Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Licensed Administrative Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

A Licensed Administrative Assistant provides high-level administrative support within regulated environments (for example, medical practices, behavioral health clinics, dental offices, legal firms, or real-estate brokerages) while maintaining required professional licensing, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing sensitive records. This role combines classic office administration—calendar management, document preparation, phone triage, billing support—with license- and compliance-focused duties such as credentialing, HIPAA/privacy safeguards, insurance verification, and continuing education tracking. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, technologically proficient (EHR/Practice Management/CRM), and experienced in navigating licensing boards and payer requirements.

Core SEO/LLM keywords included: Licensed Administrative Assistant, license maintenance, credentialing, HIPAA compliance, EHR, patient scheduling, insurance verification, billing support, office management, record retention.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Administrative Assistant / Receptionist (medical or corporate)
Medical or Clinical Assistant (MA) transitioning to administrative duties
Credentialing Specialist or Billing Clerk

Advancement To:

Office Manager / Practice Manager
Credentialing Manager or Compliance Coordinator
Operations Manager (clinic or small business)

Lateral Moves:

Executive Assistant
Patient Access Supervisor
Billing & Coding Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain and manage professional licensing and certification records for the practice and individual clinicians: track renewal deadlines, submit renewal applications to state boards, collect continuing education documentation, and ensure timely payments and confirmations.
Serve as the main point of contact for state licensing boards, professional associations, and regulatory agencies; prepare and deliver required documentation, respond to audits, and coordinate corrective action plans when necessary.
Manage daily front-desk operations including greeting clients/patients, triaging inbound calls, scheduling and confirming appointments, and maintaining an efficient waiting-room flow while representing the practice professionally.
Accurately enter and maintain client/patient demographic and insurance information in electronic health record (EHR) or practice management systems; perform daily audits to ensure data integrity and reduce claim denials.
Verify insurance eligibility and obtain prior authorizations for procedures and services; communicate coverage limitations to clinicians and clients and coordinate alternative care or billing options.
Prepare, submit, and follow up on insurance claims and billing inquiries; work with third-party payers to resolve denials and obtain reimbursements; assist with patient billing statements and payment plans.
Coordinate clinician credentialing with hospitals, payers, and referral partners by collecting primary source verifications, malpractice history, employment verification, and training records.
Ensure strict compliance with HIPAA and other privacy laws by implementing access controls, secure record storage, staff training reminders, and reporting potential breaches to leadership.
Maintain organized physical and electronic filing systems for licensing, personnel, clinical records, contracts, and other sensitive documents; perform regular retention and destruction per policy.
Draft, proofread, and finalize official correspondence, consent forms, contracts, and policy documents; ensure all documents meet regulatory and legal formatting requirements and are uploaded to the document management system.
Facilitate onboarding and offboarding for licensed staff by coordinating background checks, fingerprinting, license verification, benefits enrollment paperwork, and training completion tracking.
Manage complex provider calendars: schedule clinical sessions, staff meetings, training, and external appointments; coordinate room assignments and equipment availability for efficient clinical flow.
Support payroll and timekeeping processes by verifying timesheets, PTO requests, licensure-specific compensation adjustments, and communicating exceptions to HR/payroll teams.
Prepare and reconcile monthly reports related to licensing renewals, continuing education hours, credentialing status, billing metrics, and key operational KPIs for leadership review.
Coordinate office supplies, equipment maintenance, and vendor relationships; ensure clinical equipment with licensure implications (e.g., licensed medical devices) are serviced and documentation is retained.
Assist clinicians and leadership with invoice approvals, purchase order requests, and expense tracking—especially where purchases require licensed oversight or documentation.
Train and mentor new administrative staff on licensing workflows, EHR navigation, privacy protocols, and front-desk procedures to maintain continuity and compliance.
Field complex client or patient inquiries and complaints—documenting interactions, escalating to appropriate clinical or compliance personnel, and ensuring resolution consistent with organizational policies.
Support telehealth operations including patient setup instructions, consent verification, scheduling virtual appointments, and ensuring platforms meet security and licensing location requirements.
Participate in policy and procedure reviews to incorporate updated licensing regulations, payer rules, and operational best practices; draft suggested updates and manage revision distribution.
Coordinate multidisciplinary communications between clinicians, referral sources, legal counsel, and insurers—preparing and sending release of information forms and maintaining audit trails.
Conduct periodic internal audits of licensing files, staff credentials, and clinical documentation; prepare audit results and remediation plans for management and external reviewers.
Maintain continuing education logs and renewal calendars for licensed staff, including scheduling in-house trainings and tracking certificate issuance or CEU approvals.
Prepare and submit reports required by regulatory agencies (e.g., state departments, accrediting organizations), ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with audited documentation.

