Why is it important to adhere to policies and procedures?

Medical administrative staff must know, understand and follow the relevant policies and procedures for performing administrative tasks and for written and oral communication. Policies and procedures are written documents that include guidelines and practices developed to address legal, ethical and regulatory requirements.

Both policies and procedures convey to employees and to other stakeholders the organisation's interests - their vision, mission, goals and the methods they intend to use to achieve those goals.

Staff need to know how to access and interpret this documentation and why it is necessary to comply with the different policies and procedures. Supervisors or office managers can assist new staff to familiarise themselves with the documentation.