Chap-3-Medical-Env.pdf

THE MEDICAL ENVIRONMENT A. The Medical Office Environment B. Types of Medical Offices/Healthcare Facilities Parts of a Medical Office C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lessons/topics student should...

THE MEDICAL ENVIRONMENT A. The Medical Office Environment B. Types of Medical Offices/Healthcare Facilities Parts of a Medical Office C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lessons/topics student should be able to : 1. Familiarize with the office environment to realize the role of the medical administrative assistant; 2. Differentiate and discuss the modern trends in healthcare system If these are implemented in the country; 3. Distinguish the different types, parts and functions of medical offices; Course Materials: The BSOA students as future medical administrative professional must be familiar with the new environment in order to realize their needs in the medical field. They must be informed of the modern trends in healthcare systems, learn their roles and other personnel’s duties as they develop their knowledge and skills in the field of medical office administration. The Medical Office Environment Working in a medical office means having plenty of opportunities to interact with patients. The medical office professionals could be the first person patients see as they walk in an office or clinic. Offering them a smile and a reassuring attitude and it could make all the difference. You get to offer care and comfort to a diverse patient population and connect them to the professionals and services that will help them feel better. If you worked in a medical office, you’d get to work with doctors, nurses, and other members of the healthcare team—and you’d be an important part of it! Among your responsibilities might be making appointments, scheduling procedures, and dealing with insurance companies. If you specialize in medical billing and coding, you will enter the information patients, doctors, and nurses give you into databases, and organize those databases so they are easy to use. For all of these jobs, you have to make sure the information is accurate or caregivers can’t treat their patients correctly. You will also have to stay up-to-date on laws that affect medical data entry and confidentiality. Because data entry is so important in modern medical offices, much of your job will involve working on a computer. You will have to know how to use electronic health records programs, as well as word processors and spreadsheets. You’ll need to know about the patient management system your facility uses and how to make sure everything entered is accurate and up-to-date. Computers are used in almost every area of modern healthcare. Hospitals and medical clinics often operate 24 hours a day, and need people on staff at all times. As a medical office assistant or information specialist, you may work nights or weekends. If you work in a doctor’s office, though, you’ll probably have more traditional hours. It all depends on your specific clinic or healthcare facility. Below are the different types of healthcare facilities. 1. Hospitals Hospitals are the most common work environment for healthcare professionals. There are many different kinds of hospitals. Hospitals are classified by their number of licensed beds, ranging from as little as 10 in a small community, to over 1,000 in a metropolitan area. Different hospitals provide different services, and many specialize in certain areas such as trauma or cardiac care. Hospitals also differ by financial status (non-profit vs. for-profit), and by their ownership (corporation- vs. government-owned). There are also academic hospitals, military hospitals, and more. CLASSIFICATION OF PHILIPPINE HOSPITALS Derived from: Administrative Order No. 2012-0012 Rules and Regulations.Governing the New Classification of Hospitals and Other Health Facilities in the Philippines (Effective: August 18, 2012) A. ACCORDING TO OWNERSHIP 1. Government – created by law. A government health facility may be under the national government, DOH, Local Government Unit (LGU), Department of National Defense (DND), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Justice (DOJ), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC) and others. 2. Private – owned, established and operated with funds through donation, principal, investment or other means by any individual, corporation, association or organization. A private health facility may be a single proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative, foundation, religious, non-government organization and others. B. ACCORDING TO SCOPE OF SERVICES 1. General – a hospital that provides services for all kinds of illnesses, diseases, injuries or deformities. A general hospital shall provide medical and surgical care to the sick and injured, maternity, newborn and child care. It shall be equipped with the service capabilities needed to support board certified/eligible medical specialists and other licensed physicians rendering services in, but not limited to, the following: a. Clinical Services 1. Family Medicine; 2. Pediatrics; 3. Internal Medicine; 4. Obstetrics and Gynecology; 5. Surgery; b. Emergency Services; c. Outpatient Services; d. Ancillary and Support Services such as, clinical laboratory’, imaging facility and pharmacy. 