Medical Office Procedures
Abstract
In this paper I will be discussing the influences that take part in a medical assistant’s decisions on a daily basis. The research includes three different situations where the medical assistant was influenced by laws and regulations and the release of patients personal and medical information. I will also be discussing the relevant components of a patient’s medical record, and what a physician looks for in it. There will be an overview of all the documentation that would be in these components. The first situation where the actions of a medical assistant were influenced by laws and regulations is a patient’s wife came into the office requesting the results of her husband’s STD results. She claims that he gave her permission to seek these results for him. The medical assistant tells her; unfortunately it is against the law for me to disclose any of your husband’s information with you, even if you say you have his consent. It would breach my AAMA code of ethics as well as the HIPAA law. The medical assistant states that if your husband would like to bring you along on his next visit, when he gets his results that would be fine. Other than that there is not much she can do for the patient’s wife. Another situation would be pertaining to minors. Many teenage minors seek birth control without their parent’s consent. They may go to a local clinic or even their family physician. Well a mother of a young teenage girl came into the office and wanted to speak to the doctor regarding her daughter’s last visit. She was asking the medical assistant if her daughter was sexually active, and if she had received birth control. The medical assistant explained to her that she wasn’t allowed to give her that information. The mother stated well my daughter is only 14 years old and is considered a minor, and it is my business to know these things about her. The medical assistant responded that it would be a breach of patient confidentiality even if she
In this paper I will be discussing the influences that take part in a medical assistant’s decisions on a daily basis. The research includes three different situations where the medical assistant was influenced by laws and regulations and the release of patients personal and medical information. I will also be discussing the relevant components of a patient’s medical record, and what a physician looks for in it. There will be an overview of all the documentation that would be in these components. The first situation where the actions of a medical assistant were influenced by laws and regulations is a patient’s wife came into the office requesting the results of her husband’s STD results. She claims that he gave her permission to seek these results for him. The medical assistant tells her; unfortunately it is against the law for me to disclose any of your husband’s information with you, even if you say you have his consent. It would breach my AAMA code of ethics as well as the HIPAA law. The medical assistant states that if your husband would like to bring you along on his next visit, when he gets his results that would be fine. Other than that there is not much she can do for the patient’s wife. Another situation would be pertaining to minors. Many teenage minors seek birth control without their parent’s consent. They may go to a local clinic or even their family physician. Well a mother of a young teenage girl came into the office and wanted to speak to the doctor regarding her daughter’s last visit. She was asking the medical assistant if her daughter was sexually active, and if she had received birth control. The medical assistant explained to her that she wasn’t allowed to give her that information. The mother stated well my daughter is only 14 years old and is considered a minor, and it is my business to know these things about her. The medical assistant responded that it would be a breach of patient confidentiality even if she
References: Cox-Stevens, K., Marshall, J.R. (2004). Being a Medical Clerical Worker: An Introductory Core Text, Third Edition. [Online version]. Retrieved from AIU Online Virtual Campus. Medical Office Procedures: HLTH221-1003B:02 website. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2082070/ retrieved August 7, 2010 http://www.gvsu.edu/pas/index.cfm?id=E19C1A28-E93E-DC87-2FA78E8344E9769D retrieved August 6, 2010