Medical Office Specialist

1. Define and recognize business etiquette and professionalism in the workplace and exhibit these skills in class interactions and communications such as e-mail and the discussion board.
2. Show basic keyboarding competency.
3. Utilize software applications necessary for business office operations including file management, e-mail, calendaring, search engines, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
4. Use medical practice management software (scheduling, billing, and insurance) to enter front office, clinical care, and coding information, as well as claim forms, financial policies, and collections.
5. Define legal and ethical standards and principles of patient confidentiality within the healthcare community and as defined by federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations and recognize what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is and the consequences for non-compliance with the law.
6. Understand the history and standards of electronic health records and utilize electronic health records software.
7. Identify and define prefixes, roots, and suffixes to develop a vocabulary of medical terms and abbreviations. Identify major body structure and functions that reinforces knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology.
8. Employ intermediate to advanced Microsoft Word skills to create and edit flyers, letters, and reports using templates, mail merge, and building blocks.
9. Employ intermediate to advanced PowerPoint skills to create business presentations that demonstrate appropriate design techniques.
10. Employ intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills to use formulas and functions to create and edit worksheets, workbooks, charts and graphics, lookup tables, pivot tables, and charts as used in business scenarios.
11. Employ intermediate to advanced Microsoft Access skills to practice how to plan, design, create, and query a database, generate reports, and produce input user forms while recognizing correct database design concepts.
12. Apply accounting principles as they pertain to business office bookkeeping scenarios. Complete an accounting simulation by applying bookkeeping functions using QuickBooks.
13. Practice methods to integrate Office 365 software to achieve efficiency in office operations.
14. Recognize and use correct mechanics, grammar, punctuation, and usage appropriate for professional business communications.
15. Express thoughts clearly, concisely, and appropriately in verbal and written format by consistently using correct formatting and message approach (direct, indirect).
16. Demonstrate proficiency in keyboarding speed and accuracy and knowledge of correct document formatting.
17. Demonstrate knowledge of roles and functions of various professionals; collaborate and problem-solve as part of the office team.

The work of a Medical Office Specialist supports the efficient functioning of any medical-related office position. The medical office professional applies the knowledge of customer-service techniques, medical terminology, health insurance rules, and medical billing procedures to perform a wide variety of functions.

Job responsibilities may include greeting patients and screening calls, scheduling patient appointments and arranging referrals, billing patients and third-party payers, processing insurance forms, controlling accounts receivables, transcribing dictation, preparing medical reports, patient histories, operative notes, manuscripts, and correspondence, maintaining office files and patient records, making calls for physicians and other health care personnel, arranging hospital admissions, scheduling surgeries, and arranging  physicians’ meetings and conferences.

Potential locations for employment include medical clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, insurance companies, private physician practices, public health clinics, rehab centers, medical laboratories, medical supplies and equipment businesses, and pharmaceutical companies.

Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. 

Some courses in this program may require a prerequisite. Please see course descriptions for more details.

MnTC General Education Requirements

 This program requires completion of the following fifteen credits of general education from at least three goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC). Refer to the MnTC course list for elective courses:

Program Sequence

Students can choose to complete the Medical Office Specialist program part-time. Part-time students will take longer to complete their program than students who follow the full-time sequence. Because every course may not be offered each semester, it is important for part-time students to reach out to their faculty advisor for help in planning their long-term, part-time course sequence.

Below, new students can find the first semester part-time course options. After the first semester, work with your faculty advisor to plan future semesters. 

First Semester Course Options

ADSC 1003, COMP 1002, COMM 1055

View Course Schedule

Options differ depending on whether you plan to start in the fall or spring semester.

Students must earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA or higher to be eligible for graduation from this program.

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