2. Specialty – a hospital that specializes in a particular disease or condition or in one type of patient. A specialized hospital may be devoted to treatment of any of the following: a. Treatment of a particular type of illness or for a particular condition requiring a range of treatment. Examples of these hospitals are Philippine Orthopedic Center, National Center for Mental Health, San Lazaro Hospital, a hospital dedicated to the treatment of cancer. b. Treatment of patients suffering from diseases of a particular organ or groups of organs. Examples of these hospitals are LungCenter of the Philippines, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, a hospital dedicated to treatment of eye disorders.. c. Treatment of patients belonging to a particular group such as children, women, elderly and others. Examples of these hospitals are Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. C. ACCORDING TO FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY 1. General Hospital a. Level l A Level I hospital shall have as minimum the services stipulated under Rule V. B. 1. b. 1. of this Order, including, but not limited to, the following: 1. A staff of qualified medical, allied medical and administrative personnel headed by a physician duly licensed by PRC; 2. Bed space for its authorized bed capacity in accordance with DOH Guidelines in the Planning and Design of Hospitals; 3. An operating room with standard equipment and provision for sterilization of equipment and supplies in accordance with: DOH Reference Plan in the Planning and Design of an Operating Room/Theater (Annex A); b. DOH Guidelines on Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization of Reusable Medical Devices in Hospital Facilities in the Philippines (Annex B); 4. A DOH licensed pharmacy. B. Level 2 A Level 2 hospital shall have as minimum, all of Level l capacity, including, but not limited to, the following: 1. An organized staff of qualified and. competent personnel with Chief of Hospital/Medical Director and appropriate board certified Clinical Department Heads; 2. Departmentalized and equipped with the service capabilities needed to support board certified/eligible medical specialists and other licensed physicians rendering services in the specialties of Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery; their subspecialties and ancillary services; 3. Provision for general ICU for critically ill patients. 4. Provision for NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) 5. Provision for HRPU (High Risk Pregnancy Unit) 6. Provision for respiratory therapy services; 7. A DOH licensed tertiary clinical laboratory; 8. A DOH licensed level 2 imaging facility with mobile x-ray inside the institution and with capability for contrast examinations. c. Level 3 A Level 3 hospital shall have as minimum, all of Level 2 capacity, including, but not limited to, the following: 1. Teaching and/or training hospital with accredited residency training program for physicians in the four (4) major specialties namely: Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Surgery; 2. Provision for physical medicine and rehabilitation unit; 3. Provision for ambulatory surgical clinic; 4. Provision for dialysis facility; 5. Provision for blood bank; 6. A DOH licensed tertiary clinical laboratory with standard equipment/reagents/supplies necessary for the performance of histopathology examinations; 7. A DOH licensed level 3 imaging facility with interventional radiology. https://rojosonwritingsonhospitaladministration.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/classification-of-philippine- hospitals/ THE MEDICAL OFFICE ENVIRONMENT Many healthcare professionals want to work in a more comfortable, smaller, more intimate environment, and as such prefer working in a medical office. Another advantage of medical offices: 1. they usually don't require as many evening or weekend hours as hospitals. 2. may be run by hospitals as an external branch, or they may be owned and operated by a physician. As with other environments, every medical office is different, and will have a unique set of features and characteristics. 3. Government Organizations A large number of medical professionals work for government organizations and agencies, in both clinical and non-clinical capacities. Many people who want to work in the medical field also feel a strong desire to give back to their country and help their fellow countrymen. These individuals may find a medical role in a government agency to be a perfect fit. 4. Non-Profit Organizations Rather than working for profit, these organizations exist to achieve a mission or fight for a cause. Many healthcare professionals find it very rewarding to work for such an altruistic purpose. However, non-profit organizations may sometimes struggle to raise funds to support their operations, and workers may be affected by this struggle. Many well-established organizations don't experience this problem; it varies by the organization. 5. Educational Institutions Medical professionals are needed in all sectors of the education system, from K12 schools to universities, teaching hospitals, health centers, and university medical centers. Some common medical jobs at educational institutions include: school nurse, behavior therapist, speech therapist, audiologist, mental health professionals, school counselors, and medical school professors. 5. Military Organizations All military branches (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) need qualified medical staff in their ranks. There are advantages and disadvantages to working for the military. On the plus side, it's quite common for the military to pay for your medical education and training, in part or in full. You'd get to work as a doctor, nurse, allied health professional, or pharmacist in any of a wide range of dynamic environments. On the down side, you must be willing and able to live anywhere the military needs you to, even overseas or in war zones. 