Description
Front line medical receptionists greet clients and patients as they arrive at the medical facility and check them in, collect patient notes and make appointments work under the supervision and direction of healthcare institution manager.
Excludes people performing patients treatment.
Excludes people performing assistance in medical treatment.
Duties
Front line medical receptionists typically do the following:
- Greet and attend to patients in person and over the phone.
- Professionally assist doctors, staff, visitors, and patients.
- Maintain business inventory such as checking supplies, scheduling equipment, and maintenance repairs.
- Answer all phone calls in a professional and courteous manner.
- Maintain confidentiality of all doctor, staff, and patient information.
- Schedule appointments between doctors and patients.
- Liaise between medical departments with discretion and professionalism
- Adhere to policy and procedures during all activates.
- Assist with admissions/treatment as per agreed protocols.
- Ensure that stock levels are adequate and orders are made timeously.
- Communicate medical results to patients under clinical supervision.
- Complete accurate documentation of patient visits.
Working conditions
Front line medical receptionists work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, private medical offices, and group practices. They typically work a regular 40-hour week, although some may work evenings or weekends to accommodate the needs of their patients.
Medical receptionists typically work in well-lit, clean, and quiet offices. They spend much of their time sitting at a desk, answering phones, and scheduling appointments. They also may be responsible for handling patient inquiries, verifying insurance coverage, and collecting co-payments.
Medical receptionists must be able to handle a high volume of work while maintaining a calm and professional demeanor.
Other titles
The following job titles also refer to front line medical receptionist:
front desk assistant
medical care front line receptionist
front desk receptionist
medical receptionist
receptionist in GP surgery
GP surgery receptionist
medical receptionist front line
medical institution front line receptionist
Minimum qualifications
Most employers require front line medical receptionists to have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some employers prefer candidates who have completed an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in medical administration or a related field. Receptionists who have completed a formal education program in medical office administration can expect to learn about medical terminology, medical insurance, medical record-keeping, medical ethics and medical law.
ISCO skill level
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
- the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
- the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
- the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Front line medical receptionist is a Skill level 2 occupation.
Front line medical receptionist career path
Similar occupations
These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to front line medical receptionist.
emergency medical dispatcher
sterile services technician
patient transport services driver
healthcare assistant
phlebotomist
Long term prospects
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of front line medical receptionist. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of front line medical receptionist with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
clinical coder
medical records clerk
chiropractic assistant
waiting list coordinator
medical transcriptionist
Essential knowledge and skills
Essential knowledge
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of front line medical receptionist.
- Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
- Health care legislation: The patients` rights and responsibilities of health practitioners and the possible repercussions and prosecutions in relation to medical treatment negligence or malpractice.
- Medical terminology: The meaning of medical terms and abbreviations, of medical prescriptions and various medical specialties and when to use it correctly.
- Administrative tasks in a medical environment: The medical administrative tasks such as registration of patients, appointment systems, record keeping of patients information and repeated prescribing.
- Health records management: The procedures and importance of record keeping in a healthcare system such as hospitals or clinics, the information systems used to keep and process records and how to achieve maximum accuracy of records.
- Health care system: The structure and function of health care services.
- Medical informatics: The processes and tools used for the analysis and dissemination of medical data through computerized systems.
Essential skills and competences
These skills are necessary for the role of front line medical receptionist.
- Contribute to continuity of health care: Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.
- Ensure proper appointment administration: Set up a proper procedure to manage appointments, including policies related to cancellation and nonappearance.
- Answer patients’ questions: Respond in a friendly and professional manner to all inquiries from current or potential patients, and their families, of a healthcare establishment.
- Manage healthcare users’ data: Keep accurate client records which also satisfy legal and professional standards and ethical obligations in order to facilitate client management, ensuring that all clients’ data (including verbal, written and electronic) are treated confidentially.
- Maintain healthcare user data confidentiality: Comply with and maintain the confidentiality of healthcare users` illness and treatment information.
- Use electronic health records management system: Be able to use specific software for the management of health care records, following appropriate codes of practice.
- Apply numeracy skills: Practise reasoning and apply simple or complex numerical concepts and calculations.
- Communicate effectively in healthcare: Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.
- Follow clinical guidelines: Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.
- Collect healthcare user’s general data: Collect qualitative and quantitative data related to the healthcare user’s anagraphic data and provide support on filling out the present and past history questionnaire and record the measures/tests performed by the practitioner.
- Identify patients’ medical records: Locate, retrieve and present medical records, as requested by authorized medical personnel.
- Comply with legislation related to health care: Comply with the regional and national health legislation which regulates relations between suppliers, payers, vendors of the healthcare industry and patients, and the delivery of healthcare services.
- Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
- Work in a multicultural environment in health care: Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.
- Type on electronic devices: Type fast and flawless on electronic devices such as computers in order to ensure a quick and accurate data entry.
- Communicate by telephone: Liaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.
- Work in multidisciplinary health teams: Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.
Optional knowledge and skills
Optional knowledge
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of front line medical receptionist. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Medical studies: The basics and terminology of medical studies.
- Professional documentation in health care: The written standards applied in the health care professional environments for documentation purposes of one`s activity.
- Manage healthcare staff: The managerial tasks and responsibilities required in a health care setting.
Optional skills and competences
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of front line medical receptionist. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Handle patients with special needs: Respond appropriately and communicate effectively with patients with special needs such as learning disabilities and difficulties, physical disabilities, mental illness, memory loss, bereavement, terminal illness, distress or anger.
- Process medical insurance claims: Contact the patient`s health insurance company and submit the appropriate forms with information on the patient and treatment.
- Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice: Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.
- Communicate in foreign languages with health service providers: Apply foreign languages in communicating with health service providers such as doctors and nurses.
ISCO group and title
4226 – Receptionists (general)
References
- Front line medical receptionist – ESCO
- Medical Assistants : Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Medical Assistant Job Description: Salary, Duties, & More – ClimbtheLadder
- Medical Receptionist Job Description – Betterteam
- Featured image: Photo by Cedric Fauntleroy