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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in medical assistance, you might be wondering if there are any opportunities to work from home in this field.

But trust us, working from home in the field of healthcare is possible.

Let’s find out how.

But first, What is a Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants are healthcare workers who provide support services to physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Their duties include both administrative and clinical tasks, such as scheduling appointments and helping physicians with bedside procedures.

Even though most medical assistants tend to work from offices, there are some cases where they get the opportunity to work from home as well.

Most of the work-from-home opportunities for medical assistants include administrative work, however, they also require the basic knowledge of healthcare and how to maintain a clinic or office.

Read on to find out more about work-from-home medical assistants, what they do, where can medical assistants work, their average salaries, and more.

Also read: Medical Assistant Programs Cost

Who is a Work From Home Medical Assistant?

Medical Assistants that are working from the comfort of their own homes are called work-from-home medical assistants. These medical assistants usually work during normal business hours, and they may work from anywhere with good internet and phone connection.

A work-from-home med assistant is generally required to fulfill administrative tasks.

Read more on: Medical Administrative Assistant

What Does a WFH Medical Assistant Do?

As mentioned earlier, working as a WFH medical assistant means that you will be focusing more on administrative tasks. However, unlike regular medical assistants, you will not be able to interact face-to-face with patients or physicians and nurses.

Let us see what a WFH medical assistant does daily-

  • Send appointment reminders–
    Medical assistants can set up reminder calls or texts to remind the patients of their scheduled appointments so that there is a smooth inflow of patients and nobody misses their appointments.
  • Schedule appointments–
    Scheduling appointments is one of the key tasks of a WFH medical assistant. There are also instances wherein medical assistants handle a variety of different schedules of different clinics in the same healthcare setting.
  • Handle billing–
    Handling billing and insurance is also another major component of the responsibilities handled by a WFH medical assistant. They have to ensure that the bills are paid on time and that the insurance and billings are coded accurately.

Also see: Medical Assistant vs Medical Billing and Coding

  • Transcription of phone calls to Electronic Health Records–
    Medical assistants are required to record all communications with patients on the electronic health record, especially communication revolving around any query about prescription refills.
  • Handle complaints–
    Medical assistants have to conduct follow-up phone calls after each patient visit. This helps in checking in with the patients, answering any queries or information they come up with, or taking general feedback. In case of a complaint, medical assistants need to handle it with patience as well as a follow-up later.
  • Medication Reconciliation–
    There are some instances where patients who usually take several medications tend to forget the name of their prescribed medicines or the doses. In these cases, medical assistants can look through their patient’s medical histories and assist them.
  • Coordinating with Laboratories–
    Physicians or nurses generally have to send blood samples to laboratories for analysis. They also may have to send patients to different clinics or hospitals for imaging services. A medical assistant can act as a bridge of communication in this case and keep both the patient and the physician updated with everything. Also read: Medical Assistant Job Duties

Also see: Is Medical Assistant a Good Career?

Where Do WFH Medical Assistants Work? Who Hires Them?

WFH medical assistants are hired by varied healthcare facilities all across the country. Since the onset of the pandemic, more and more companies have been switching to working remotely to save additional costs and provide more convenience for employees.

WFH medical assistants generally work from the comfort of their own homes for healthcare facilities such as medical groups, insurance companies, hospitals, and physicians’ offices.

Read: 12 Reasons to Become a Medical Assistant

What are the Skills Required to Become a WFH Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants that work need to have the same set of skills as a regular medical assistant, however, there are some specific skills that WFH medical assistants need to possess, such as:

  • Organizational skills–
    Since WFH medical assistants generally tend to incline more toward administrative tasks, they need to possess strong organizational skills to be able to multitask.
  • Communication skills–
    As a WFH medical assistant, most of your work would entail answering queries or setting appointments on calls or through written communication platforms; you will be required to have good communication skills.
  • Self-direction–
    Working from home in any profession means supervising yourself, as there will be no one to hold you accountable physically. You will need to manage your time well to be able to complete all your tasks on time.
  • Patience–
    One of the most important traits of a medical assistant is to have patience while dealing with patients since they come from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures.
  • Basic computer skills–
    As a WFH medical assistant, you will be required to work on different computer programs, and therefore you should be able to navigate through these programs with ease. In addition, knowing how to handle large amounts of data and segregate them into spreadsheets will be highly advantageous for you as a medical assistant.

Also see: Accelerated Medical Assistant Program

Also read: Medical Assistant Skills

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How Much Do WFH Medical Assistants Earn?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary for medical assistants is $37,190. These figures, however, are highly dependent on various factors such as job location, experience, level of education, etc.

Read more on: How to get Medical Assistant jobs with no experience

The BLS also reported a significantly positive medical assistant job outlook, with the expected job growth to increase by 16% by the year 2031. WFH medical assistants also tend to earn from $16 to $25 per hour.

Also see: Certified Medical Assistant Salary

Conclusion

The concept of a work-from-home medical assistant opens new doors in healthcare. Though not as common as in-office roles, remote medical assistants handle tasks like administrative duties, scheduling, and patient support from their homes.

This flexibility offers convenience for both professionals and patients, especially in telehealth settings. While it might not be the standard, the idea of a work-from-home medical assistant showcases the evolving landscape of healthcare, embracing technology to provide essential support and maintain quality care, even from a distance.

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