Medical Administrative Specialist Certificate – Glen Oaks Community College

Program OverviewCourse GuideAdditional InformationAdmissions Process

The Medical Administrative Specialist serves a key role in the medical office, clinic or hospital setting. This multi-skilled practitioner is competent in medical records management, insurance processing, coding and billing, management of practice finances, information processing, and fundamental office tasks. The practitioner maintains familiarity with clinical and technical concepts to coordinate administrative office functions in the health care setting. This program is approved by American Medical Technologists (AMT is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies NCCA) as a program of study for those who wish to sit for the Certified Medical Administrative Specialist – CMAS (AMT).

Required Coursework

ALH 120 Admin I COM & BUS Practices in Medical Office	3 credits
ALH 130 Admin II Financial BUS Practice in Medical Office	3 credits
ALH 140 Topics in Pharmacology & Applied Math	3 credits
ALH 218 Medical Terminology	3 credits
ALH 225 Survey of Body Systems & Disease Conditions	3 credits
ALH 252 Ethical & Legal Practices in Allied Health	2 credits
ALH 281 Medical Administrative Specialist Practicum*	3 credits
CIS 101 Intro to Computers & Software	4 credits
Total:	24 credits
*Course has a prerequisite

The student must achieve a “C” or 2.0 GPA in all curriculum courses.
Qualifications for the practicum requires that students have all coursework completed and an overall 2.5 GPA or above.

Current/Updated: 08/15/2019

Employment Information

Apply your certificate toward a degree

This certificate can also be applied toward
the Associate of Applied Science in
Allied Health degree, for those seeking
increased responsibilities, supervisory
roles and health care office management
in physician offices, health care clinics,
hospital-based clinics, hospitals and small
health care businesses.

Medical Administrative Specialists are multi-skilled in medical records and health information and play key roles in the medical office, clinic or hospital setting. They organize and manage health information data, insurance processing, coding and billing, practice finance and fundamental office management tasks. A Medical Administrative Specialist is very familiar with clinical and technical concepts required to coordinate administrative office functions in a health care setting.

Jobs are available in physicians’ offices, health clinics, outpatient facilities, medical laboratories, hospitals, health insurance companies, medical supply and equipment businesses, and pharmaceutical companies.

Duties and skills vary by the size of office. In a small practice, the job may include greeting patients, scheduling appointments, composing and processing correspondence, collecting and recording payments, maintaining financial reports and patient files. In a large office, the job will focus on more of the non-patient, office duties and work more directly with the facility’s administrative office team.

Physician office coding specialists are in high demand; these medical records employees classify diagnoses and procedures to facilitate billing
and reimbursement from insurance companies.

Program Information

Glen Oaks offers a coding certification which, added to either a medical assistant or medical administrative specialist certification, is a path to greater advantages in this ever-growing field. In the medical administrative specialist program, you may choose the original “business” route, the “coding” route or both. You may also, if you have the prerequisites, take the coding courses to update your skills! Graduates of the medical administrative specialist program may receive national certification as a Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS) from American Medical Technologists (AMT); those who take the coding option are prepared to sit for the Certified Coding Specialist-Physician Office (CCS-P) or the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) through American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Employment Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the 2016 median salary for medical records or health information technicians was $38,040 per year and for secretaries and administrative assistants was $37,230 per year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a growth in employment of health information technicians of 15 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations and for administrative assistants of 3 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. The demand for health services is expected to increase as the population ages. Those who have experience with coding, word processing and create spreadsheets, should have the best job prospects.

Is this for me?

Consider a career in the field of medical records or health information if you pay attention to detail, are extremely organized, type well, can communicate information accurately between one person and another, and can maintain a high degree of confidentiality.

