NHA CCMA Course Notes

Know MA scope/healthcare models, medical terminology, medication safety/pharmacology, and foundational nutrition/psychology. These concepts feed directly into the larger Clinical Patient Care domain.

• Payment model determines clinical scope.

• Scope first.

Small domain, easy points: directional terminology, planes/cavities, organ-system functions/homeostasis, and recognizing disease-process concepts well enough to report and escalate.

• Proximal/distal confused with superior/inferior.

• Visualize anatomy before choosing term.

This is the exam: 84/150 scored items. Master intake/vitals, general care and non-IV medications/injections, infection control, CLIA-waived testing, phlebotomy, EKG technique/artifact recognition, emergencies, and documentation.

• One patient identifier.

• Patient safety > workflow completion.

Coordinate the next step, teach only within the provider-approved plan, close referral loops, and use records/protocols to address preventive care gaps.

• MA confirms clinical necessity independently.

• Close the loop.

Manage scheduling/registration, preserve EHR integrity, and support insurance/billing using verified data without crossing into clinical or coding authority.

• Card = verified coverage.

• Search before create.

Adapt communication to patient needs, manage conflict safely, and relay complete urgent information to the correct healthcare-team member through the correct channel.

• Talking to interpreter instead of patient.

• Patient perspective + privacy.

Small but trap-heavy: HIPAA is not 'consent for everything,' scope is not defined by certification alone, informed consent and refusal have specific roles, and incident documentation must remain factual.

• Explicit consent required for every PHI use.

• HIPAA: ask if rule permits the disclosure before demanding authorization.