1. Hospice Facilities Hospice (also called palliative care) is the branch of healthcare servicing the most seriously ill of all patients. This includes terminally ill (near death) patients for whom all treatment options have been exhausted. The purpose of hospice is not to treat the illness itself--the illness cannot be treated. The purpose of hospice is to provide the patient with as much comfort, dignity, and independence as possible. 2. Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care. Patients who are unable to care for themselves are placed in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. This may be the result of advanced age, serious illness, infirmity, or trauma. Patients in these environments need assistance with most, if not all, aspects of their basic daily care, such as dressing, feeding, and bathing. These facilities therefore need a large number of assistants on hand to help with the many tasks of caregiving, many of which are quite labor-intensive. Nursing homes and long-term care facilities hire many different types of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, administrators, pharmacists, and nursing aides, among others. Parts of a Medical Office 1. Front Desk and Waiting Room is a term used for the reception area in a medical office. This is the first and last area clients/patients visits in a medical office. Some medical office has waiting rooms for patients waiting for their appointment time with the doctor. But the usual set-up is that the waiting area is adjacent to the front desk. 2. Private Patient Registration Area. Many practices are opting for a second patient registration area that offers more privacy for check-in, payment, and connection of the medical and social histories. 3. Medical Storage Room. This room is used to store medical records or current patient charts. The location should be accessible to the business area or private patient registration area. 4. Primary Care Exam Room. This is an examination room for the physician and the patients. But now physician has adopted a more consultative relationship between patient and physician, more patients are bringing a family member along to help them remember what the physician has to say, so the examination rooms nowadays are larger than before. 5. Clinical Laboratory. This is a medical laboratory wherein clinical pathology tests are carried out on clinical specimens such as blood or urine and the results are then analyzed to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. 6. The Physician’s Private Office. This is the office of the physicians wherein he/she meets privately with the patients, patient’s family member and/or visitors. 7. Treatment Room. This is a room that is designed for providing physical treatment of a patient. 8. Diagnostic Room –This is the room where medical staff use specialized equipment such as X-ray machine, CT scan, Cat scan, etc. to diagnose a patient’s medical condition. 9. Special Procedure Room or Surgery Room – Some medical offices have this type of room for surgeries of patients or therapeutic procedures, including bronchoscopy, pain procedures, gastrointestinal endoscopy, motility etc. 10. Staff Lunch and Break Rooms. This is where the employees of a medical office gather or spend their time for lunch break or simply break time. C. Modern Trends in Healthcare System Now is a great time to look at what is currently going on in the world of healthcare. Many of the trends that we see today may be predictors of what is coming in the near future. Here are five current trends in healthcare that are shaping the industry: 1. Getting social. Not only are healthcare providers and brands becoming more active on social channels, with doctors reporting that social media helps improve their quality of care, but organizations have also begun using tools to reach out to the community. Small things can have a big impact on overall health, so if organizations can reach people at their level to ensure they’re taking medications correctly and eating healthy diets, everyone wins. 3. Digitalization of healthcare. In medical office a digital transformation is finally coming to fruition. New technologies, such as patient-focused Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions have helped improve patient satisfaction and the overall level of care. This data aggregation may also help organizations cut costs by identifying and treating patients’ health issues. For example, real-time data analytics can give doctors a snapshot of a patient’s health that can lead to early intervention instead of advanced disease treatment. 4. Telemedicine. It refers to the practice of caring for patients remotely when the provider and patient are not physically present with each other. Modern technology has enabled doctors to used compliant  video-conferencing tools. Healthcare organizations are starting to use telemedicine to help them expand. Medical Organizations have integrated telemedicine to treat patients in its rural areas. 5. Addiction treatment. We can be sure that addiction treatment will continue to be a large focus in the healthcare industry. Family practitioners today are more educated on the signs and symptoms of addiction, and prescriptions for addictive drugs are slowly beginning to decline. References Classification Of Philippine Hospitals https://rojosonwritingsonhospitaladministration.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/classification-of- philippine- hospitals/ Introduction to Medical Assisting and Similar Careers. (2019). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://NursingAssistantGuides.com