Reasons to Become an MOP

It might not sound like the sexiest or most exciting role in health care, but when it comes down to it, the Medical Office Professional (MOP) probably is the most comprehensive position in the industry. Not only must a MOP possess extensive administrative skills, including increasingly important billing and coding knowledge, but most also are required to possess basic skills in medical care, such as triage.

Concorde's Medical Office Professional diploma program offered at our Memphis, Tenn. and Southaven, Miss. campuses, prepares you for this rewarding field through an inside-out knowledge of medical and health care office operations in as few as eight months. MOP jobs are projected to grow at a higher-than-average rate over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the coding and billing aspect especially is white hot as electronic health record (EHR) technology develops.

It really is a field to think about. But don't just take it from us. Here are three top reasons to become a MOP from LaWandra Ellzey, MA/MOP Program Director at Concorde - Southaven.

Reasons to become a Medical Office Professional

• MOPs are the greeters for the office and can really help set the tone along with the Medical Assistant for the day.
• MOPs enjoy working with computers and front office administration.
• Most of them do not like direct contact with patients and prefer to handle paperwork.

Advancements in the Medical Office Professional world

According to Ellzey, opportunities abound for MOPs in the area of career advancement, and there is a wide variety of positions a MOP can work in and out of the physician's office.

As mentioned before, having knowledge of billing and coding is very helpful.

"EHR is very exciting and new for this phase of the medical field," Ellzey said. "There has been such an advancement in the managing and maintaining of patients' medical records."

Other duties of the Medical Office Professional

In addition to coding and other administrative tasks, Ellzey said she thinks it's important that all MOPs be cross-trained to assist in the triaging of patients, such as measuring blood pressure and taking other vitals.

"This is something that I have begun to do with MOPs under my leadership, allowing the lab to come to the classroom setting," she said. "This helps them to understand what goes on behind the scenes and how various labs are coded and classified."

Ellzey said she recently took her MOP students along with the Medical Assistant students to the Medical Educational & Research Institute in Memphis, where they were able to actually handle and see body parts such as the brain, heart, lungs, and limbs.

This is the kind of training you get at Concorde in this exciting, fast-growing health care field. Concorde's Medical Office Professional training prepares you for medical office management through hands-on coursework that takes into account your real-world work setting. You'll learn medical office functions that will reverberate beyond your workplace to your larger community.