Lecture Medical assisting: Administrative and clinical procedures with anatomy and physiology (4e) – Chapter 7

CHAPTER

7

Managing
Correspondence
and Mail
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7-2

Learning Outcomes
7.1 List the supplies necessary for creating and
mailing professional-looking
correspondence.
7.2 Identify the types of correspondence used in
medical office communications.
7.3 Describe the parts of a letter and the
different letter and punctuation styles.
7.4 Compose a business letter.

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7-3

Learning Outcomes (cont.)
7.5 Explain the tasks involved in editing and
proofreading.
7.6 Describe the process of handling incoming

and outgoing mail.
7.7 Compare and contrast the services provided
by the U.S. Postal Service and other delivery
services.

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7-4

Introduction



• Written materials demonstrate
ability to
– Communicate
– Conduct business

• Professional image is conveyed in written
correspondence
• Written documents = legal records

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7-5

Correspondence and Professionalism
Learning to


 Create

 Receive

Send

correspondence properly ensures positive,
effective communication between your office and
others.

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7-6

Choosing Correspondence Supplies
Letterhead paper

Envelopes

Supplies
Supplies
Labels

Statements

Invoices

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7-7

Choosing Correspondence Supplies
 Letterhead
– Formal business stationary
– Doctor’s or office’s name,
address, phone number
printed at the top
– Correspondence with

(cont.)

Medical Practice, Inc.
111 One Dr.
Any, St. 11111
111-111-1111

• Patients
• Colleagues
• Vendors

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7-8

Choosing Correspondence Supplies (cont.)

 Letterhead
– Cotton fiber bond

Medical Practice, Inc.
111 One Dr.
Any, St. 11111
111-111-1111

• More expensive than other
types of paper (sulfite bond)
• Watermark
– Sizes

• Standard or letter size – 8½ x 11 inches
• Legal size – 8½ x 14 inches

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7-9

Choosing Correspondence Supplies (cont.)
Envelopes
– Should match letterhead
– Types of envelopes

•
•
•
•

Correspondence or business – No. 10
Invoices or statements – No. 6 to No. 10
Payment-return envelopes
Tan Kraft or clasp envelopes – large, bulky
documents
• Padded envelopes – send items that may be
damaged during mail handling
• Data mailers

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7-10

Choosing Correspondence Supplies (cont.)
 Labels
– Printed, computerized address labels can save a large
amount of time

 Invoices and statements
–
–
–
–
–

Preprinted invoices
Preprinted statements
Computer-generated invoices and statements

Superbills
Data mailers

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7-11

Apply Your Knowledge
What three things do written materials of a medical
office convey or demonstrate?
ANSWER: Written materials convey the ability of the
medical office staff to communicate and to conduct
business, as well as demonstrate a professional
image that reflects on the entire office staff.

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7-12

Written Correspondence
• Form of communication
• Purpose - to explain, clarify, or provide
information
• Types
–
–
–
–

–
–

Referrals
Scheduling
Patient reports
Patient education
Insurance/billing information
Cover or form letters

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7-13

Parts of a Business Letter
• Letterhead
• Dateline
– Month, day, and year
– Begins 3 lines below letterhead on line 15

• Inside address
– Includes information needed for correct
delivery
– Two to four spaces below dateline
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7-14

Parts of a Business Letter (cont.)
• Attention line
– Used when letter is sent to specific person in a company

• Salutation
– Written greeting such as “Dear”
– May use business title or department if name is not known
– Second line below inside address

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7-15

Parts of a Business Letter (cont.)
• Subject line
– Used to bring attention to subject (optional)
– Second line below salutation

• Body
– Begins two lines below salutation or subject
line
– Single-spaced within a paragraph
– Double-spaced between paragraphs

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7-16

Parts of a Business Letter (cont.)
• Complimentary closing
– Placed two lines below body
– “Sincerely” is commonly used

• Signature block
– Places writer’s name on first line and business title on
second line
– Three to four lines below complimentary closing

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7-17

Parts of a Business Letter (cont.)
• Identification line
– Letter writer’s initials and the typist’s initials
(KB/SF or KB:SF)
– Two lines below the signature block

• Notations
– May be abbreviated as Encl, Enc, or Encs
– Copy notation (c:) appears after the enclosure
notation
– Number of enclosures and copy recipients
– One to two lines below signature block or
identification line
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7-18

Written Correspondence (cont.)

Punctuation Styles

Open

Mixed

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7-19

Punctuation Styles
• Open punctuation uses no punctuation after these
items in a letter
– The word Attention in the attention line
– The salutation
– The complimentary closing
– The signature block
– The enclosure and copy notations

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7-20

Punctuation Styles (cont.)
• Mixed Punctuation includes the following:
– Colon after Attention in the attention line
– Colon after the salutation
– Comma after the complimentary closing
– Colon or period after the enclosure notation
– Colon after the copy notation

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7-21

Letter Format
 Margins: One inch on the left and right for
8 ½-inch wide paper
 Letter should be centered on the page
 Single-space body of letter and double-space between
paragraphs
 Short sentences with no more than 20 words on an
average

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7-22

Letter Format (cont.)
 Have at least two or three sentences per paragraph
 Divide paragraphs longer than 10 lines into shorter

paragraphs
 For multipage letters, use letterhead for first page only

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7-23

Written Correspondence (cont.)
Letter Style

Description

Full-Block

• Lines are typed flush left
• No indented paragraphs
• Most commonly used in medical office

ModifiedBlock

• Dateline, complimentary closing, signature
block, and notations are aligned at the
center of the page or to the right
• Traditional, balanced appearance

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7-24

Written Correspondence (cont.)
Letter Style

Description

Modified-Block
with Indented
Paragraphs

• Paragraphs are indented ½ inch

Simplified

•
•
•
•
•

Modification of full-block style
Most modern letter style
No salutation, courtesy title, or closing
Has a subject line in all capital letters
Too informal for medical office

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7-25

Apply Your Knowledge
What should the medical assistant do if a mailing is
to be sent to an organization to request x-ray films,
but no specific name or title is given to address it to?
Which of the following would you use?
ANSWER:

A. To Whom It May Concern
B. Attention: To Whom It May Concern
C. Dear Sir/Madam
D. Dear Radiology Department

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