Medical administrative assistants play a vital role in healthcare settings. They perform front-office duties and help manage the daily workflow in a healthcare facility. 

The job description of a medical administrative assistant will usually list tasks such as scheduling appointments and keeping patient records up to date. As a result, they are sometimes also referred to as medical receptionists or medical office assistants.

Where Medical Administrative Assistants Work in Arizona

In Arizona, medical administrative assistants find employment in various settings, including:

• Hospitals and Medical Centers: Facilities like Banner Health, HonorHealth, and Valleywise Health offer roles for administrative assistants to support clinical operations.
• Specialty Clinics and Outpatient Facilities: Clinics focusing on areas such as cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics often require administrative support to manage specialized patient care services.
  
• Private Practices and Group Practices: Smaller medical offices rely on administrative assistants to handle front-desk responsibilities and ensure efficient patient flow.
  
• Healthcare Networks and Systems: Large healthcare systems in Arizona employ administrative assistants across multiple departments and locations, providing opportunities for career growth and specialization.
  
  

These roles are distributed throughout the state, with concentrations in urban areas like Phoenix, Tucson, and Mesa, reflecting the demand for skilled administrative professionals in diverse healthcare environments.

Arizona does not require certification for Medical Administrative Assistants. However, obtaining the CMAA credential is highly recommended. 

Certification demonstrates that you have the knowledge and skills needed, which makes you a more competitive job applicant and helps you earn a higher starting salary.

According to NHA, 84% of employers require or encourage certification for Medical Administrative Assistants.

To be eligible for the CMAA exam, you must:

• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Have completed a medical administrative assistant training or education program, like Stepful’s, within the last 5 years

or

• Have 1 year of supervised work experience in the medical administrative assistant field within the last 3 years, or 2 years of supervised work experience in the Medical Administrative Assistant field within the last 5 years.

A CMAA’s duties will depend on what type of office or healthcare setting they work in, but common responsibilities include:

• ‍Scheduling appointments: They are responsible for confirming, canceling, and rescheduling appointments.‍
• Maintaining patient records: It is important to keep medical records up to date so that patients can receive the best care possible. ‍
• Making and answering phone calls: They are usually the first people that patients speak to when calling a medical office. ‍
• Directing patients in the waiting room: This helps ensure proper patient flow in the waiting room and throughout the clinic.‍
• Communicating with patients: They are involved in communicating important information to patients, such as billing and scheduling details. ‍
• Working with billing and insurance: Paying for healthcare is often a complicated and stressful process for patients. Administrative medical assistants can help patients understand what their insurance plans will and will not cover.‍
• Keeping the office organized and stocked: Not having adequate supplies can be inconvenient and, in some cases, disastrous, so this is a more important job than it might seem.‍
• Helping patients fill out paperwork: Sometimes, patients have trouble filling out all the required paperwork during their visit, and a good medical administrative assistant can help.