Guided Pathway

Coding Focus

Register for admission to the college.
Declare Medical Administrative Specialist Program interest (by filling out application and returning to Carol Naccarato).
Meet Compass (or other course placement determined by the college) basic math and English criteria:
1. ENG 063 – Reading for College or placement in BUS 111 – Contemporary Business/Technical Communications or higher on Compass test.
2. ENG 073 – Essentials for College Writing or placement in BUS 111 – Contemporary Business/Technical Communications or higher on Compass test.
If course placement criteria not met, student may enroll in appropriate remedial course/s to bring skill level up to criteria.
Complete course prerequisites: (minimum of a 2.5 GPA required – with no grade lower than 2.0)
1. ALH 218 – Medical Terminology
2. BIO 101 – Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology or BIO 210 & 211 – Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II
3. CIS 101 – Introduction to Computers and Software
4. CIS 233 – Word Processing I
5. BUS 101 – Student Success/College Skills
6. BUS 121 – Intermediate Keyboarding/Word I or equivalent high school experience
7. BUS 222 – Advanced Keyboarding-Medical
SUGGESTED COURSE ROTATION: (minimum of a 2.5 GPA required at all times – with no grade lower than 2.0) ALH 232 and ALH 233 must be passed with a minimum grade of 2.5 (80%) and special professional behavioral grading criteria must be met.SEMESTER ONE:
1. COM 110 – Interpersonal Communications
2. ALH 111 – Diagnostic Coding
3. ALH 232 – Administrative I – Medical Office Procedures
4. ALH 250 – Medical Law and Bioethics
SEMESTER TWO:
1. BUS 222 – Advanced Keyboarding-Medical
2. ALH 210 – Procedural Coding
3. ALH 205 – Pharmacology for Allied Health
4. ALH 233 – Administrative II – Advanced Medical Office Procedures
SEMESTER THREE:
1. BUS 111 – Contemporary Business & Technical Communications
2. ALH 240 – Insurance Claims Processing
SEMESTER FOUR: (AN OVERALL GPA OF 2.5 MUST BE MET TO ENTER PRACTICUM — NO GRADE CAN BE LOWER THAN 2.0 — ALL PROGRAM INSTRUCTORS MUST RECOMMEND THE STUDENT FOR PRACTICUM PLACEMENT)
1. Complete practicum preparations
2. Complete ALH 281 – Medical Administrative Specialist Practicum
3. Complete suggested preparations and review for CCS-P exam (online)
4. Complete CCS-P exam

Business Focus

Register for admission to the college.
Declare Medical Administrative Specialist Program interest (by filling out application and returning to Carol Naccarato).
Meet Compass (or other course placement determined by the college) basic math and English criteria:
1. ENG 063 – Reading for College or placement in BUS 111 – Contemporary Business/Technical Communications or higher on Compass test.
2. ENG 073 – Essentials for College Writing or placement in BUS 111 – Contemporary Business/Technical Communications or higher on Compass test.
If course placement criteria not met, student may enroll in appropriate remedial course/s to bring skill level up to criteria.
Complete course prerequisites: (minimum of a 2.5 GPA required – with no grade lower than 2.0)
1. ALH 218 – Medical Terminology
2. BIO 101 – Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology or BIO 210 & 211 – Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II
3. CIS 101 – Introduction to Computers and Software
4. CIS 233 – Word Processing I
5. ACT 100 – Fundamentals of Accounting
6. BUS 101 – Student Success/College Skills
7. BUS 121 – Intermediate Keyboarding/Word I or equivalent high school experience
SUGGESTED COURSE ROTATION: (minimum of a 2.5 GPA required at all times – with no grade lower than 2.0) ALH 232 and ALH 233 must be passed with a minimum grade of 2.5 (80%) and special professional behavioral grading criteria must be met.SEMESTER ONE:
1. COM 110 – Interpersonal Communications
2. BUS 103 – Business Math
3. ACCT 109 – Payroll Accounting
4. ALH 232 – Administrative I – Medical Office Procedures
5. ALH 250 – Medical Law and Bioethics
SEMESTER TWO:
1. BUS 111 – Contemporary Business/Technical Communications
2. BUS 222 – Advanced Keyboarding-Medical
3. BUS 260 – Small Business Management
4. ALH 205 – Pharmacology for Allied Health
5. ALH 233 – Administrative II – Advanced Medical Office Procedures
SEMESTER THREE: (AN OVERALL GPA OF 2.5 MUST BE MET TO ENTER PRACTICUM — NO GRADE CAN BE LOWER THAN 2.0 — ALL PROGRAM INSTRUCTORS MUST RECOMMEND THE STUDENT FOR PRACTICUM PLACEMENT)
1. Complete practicum preparations
2. Complete ALH 281 – Medical Administrative Specialist Practicum
3. Complete suggested preparations and review for CMAS exam (online)
4. Complete CMAS exam