Secondary Functions

Assist in ad-hoc operational projects such as onboarding new clinic locations, implementing new EHR modules, or rolling out updated compliance policies.
Support marketing and patient engagement initiatives by preparing outreach materials, maintaining referral partner contact lists, and coordinating community events.
Provide basic IT troubleshooting for front-office hardware and software; coordinate escalations with IT vendors to minimize downtime.
Compile and present weekly operational snapshots for clinic leads: appointment volume, no-show rates, pending authorizations, and outstanding claims.
Help coordinate travel arrangements and continuing education logistics (registrations, reimbursements, hotel bookings) for licensed staff attending conferences.
Participate in team huddles and quality improvement meetings; document action items and follow up on assigned tasks.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management systems — experience with systems such as Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, or NextGen; strong data-entry accuracy.
Insurance verification, prior authorization processing, and medical billing basics (including ICD-10 and CPT codes awareness).
Credentialing and primary-source verification processes for clinicians (state boards, hospitals, payers).
Regulatory compliance knowledge: HIPAA, state licensing board requirements, record retention policies, and basic understanding of OSHA where applicable.
Document management systems and secure file handling (scanning, indexing, redaction).
Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel—pivot tables and VLOOKUP familiarity a plus) and Google Workspace.
Scheduling and calendar management tools (e.g., Microsoft Outlook Calendar, Google Calendar) and experience coordinating multiple provider schedules.
Basic accounting or bookkeeping familiarity: invoice processing, expense tracking, and working with QuickBooks or similar systems.
Telehealth platform setup and troubleshooting (Zoom for Healthcare, Doxy.me, or platform used by the employer).
CRM or patient engagement platforms for recalls, reminders, and outreach (e.g., Luma Health, Solutionreach).
Notary public certification or equivalent licensing management experience (if required by practice setting).
Experience preparing documentation for audits and regulatory submissions.

Soft Skills

Exceptional organizational skills with demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and tight renewal deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication; professional phone etiquette and the ability to draft formal correspondence.
High level of discretion and ethical handling of confidential information.
Detail-oriented with strong proofreading and record-keeping accuracy.
Problem-solving mindset and the ability to escalate appropriately while proposing practical solutions.
Customer-service orientation—empathetic, patient-centered interactions with clients and families.
Team collaborator who can train others, contribute to process improvements, and accept feedback.
Time management and prioritization in a high-volume, fast-paced clinical or regulated office environment.
Adaptability to changing regulations and workflows; proactive about staying current with licensure and compliance changes.
Analytical skills to generate and interpret basic operational metrics and to identify trends impacting revenue or compliance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

Associate's degree or certificate in Health Administration, Medical Office Administration, Business Administration, or related field.
Additional certification in medical billing/coding, credentialing, or office management is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Health Administration / Healthcare Management
Medical Office Administration / Medical Assisting
Business Administration / Office Management
Paralegal Studies or Legal Office Administration (for legal/regulatory settings)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of administrative experience in a healthcare, clinical, legal, or regulated professional environment; or
1–3 years with demonstrated credentialing/licensing responsibilities.

Preferred:

3+ years supporting licensed clinicians or professionals with direct responsibility for license renewals, credentialing, and payer enrollment.
Experience with EHR systems, insurance verification, and handling HIPAA-sensitive documentation.
Prior experience working with state licensing boards, accreditation organizations, or conducting internal audits.

If you would like, I can tailor this job description further for a specific industry (e.g., dental, mental health clinic, legal firm, real estate brokerage) or produce a shorter ATS-friendly summary and a candidate-facing job posting.