A new program called Alme from Next IT is an intelligent virtual assistant that is designed to allow patients to interact with a healthcare worker or healthcare company remotely in an effort to access medical instruction both clinical and administrative in nature.
The new program uses technology to expand healthcare coverage and is an example of the growing role technology is playing in the medical field.
“Waste and inefficiencies – in terms of time, effort and resources – consume up to a third of our nation’s $3.2 trillion healthcare spend,” Victor Morrison, senior vice president of health markets for Next IT, said in an article on MainStreet.com. “Alme for Healthcare unlocks a massive opportunity for technology automation by streamlining communication between patients and all of the different entities in the healthcare industry.”
Technology is allowing for better keeping of medical records and quick reference for medical professionals, including medical assistants.
“Overhauling the healthcare system is a mammoth size challenge, the most dramatic change could come from empowering Americans to care about their health and proactively manage chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease that account for about 74 percent of all healthcare spending. Alme for Healthcare is poised to play a pivotal role in the future of healthcare by giving patients the tools they need to manage their health.”
Because of the growing role of technology, today’s employers are looking for applicants with relevant training, including those looking for work as a medical assistant.
The move to digital medical records is creating a demand for professionally trained medical assistants.
“The idea of digital health records comes with many goals: Greater efficiency, improved accuracy, more patients, faster billing, prompter payments,” reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “But doctors’ offices and hospitals say the transition has not been smooth.”
One doctor said the switch to digital records was one of the most challenging things to hit the medical field.
“It is the single most disruptive thing I have seen in 30 years of practice,” said Dr. Wayne Scott, who practices internal medicine with Galen Medical Group, which moved to electronic records more than a year ago.
The push to digital records, and the challenge it poses, means employers are looking for medical assistants who are trained in the various computer programs that medical facilities are now relying on. A Technical College, students of the medical assistant training program are taught how to work with digital medical records, which are growing in use across the country.
If you are looking to enter the growing healthcare industry then receiving training as a medical assistant is the way to go. Students at A Technical College receive some of the best training in the nation and because the demand for medical office professionals is so large, many graduates leave with multiple job offers and leads. Students at A Technical College can feel confidant that they are receiving the type of training today’s employers are looking for when hiring medical assistants.
As more Americans compare healthcare costs and shop for the best deal, medical facilities and health organizations are looking for medical office professionals who are trained and experienced in working in an efficient way that helps keep healthcare costs down.
In a recent Associated Press article, the growing trend of patients shopping around for healthcare was highlighted and this trend is expected to grow in the coming years.
“Patients who shop for care represent a tiny slice of the roughly $2.7 trillion spent annually on health care in the U.S., said Devon Herrick, an economist who studies health care for the National Center for Policy Analysis,” the AP reported. “But he and other experts expect this trend to grow, especially as more companies offer insurance plans that require employees to pay thousands of dollars before most coverage starts. These so-called high-deductible plans also will be among the cheapest options available on the public exchanges set up as part of the health care overhaul to enable millions of uninsured people to shop for coverage.”
Medical providers will look for ways to cut costs in an effort to stay competitive. Having an office that runs efficiently and quickly is one-way healthcare providers can keep costs down and that means employers are looking for medical office professionals who have professional training and experience. If you are interested in a career in the medical administration field, then receiving professional training could be the best way to set yourself apart from other applicants.