Gain realistic experience in a physician's office without leaving the classroom! By using Virtual Medical Office - your Today's Medical Assistant, 2nd Edition textbook, a study guide, and interactive software - you will develop the critical thinking and decision-making skills you'll need in externships and on the job. In Virtual Medical Office, you observe patient care from check-in through checkout, including the documentation needed for accurate insurance billing and coding. You'll see how to review the cases of different patients - and why each one needs to be analyzed individually. Developed by expert educators Kathy Bonewit-West and Sue Hunt, VMO covers realistic simulations such as handling a difficult patient and setting up the exam room, letting you apply concepts and learn from mistakes in a safe environment. 15 unique cases help you understand and master the competencies established by CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) and ABHES (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools). Five videos for each case (one at check-in, three in the exam room, and one at checkout) - more than two hours of video footage in total - highlight medical assisting competencies. Realistic information resources are shown, such as medical records for each case, an office policy manual, a fee schedule, and a daysheet. The affective aspect of medical assisting is demonstrated in medical assistant-patient interaction videos, emphasizing the communication and professionalism competencies of patient care. Performance summaries allow you to compare your decisions to those of an expert. A study guide complements textbook content and: Correlates reading assignments with patient cases in the virtual medical office. Focuses on one or two competencies in each lesson, for learning that is brief and manageable. Promotes active learning by asking you to collect information from a variety of sources to make patient care decisions. Encourages critical thinking through discussion and critique of the performance of the medical assistants in the videos. Emphasizes HIPAA by asking you to compare the policy manual, each case's medical record, and what actually happens in the videos. NEW! A quick office tour and a detailed office tour make it easier to use the VMO software and the online study guide.