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What does a Medical Records Supervisor do?

Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt

Many clerical positions are available in the medical field. A medical records supervisor is in charge of organizing and maintaining a medical records department. He or she coordinates all of the activities of the department staff, including filing, billing, coding, customer service, and many other projects.

A medical records supervisor may schedule staff work shifts, hire staff, and train staff. Interviewing potential staff is a component of the job. Assigning or shifting tasks, and planning out the day-to-day functions of an office are typical tasks the supervisor is likely to do. He or she usually works with medical coders, medical billers, and other professionals in the medical sphere on a regular basis.

Medical records contain information about a patient's health and medical treatment history.
Medical records contain information about a patient's health and medical treatment history.

Overseeing all employee tasks is a fundamental part of the medical records supervisor job. He or she must strive to maintain both quality control, as well as employee morale in the workplace. Though they usually have a health information degree or higher qualifications, supervisors often devise their own strategies to successfully complete these tasks.

Overseeing all employee tasks is a fundamental part of the medical records supervisor job.
Overseeing all employee tasks is a fundamental part of the medical records supervisor job.

Like most other medical jobs, this one involves a steady stream of paperwork. Documentation of daily activities, complaints, worker absences, and other issues are noted on a daily basis. Performance evaluations for workers are conducted regularly. Supervisors usually check chart analyses and other documents for errors as well as timeliness. They also document various irregularities, such as incomplete medical charts.

When a medical records department faces a customer complaint, the medical records supervisor is usually in charge of providing a resolution. Such complaints may stem from a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, violation. A HIPAA violation can lead to serious legal procedures, hence the supervisor should do everything within her power to prevent such an occurrence from happening.

Aside from filling out forms, medical records supervisors often help create or revise them. These developments or revisions may include general edits, adding in new guidelines or laws, or generating completely new documents for new procedures or doctors. They are also often responsible for ensuring that current federal, state, and agency laws, as well as regulations established by third party payers, are all followed within a facility.

During court proceedings, medical records supervisors are sometimes responsible for providing evidence. They may be required to submit depositions or testify to the validity of any medical records in question. Within the lab, a medical records supervisor may oversee the diagnostic assignments, recording, and transcripts conducted.

Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt

A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Sara has a Master’s Degree in English, which she puts to use writing for WiseGEEK and several magazines, websites, and nonprofit organizations. She has published her own novella, and has other literary projects currently in progress. Sara’s varied interests have also led her to teach children in Spain, tutor college students, run CPR and first aid classes, and organize student retreats.

Learn more...
Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt

A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Sara has a Master’s Degree in English, which she puts to use writing for WiseGEEK and several magazines, websites, and nonprofit organizations. She has published her own novella, and has other literary projects currently in progress. Sara’s varied interests have also led her to teach children in Spain, tutor college students, run CPR and first aid classes, and organize student retreats.

Learn more...

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    • Medical records contain information about a patient's health and medical treatment history.
      By: Monkey Business
      Medical records contain information about a patient's health and medical treatment history.
    • Overseeing all employee tasks is a fundamental part of the medical records supervisor job.
      By: Gennadiy Poznyakov
      Overseeing all employee tasks is a fundamental part of the medical records supervisor job.