Chapter 14 telephone techniques

a desirable way to ask patients their name if you don't recognize them when they call is to say

"has it been a long time since you have been seen by our practice?"

which type of violation is it to disclose patient information to an attorney who calls the office

HIPAA

every entry into a patient's chart is considered to be

HIPAA protected, a legal document, and property of the physcian

a TRS device assists hearing impaired patients in communicating with a medical office, what function does it have

a TRS operator receives a written message from a hearing impaired patient and acts as a liaison between the patient and the office

retrieving messages from an answering machine with the speaker phone setting on is considered

a breach of patient confidentiality

2 advantages of an answering service

a human being answer the phone and can triage the call, a human being can contact the physician with a message

a TDD system looks a lot like

a laptop

automated voice response

a recorded voice offering callers various options for routing their call

responsibility of the TDD operator

act as a liaison for the hearing impaired patient, communicate on behalf of the office and the hearing impaired patient

purpose of voice over internet protocol VoIP

allows integration of voice and data through the computer and internet service

to participate in a conference call you typically are given

an agenda and password

when listening to a called with a complaint NEVER

argue with the caller, make unrealistic promises, or hang up on the caller

the best way to check for caller understanding

ask "are there any questions I can answer for you?"

in a medical office a routing list is used to

assign care team members to specific calls

all advice given to patients over the phone must

be carefully documented, contain complete information

which of the following best exemplifies professionalism while using the telephone

be courteous, calm, and pleasant

how does projecting a positive images with good communication skills impact the patient

by satisfying needs and expectations

when scheduling an appointment with a caller you should always confirm

caller's phone number, reason for visit, and caller's name

telephone message pads typically contain which of the following types of information

caller's telephone number, caller's name, and time of call

examples conference calls in a medical office

calling a drug representative with questions, calling an insurance company on behalf of a patient

if an attorney calls requesting patient information you should

check your office procedure manual for guidance

enunciation

clear and distinct speaking

effective uses of an automated phone system

conducting patient surveys, confirming upcoming appointments, and providing patient test results through passwords

if a patient calls the office and want to know the results of a test

correctly identify the patient prior to assisting, follow office protocol for reporting information to the patient, make certain the patient's chart is accessible

interactive pagers

designed for two way communication

which of the following communication skills is effective when communicating with patients on the phone

display tact and sensitivity

how often should you check on a telephone patient who has been placed on hold

every 2-3 minutes

when a caller will not hang up the best way to end the call is to

explain to the caller than another patient needs your assistance or politely but firmly explain that the physician needs your assistance

proper documentation protects the physician from

facing legal action

when using an answering service it is a good idea to call the service once a day in the morning

false, the service should be called multiple times per day at set times

when screening a phone call

find out who is calling, find out the nature of the call

it is not appropriate to answer the phone in a medical office by the ___ ring

fourth

using empathy with a caller who is nervous or upset on the telephone may help

get to the root of the call, reassure the caller you understand

present a good impression of the office to patients on the telephone

giving your undivided attention to the caller, being courteous to the caller

HIPAA guidelines require that any information outside of TPO (treatment, payment, healthcare operations) requires written authorization from the patient with the exception of

government agency compliance, emergencies

the best example of proper telephone etiquette

handling all calls politely and professionally

pitch

high or low level of your speech

the office telephone is an important source of communication between the medical office and

hospitals, laboratories, and other providers

acceptable uses of a cell phone in the office

if the land line goes down or during an emergency situation

for which of the following reasons may physicians choose to wear a pager or beeper

in some areas phone signals are not reliable

where would a medical assistant look for office policies that explain what is acceptable to discuss with patients

in the office procedure manual

when making a call out of the country you are required to use

international dialing codes

after speaking with a patient on the telephone about the patient's progress the medical assistant must

log the call and document the conversation, relay the information to the physician

telephone triage is done to

make a decision on what action to take for the patient

salespeople generally use which medical professional as a contact point in the office

medical assistant

calls from patients regarding requests for referrals and appointments are generally handled by

medical assistants

the larger the medical practice, the ___ the necessary phone services and incoming phone lines

more

an automated phone system can assist in preventive care by giving direct access t

nurses for minor problems

types of telecommunication equipment in an office

pager, beeper

when taking a message it is important to verify

patient phone number and name, correct spelling of medications

calls that should be routed directly to the physician

patient requests to review abnormal results, reports from patients of unsatisfactory progress, personal calls

advantages of an automated response unit

patients never receive a busy signal

patients primarily use a ___ to communicate with the medical office

phone

emergency calls require immediate attention from the

physician

which medical professional team members should take a call from a referring physician

physician, medical assistant

when leaving messages for others, it is important to protect confidentiality by

placing the messages in a confidential area, marking the messages "confidential"

using a caller's name during a telephone conversation make the caller feel

positive about calling the practice

the first person to answer the phone is a practice leaves an impression that must always be

positive and caring response

automated phone systems can offer time saving services such as

providing test results through secured password identification, asking patients to participate in a survey

there should always be a prompt that is an option to speak to the

receptionist

before signing a contract with an answering service it is important to ask for

references

how you handle telephone calls will have an impact on the medical practice's

reputation and image

the main function of an automated voice response unit

route incoming calls to the correct person or department

pronuncation

saying words correctly

when scheduling conference calls it is a good idea to keep in mind

schedules of participants, time zones of participants, who should be invited

after prescribing a treatment for a patient the physician will most likely ask the medical assistant to call the patient to

see if the patient has been following treatment prescribed, see if the patient is making satisfactory progress

after obtaining patient information, staff can categorize a problem according to the

severity of the patient's condition, age and risk of the patient

conference calls are used for

sharing information, saving time

you can maintain patient confidentiality when on the phone by

talking quietly or moving to a private area

what does TDD stand for

telecommunications devices for the deaf

if a patient calls for lab results and you notice the results are abnormal you should

tell the patient the physician would like to go over the results in person

if patients call for advice on taking medication prescribed for prior conditions it is best to

tell them it is best to come in and be seen by the physician

at the end of a telephone conversation which of the following are appropriate to end the conversation

thank the caller, use the caller's name

an advantage of using an answering service

the answering service can pick up the extra calls during business hours if staff cannot

when helping patients with billing inquiries what is helpful to have on hand to compare charges with actual services performed

the patient's chart

an office may receive calls for prescription refills from

the patient's pharmacy, the patient, or the patient's family

one reason that all staff may need to refraid from using their cell phones at work is

the phones may interfere with other electronic equipment in the office

how can an automated telephone options cause frustration for callers

they may be on hold for a long time, they may become "lost" in the phone system, they may not be able to get to the person or department they want

why is it important to have a patient's chart available for billing inquiries

to compare the charges with the services perform, the ensure that you have the correct patient on the phone

why must you periodically check up on the answering service

to ensure that the service is effective and appropriate

healthcare providers are allowed to disclose patient information for what purpose

treatment, payment, and healthcare operations

best exemplifies HIPAA guidelines of TPO

treatment, payment, healthcare operations

telephone triage

used to decide what action to take with an incoming call

telephone duties in the office

using TDD, setting up voicemail

a medical office might receive

vendors, patient's family members, other physicians

helpful tips for accurate documentation of incoming message include

verifying all information prior to hanging up, jotting down information as it is given, always having a pen and paper on hand

important information that can be added to an automated after hours recorded message include

what the caller should do in case of an emergency, office business hours, how to reach the physician on call

it is generally acceptable practice to turn your cell phone off when

you enter a medical facility for an appointment

following HIPAA guidelines during phone conversations with patients means

you should follow your office protocol for disclosure of information