Medical Office Policies & Procedures Information
Medical offices must have strict policies and procedures in place so that optimal health care services can be provided to patients. Policies and procedures inform and guide employees when it comes to managing all aspects of patient care.
Confidentiality Policies
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was instituted by Congress in 1996 as a means of protecting patient health care information. Under HIPAA, medical offices must maintain the confidentiality of all their patients, and must follow particular processes to ensure confidentiality is not breached. Consequently, confidentiality policies and procedures are required of all offices that provide medical services.
Housekeeping Policies
Medical offices must be cleaned and sanitized regularly to prevent the spread of germs or illnesses. Policies and procedures for cleaning examination rooms, waiting rooms and medical equipment daily are common in the medical field. Trash must be emptied nightly and all spills must be cleaned up promptly.
Billing Policies
Billing is an administrative function performed at medical offices so that the office can be reimbursed by their patients' health plans. As such, medical offices have billing policies and procedures that walk employees through the process of submitting claims to health plans or putting patients on payment schedules when they pay out of pocket.
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