SUBJECT: Medicine and Health DESCRIPTION:
Complete Parts A and B for this assignment. Part A: Kayla Christianson, CMA, has been employed six years by the cardiology practice of three physicians. She is a graduate of a CAAHEP-accredited school. Furthermore, Kayla received extensive hands-on training performing ECGs while doing her required externship. Kayla has completed an ECG ordered by Dr. Hsu for Mrs. Warner, a 76-year-old patient. Dr. Hsu, Kayla’s boss, has telephoned her explaining that he was behind schedule doing rounds at the hospital. He asked her to do him a favor and interpret Mrs. Warner’s ECG, sign his name, and fax the report to Mrs. Warner’s referring internist who is expecting the results. Provide detailed answers for each of the following questions. Your response should be two (2) pages in length. • Given the scope of Kayla’s education, training, and years of experience as a CMA, would this favor fall within the AAMA guidelines of her responsibilities? • Would any portion of Dr. Hsu’s request fall within the guidelines? If so, which portion(s)? Is an exception to these guidelines ever allowed? • How should Kayla respond to Dr. Hsu? Part B: For more than two years, medical assistant Linda Lewis had been employed by Drs. Norek and Klein, who are gerontologists. Also on staff are two registered nurses, a medical laboratory technician, and a medical social worker. The daughter of one of the doctor’s patients has just called the office. She is very distraught at the seemingly diminished capacity of her mother and insists on speaking to the doctor. Linda explains that both physicians take only emergency calls during patient appointment hours, but that she will take a detailed message. This caller, however, suggests that not only should her call be considered an emergency, but that she will sue the doctor if the call is not handled accordingly. Provide detailed answers for each of the following questions. Your response should be two (2) pages in length. • What should Linda do immediately to diffuse the situation? • Is this clearly a case when the call should be passed on to one of the registered nurses or the medical social worker? • Is this a case when the physician should be called to the telephone because of the threat of an impending suit? • How could Linda ascertain whether or not this is indeed an emergency? Is it up to her, as a medical assistant, to make such a determination? • Because this is the patient’s daughter rather than the patient herself, does Linda have any reason to enter into a conversation with the caller? Could Linda be ethically bound by confidentiality not to admit the woman’s mother is a patient?
PART A
Given the scope of Kayla’s education, training, and years of experience as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), her responsibilities include assisting physicians in various clinical tasks such as taking vital signs, preparing patients for exams, and performing basic laboratory tests. According to the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), a CMA’s job description should not include diagnosing, interpreting, or analyzing any test results, including electrocardiograms (ECGs) (AAMA, 2016). Therefore, Kayla should not have been asked to interpret Mrs. Warner’s ECG, sign Dr. Hsu’s name, and fax the report to Mrs. Warner’s internist. This request falls outside the scope of Kayla’s responsibilities as a CMA, as she is not authorized to interpret ECG results.
The portion of Dr. Hsu’s request that would fall within the guidelines is the actual performance of the ECG itself. As a CMA, Kayla is authorized to perform ECGs on patients. However, she cannot interpret the results or diagnose any cardiac abnormalities based on the ECG. If Dr. Hsu had asked Kayla to perform an ECG and report the results to him for interpretation, this would have fallen within her responsibilities.
An exception to these guidelines may be allowed under certain circumstances, such as when a patient’s life is in danger, and there is no physician available to interpret the ECG. In such cases, a CMA may be asked to interpret the results to save the patient’s life. However, this exception should only be used in emergency situations, and it is essential to document the circumstances surrounding the exception.
Kayla should respond to Dr. Hsu by explaining that interpreting ECG results is outside her scope of practice as a CMA, and it is not within her legal authority to sign Dr. Hsu’s name on the report. She can also offer to provide Dr. Hsu with her objective observations of the ECG’s technical quality, such as the proper lead placement and the absence of technical artifacts. She can suggest that the internist contact Dr. Hsu’s office directly to obtain the report from him.
PART B
To diffuse the situation, Linda should remain calm and professional while acknowledging the caller’s concern. She should assure the caller that she will make sure the message is delivered to the physicians as soon as possible and that they will contact her mother shortly. Linda can also offer to schedule an appointment for the patient or to arrange for a nurse to contact the patient to assess the situation.
This situation may be a case where the call should be passed on to one of the registered nurses or the medical social worker. Since they have more clinical experience and training, they may be better equipped to handle the patient’s daughter’s concerns and address any medical issues that the patient may be experiencing. Additionally, they can provide emotional support to the daughter and explain the physicians’ policies regarding telephone calls.
It is not necessarily a case when the physician should be called to the telephone because of the threat of an impending suit. The physician’s availability for emergency calls should be reserved for situations where immediate medical attention is needed. Threatening to sue a physician is not a medical emergency and does not warrant immediate attention from the physician.
Linda can ascertain whether this is an emergency by asking the caller to describe the patient’s symptoms and determine if they require immediate medical attention. However, as a medical assistant, she is not authorized to make a definitive determination of whether or not it is an emergency. If Linda is unsure about the urgency of the situation, she should consult with the registered nurses or physicians to determine the appropriate course of action.
As a medical assistant, Linda is ethically bound by confidentiality not to admit the woman’s mother is a patient without
Edwin Mariam
Linda can ascertain whether this is an emergency by asking the caller to describe the patient’s symptoms and determine if they require immediate medical attention. However, as a medical assistant, she is not authorized to make a definitive determination of whether or not it is an emergency. If Linda is unsure about the urgency of the situation, she should consult with the registered nurses or physicians to determine the appropriate course of action.
As a medical assistant, Linda is ethically bound by confidentiality not to admit the woman’s mother is a patient without
the patient’s explicit consent. However, she can acknowledge that the office provides care to patients in general and offer to take a message to be relayed to the appropriate healthcare provider. If the caller persists in requesting information about her mother’s status, Linda should explain the confidentiality policy and refer the caller to the physician or the medical social worker for further discussion. Linda should also document the details of the call, including the caller’s name, relationship to the patient, and the nature of the conversation, in the patient’s medical record.
In conclusion, Linda should handle the situation with empathy and professionalism, while ensuring that patient privacy and confidentiality are maintained. She should communicate the office’s policies and procedures regarding emergency calls and offer to take a message or refer the caller to the appropriate healthcare provider. If there is any doubt about the urgency of the situation, Linda should consult with the registered nurses or physicians to determine the appropriate course of action. Ultimately, the goal is to provide high-quality patient care while minimizing the risk of liability for the healthcare provider.
