As a doctor, you’re always dealing with a packed schedule and your job is so crucial that you need to focus on practicing your craft and delegate non-essential tasks to someone you can rely on, a medical secretary.
Finding the right secretary is essential because she will represent you as your patient’s first point of contact. She will also handle different responsibilities that are crucial to your clinic’s operations and your practice in general.
The responsibilities of a medical secretary
A medical secretary will be put in the middle of the action. She will be responsible for tasks that include:
Administrative Tasks
This includes taking calls in your doctor’s office answering inquiries about your services and booking appointments for checkups. Your medical secretary will organize your daily schedule so you don’t end up with a lot of patients waiting outside your office.
Since she will need to take care of your calendar daily, it would smart to invest in an appointment system that would make this task a lot easier to manage.
She will also be responsible for checking patients in once they arrive in your office, taking their vital signs and information for their patient’s records.
The medical secretary will also handle any paperwork including insurance claims that would be needed to avail of your services. Plus, she will also maintain efficient record keeping and necessary paper works for regulatory and government compliance.
Accounting Tasks
Aside from basic office tasks, your medical secretary will also need to handle some accounting tasks like processing payments, taking care of billing issues, paying your dues, and even organizing your accounting books because she’s most familiar with your daily operations.
Inventory Tasks
Some medical secretaries can be delegated to do inventories and restocking of medical supplies. It’s a cost-effective process since the secretary needs to keep track of your clinic’s inventory.
The tips for finding the right medical secretary
Hiring a medical secretary is all about finding the right fit for you. Here are some tips to help you find the right one:
Education
A medical secretary should have at least a high school diploma, although it would be a plus if she has a degree in the medical or healthcare-related field so she’s familiar with medical terms.
Experience
Although you can be flexible with an applicant’s education, it’s very important to hire someone familiar with the healthcare setting so you don’t have to spend a lot of time training her.
A lot of doctors prefer to hire a medical secretary who has experience working in healthcare because she already has an idea of how the process goes.
Attitude
The medical industry is so fast-paced that you will need someone who’s always on her feet and can act out quickly to different scenarios even without your guidance.
A good medical secretary should also be organized since she has to take care of your calendar and stay on top of other tasks that are delegated to her.
Tech-savvy
Of course, an efficient medical office means having an up-to-date computer system. The secretary should know her way around emails, inventory software, social media marketing, and other essential applications necessary in running a doctor’s office. Knowledge of computer hardware and software basic maintenance should also be a given.
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There are a lot of good medical secretaries out there. You just need to find someone who fits the role that you need for your office.
Make sure to evaluate every candidate carefully and ask the right questions during the interview so you’ll have a good feel of what someone can bring to the table as part of your team.