Outpatient

$14.50

 $15.43

$16.12

$17.89

$17.51

$16.34

For some reading this chart the numbers look fantastic and for others they look very low.  This is probably because this chart is made of averages across the nation.   That means it represents medical administrative assistant’s in offices from Newton, Iowa to New York City, New York.  Obviously the medical administrative assistant in New York City is going to make far above these averages whereas the medical administrative assistant salary in Newton, Iowa may be lower.  But the overall averages at least can help you understand the general wages for the specific position.  If you want more precise information it is best to consult the local employment advertisements for the position you are seeking.  these will give you much more precise information for you particular location.

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