Patient Advocate Specialist

Category:

Medical & Healthcare

Combined Hours:

450

Course Type:

Self-Study

Bundled Courses:

Patient Advocacy

Medical Office Assistant

Our Patient Advocate Specialist course provides strategies for helping consumers overcome common challenges encountered in the U.S. healthcare system.

Patient Advocacy

Our Patient Advocacy course provides strategies for helping consumers overcome common challenges encountered in the U.S. healthcare system. These common challenges involve issues surrounding financing healthcare, receiving quality healthcare, ethics, cultural competency, preventive healthcare, mental healthcare, and community-based healthcare. Learn step-by-step methods for providing case advocacy for patients and a framework for policy advocacy, as well.

Prerequisite(s): None

Medical Office Assistant

Would you like to know more about the role of medical assistants? Are you interested in what medical assistant duties involve? Also known as a medical administrative assistant or medical assistants, a medical office assistant performs a wide range of duties that are imperative to the smooth operation of a variety of medical offices. Medical office assistant duties can include updating patient files, filling out insurance forms, coordinating laboratory services, answering phones, ordering and maintaining medical supplies and equipment, and more. As the healthcare industry continues to expand, so does the need for medical office assistants. Many doctor's offices have come to rely on the work of a medical administrative assistant who performs a number of important medical office assistant duties.

Prerequisite(s): None

** Course Subject to Change.

Patient Advocacy

After completing this course, you should be able to:

List the principles of advocacy in the healthcare setting
Recall methods for assisting with the financing of healthcare
Define consumers’ ethical rights and cultural competency
Recognize methods for advocating preventive healthcare
Name the principles of policy advocacy

Medical Office Assistant

After completing this course, you should be able to:

Identify the role of medical office assistant professional
Recall the steps for managing patient records
Recognize the standards for professional oral and written communication
List the steps for managing various office financials
Define the requirements for basic office management

Patient Advocacy

Patient Advocacy Module 1
Advocacy in the U.S. Health System

Advocacy From Outside the Health System
Advocacy as an Underground Activity
Advocacy as an Ethical Imperative
Seven Common Problems for Healthcare Consumers
The Poor Law Tradition
Emphasis on Technology
Lack of Diversity in Medical Personnel
Medical Silos and Insular Care
From History to Case and Policy Advocacy
Case-Advocacy Interventions
Eight Case-Advocacy Tasks
Case Advocacy for a Very Sick Child

Patient Advocacy Module 2
Case Advocacy Skills

Patient Advocacy Module 3
Quality of Care and Cultural Competence

Defining “Quality Healthcare”
Criticisms of U.S. Healthcare in Addressing Illness
Policy as it Pertains to Quality of Care
Scenarios Encountered by Consumers
From Case Advocacy to Policy Advocacy
Conceptualizing Cultural Competency
What it Means to Be Culturally Competent
The Case for Providing Culturally Competent Services
Policy and Regulatory Thicket
Policy Advocacy to Promote Cultural Competence
From Case Advocacy Scenarios to Broader Policy Issues

Patient Advocacy Module 4
Health Prevention and Financing

Defining Prevention
Threats to Health
Prevention Goals and Strategies
Barriers to Prevention
Why U.S. Consumers Particularly Need Prevention
From Case Advocacy to Policy Advocacy
Helping Consumers Finance Their Healthcare
Buck-Passing
Seniors’ Angst
Medical Wheel of Fortune
Ripple Effects of Health Costs and Coverage
Protecting Consumers With Respect to Health Coverage

Patient Advocacy Module 5
Mental Health and Community-Based Care

Mental Distress Often Experienced by Consumers
Who Attends Consumers’ Mental Health Needs
Why Consumers Turn to Health Settings
Liabilities in the Policy and Regulatory Thicket
Scenarios Encountered by Case Advocates
Helping Consumers Receive Community-Based Care
Consumer’s Health Ecosystems
Community-Based Health Services
Fifteen Case Advocacy Scenarios
Assets and Liabilities

