A medical terminologist’s job entails combining customer service and secretarial skills with medical terminology and procedures knowledge. The majority of medical terminologists will work in a doctor’s office or a hospital, but some positions are being moved to the home office. This position’s medical terminology frequently refers to terms for the body and its functions, illnesses or ailments, and common drugs. In the work of a medical terminologist, these terms are used almost every day.
Greeting patients, administering or filing paperwork, and answering or making phone calls are all common responsibilities for a medical terminologist. Multitasking and organizational skills are usually required. Medical terminologists in some practices are even in charge of updating delinquent patient files and making preliminary collection calls.
The specific responsibilities of a medical terminologist will differ significantly from one medical facility to the next. Typically, the terminologist will be the patient’s and insurance companies’ first point of contact. He or she may make appointments for patients, collect medical histories, and respond to basic questions about procedures or facility details. Because the medical terminologist is responsible for filing and following up on insurance claims for his or her office, a thorough understanding of insurance procedures and medical terms is required.
A medical terminologist may be asked to do basic research and compile reports in addition to the usual duties of transcription, data entry, and document handling. The terminologist is also in charge of keeping track of front-office and medical-office supplies. Operating office equipment such as a computer, fax machine, and multi-line telephone is a necessary part of the job, so the potential terminologist must be familiar with it.
Typically, a medical terminologist will work 35 to 40 hours per week during normal doctor’s office hours. Hospital employees may work an evening or even a graveyard shift with light responsibilities. In the growing field of telehealth, more terminologist jobs are opening up on the virtual plane. All tasks are assigned and tracked through the Internet, and the terminologist may only visit the office a few times a month, if at all. The medical facility and the terminologist both save money as a result of this.