About Administrative and Front Office Medical Assistants

An administrative and front office medical assistant works in front offices as receptionists, billers, referral specialists or manage medical facilities. While clinical and back office medical assistants perform hands-on clinical duties with patients and physicians.  

Work Activities

Administrative and Front Office Medical Assistant

• Answer telephones
• Reception - greeting patients
• Pull and file patient charts
• Filing
• Schedule patient, special procedures, surgeries, and specialist appointments
• Track patient referrals and responses to specialists and for special procedures
• Take and transmit accurate messages
• Talk to other medical offices
• Talk to insurance companies
• Transmit referral forms to insurance companies and providers
• Receive and process prescription requests
• Transmit physician orders
• Billing and coding
• Collections
• Write letters and other correspondence for physicians
• Pay office bills
• Oversee Accounts Receivable
• Oversee Accounts Payable
• Do payroll
• Do bank reconciliation's
• Order supplies, maintaining office inventories
• Train and evaluate office staff
• Comply with local, state and federal regulations
• Maintain physician’s curriculum vitae including continuing education units
• Evaluate and purchase office and clinical equipment including arranging for equipment maintenance
• Manage office doing physician-directed tasks

Clinical and Back Office Medical Assistant Work Activities

• Greet and identify patients
• Do vital signs including weight, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates
• Give injections
• Order and maintain injectable inventories
• Draw blood (many offices do not require this)
• Prepare exam rooms for patients and special procedures
• Assist with purchase, maintenance and inventory of clinical equipment
• Do casting
• Assist with minor surgeries
• Educate patients
• Provide resources to patients to assist with lifestyle management
• Wrap, sterilize and properly store instruments and other equipment
• Maintain clinical supplies
• Do coding
• Assist physician with completion of special forms
• Assist physician with call backs to patients and other callers
• Clean rooms and equipment

Working Conditions

A front office medical assistant can expect a clean, nonsmoking, relatively quiet environment. Staff is busy. Office hours are usually M-F 8 AM to 5 PM. Work week usually 40 hours, with or without benefits. Multi-tasking, good time management skills and flexibility in hours and assignments required. 

The working conditions of a clinical and back office medical assistant are much the same, clean, nonsmoking, relatively quiet environment. Office hours are usually M-F 8 AM to 5 PM. Work week usually 40 hours, with or without benefits. Must be prepared to multi-task. Position requires a lot of standing and walking. 

Where Do Medical Assistants Work?

Administrative and Front Office Medical Assistants

• Clinics
• Durable medical equipment companies
• Home health agencies
• Insurance agencies
• Laboratories (reception, billing)
• Medical offices
• Hospitals:
  • Accounting
  • Administrative Assistants
  • Billers / Coders
  • Human Resources
  • Medical Records
  • Patient Representatives
  • Schedulers
  • Switchboard Operators
  • Unit Coordinators

Clinical and Back Office Medical Assistants

• Chiropractor offices
• Clinics
• Medical offices