Patient Advocacy Module 6
Policy Advocacy

Importance of Policy Advocacy
Policy Advocacy Framework
Surmounting Fatalism, Controversy, and Vested Interests
Policy Advocacy in Four Settings
What Advocates Seek to Change
Using Policy to Embed Advocacy in Health Organizations
Health Advocacy in Communities
Policy Advocacy in Electoral Settings
Policy Advocacy in Legislative and Regulatory Settings
Advocating for Regulatory Changes
Establishing a Policy Agenda in Specific Health Settings

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Medical Office Assistant

Medical Office Assistant Module 1
Professional and Career Responsibilities

Customer Service
Employment Opportunities
Job Responsibilities
Understanding Emotional Work-Related Problems
Professionalism
Licensure
Certification
Health Care Reform
History of Health Care
Changes in Health Care
Today’s Health Care Delivery System
Medical Practice Setting
Physician Specialist

Medical Office Assistant Module 2
Ethics and Communications

Medical Ethics
Medical Etiquette
HIPAA 1996
Confidentiality
Medical Professional Liability
Criminal and Civil Law
Litigation Prevention
Essential Communication
Methods of Communication
Professional Communication

Medical Office Assistant Module 3
Correspondence

Written Communication
Letter Standards, Styles and Components
Composing Correspondence
Email
Supplies and Equipment
Handling Incoming and Outgoing Mail
Managing Office Mail
Electronic Communication

Medical Office Assistant Module 4
Managing the Office

Opening and Closing the Medical Office
Processing Patients
Reception Area
Office Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Telephone Procedures
Telephone Equipment and Services
Documenting Phone Calls

Medical Office Assistant Module 5
Appointments and Scheduling

Appointment Scheduling Systems
Scheduling Methods
Scheduling Tips and Types of Appointments
Appointment Reminders
Appointment Reference Sheet
Patient Satisfaction and Communication
Staff Meetings
Office Safety

Medical Office Assistant Module 6
Records Management

Electronic Filing Procedures
Paper-Based Filing Rules
Filing Equipment
Filing Documents in Patient Records
Record Retention and Storage
Destroying Documents
Patient Medical Records
Medical Record Systems
Recordkeeping
Drug and Prescription Records
Medication Instructions and Refills

Medical Office Assistant Module 7
Health Claims

Procedure Coding
Coding for Professional Services
CPT Coding Terminology
Reimbursement Terminology
Electronic Coding Aids
Diagnostic Coding Using ICD-10-CM
ICD-10-CM Codebook Organization
Chapter-Specific Coding Guidelines

Medical Office Assistant Module 8
Health Insurance Systems

Introduction to Insurance
Types of Insurance
Types of Managed Care
Insurance Benefits
Insurance Plans and Programs
Insurance Claims Processing
Health Insurance Claim
Claim Status, Denials, and Appeals

Medical Office Assistant Module 9
Financial Administration

Introduction to Fees, Credit and Collection
Revenue Cycle
Fees
Patient Billing and Collection Methods
Credit and Collection Laws
Bookkeeping and Banking
Accounts Receivable
Bank Statements

Medical Office Assistant Module 10
Financial Management

Managing the Office
Medical Practices
Computerized Financial Management
Analyzing Practice Productivity
Accounts Payable
Payroll
Seeking a Position as an Administrative Medical Assistant

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Ed4Online is committed to being both environmentally conscious and making it easier for you to study! We’re making your education mobile! All of our textbooks are now provided as eTextbooks*. You can access them on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device and can study anytime, anywhere.

The move away from physical books to eTextbooks means you get the latest, most up-to-date version available. This also makes your training more accessible, so you can study anywhere you have your phone or tablet. The best part is that all materials are included in your training cost so there are NO extra fees for books!**

*A few courses still have physical materials.

Medical Office Assistant

Upon successful completion of our Medical Office Assistant course, students will be prepared for an entry-level position in a medical office setting and will be prepared to sit for the NHA national certification exam to become a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

** Certification exams are not included in the cost of the course.**

Internet Connection

Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections

*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.

Hardware Requirements

Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended

PC Software Requirements

Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)

Adobe PDF Reader

QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player

MAC Software Requirements

Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
Adobe PDF Reader
Apple QuickTime Media Player