Why Every Private Practice Needs a Medical Secretary?
The success of a medical centre is defined by the core team. The front-end and backend team that runs the show determines life and death situations. Clinics and hospitals not only provide medical support but also holistic care. Support at an emotional and human level from the entry point of a patient until the exit of the patient is critical.
A medical secretary is crucial for every private practice. The role of a medical secretary in healthcare is defined by the facility. It could either be for the centre, for each department, or for senior physicians.
A medical secretary for the healthcare facility is the face of the centre. She is the first point of contact who interacts and communicates with the patient and their caretakers. There could be multiple medical secretaries in the setting. They would be a mediator to communicate between the patient and the specialised department.
A medical secretary for each department supports the doctors in that department. She would communicate with the patients for the before and after care post-treatment.
A private secretary for a senior physician takes care of all the doctor’s appointments. Candidates for this role usually require years of work experience with a senior physician in the same department. The benefits of a medical secretary in private practice are that patients receive quality treatment and care. Appointments are organised well, and the treatment plans can be carried out smoothly. This allows the physicians more time to focus on providing quality healthcare with no additional daily tasks. Patient monitoring, patient records and all communication are managed by the medical secretary.
Tasks of a medical secretary in a clinic
- Organise patient visits
First and foremost, the task of a medical secretary is to schedule patient appointments with the doctor. Phone, email and message communication regarding the same is carried out to fulfil the medical appointments.
Rescheduling appointments, scheduling/co-ordinating tests or scans as prescribed, collecting medical history, medical documents and any other relevant information.
- Conduct documentation
Diagnosis and treatment are documented extensively. This is for record keeping of the facility, for the patient, and for the centralised patient records in the country. All policies and rules laid out by the government have to be complied with while documenting patient information. Failure to do so will result in dire consequences.
- Serve as a medium of communication.
A medical secretary is a mediator between the physician, department and the patient. Medical Secretarial Services in UK can be outsourced to get qualified and experienced staff on short notice. This ensures that efficient resources are present at the facility to take care of the patients. Since a medical secretary is the face of the medical centre, handling the patients with empathy and understanding is important. Some might be natural at it, while others develop the qualities and habits with experience. Nevertheless, it is as important as carrying out a mundane task.
- Track and maintain a physician’s calendar
Scheduling patient appointments in the slots available and ensuring there are no vacant slots is important. Any change in the appointment times is to be duly communicated to the patients. Cancellation by the patients also frees up the slots, and any cases that are first-time or need to be attended are rescheduled in the slot.
- Schedule medical tests
Healthcare facilities with in-house labs, medical tests for the treating patients are to be scheduled by the medical secretary. Collecting reports and scheduling review appointments for the patients have to be carried out.
Manage sensitive medical information extensive medical and personal information of patients is collected and recorded for treatment purposes. It must be safe. A data breach can result in serious consequences for the patient and for the facility. Hence, it is crucial to maintain secrecy.
Skills needed for a medical secretary
A person who is looking to become a medical secretary must possess or develop the skills detailed below.
- Communication
Clear, precise and detailed information must be communicated in a language and tone understandable by the patient. The global and local languages of the place must be known. Understanding the physical, mental, emotional and financial situation of the patient while communicating can make all the difference.
- Organisation
Organising appointments, files, medical tests, reports and anything else to facilitate the medical treatment plan of the patient. Juggling between multiple tasks and not missing out on information is crucial. Organisation at multiple levels is critical.
- Emotional intelligence
Emotions are mostly high in a medical setting. It could be due to physical pain, the stage of treatment, the intensity of the situation, the kind of problem, the presence or absence of a patient caretaker at the healthcare facility, and any other financial issue. Being able to handle small to large serious situations at the hospital requires emotional intelligence and regulation. It requires control on multiple levels. A person without emotional intelligence may find it extremely difficult to manage problems that arise. And issues in such critical situations must be handled promptly; if not, they could result in dire consequences.
- Medical knowledge
Understanding of how the human body works, medical terminology, treatment plans and results have to be known by a medical secretary. Medical knowledge is required to ask the right questions to the patients while documenting information, while recording treatment in the patient’s medical records, and for the overall functioning. A 6-month to one-year course to gain medical knowledge is required.
The above four skills are crucial for any medical secretary in small to large-sized healthcare facilities. Rules, regulations and laws laid out by the government for medical care centres must be followed by all the staff at the facility. Any changes or updates informed must be incorporated for efficient functioning.
Last Word
Finding the right talent who possesses the knowledge, work experience and will fit into the role of the healthcare centre can be difficult. Outsourcing the work of a medical secretary to agencies like SnapDigital will free up the management’s time to focus on patient care.
