chapter 22

Which of the following is an excellent example of how to answer a call with a smile on your face?

"Good morning, Central Medical Center, Ellen speaking, how may I help you?"

What should you say to a patient who calls on the telephone and asks to speak directly with the provider?

"The doctor is with a patient right now, may I take a message."

The use of mobile devices in the health care setting has both upsides and downsides. Which of the following is not an upside?

Can be a source of distraction or interruption

If the person on the phone needs additional information or if the call is going to take a while, excuse yourself from the phone call by saying, "May I put you on hold for a moment?" However, if it will be more than ---------- , the caller should not be put on hold; in this case, say, "May I call you back with that information?"

1 minute

On average, it takes a person about ------ to pick up on your attitude from listening to the tone of your voice.

10 seconds

Which of the following describes concerns/challenges for using a mobile device in the health care setting?

Camera and recording capabilities pose a threat to patient privacy.

When you finish the telephone call, you should:

Allow the caller to hang up first

"H" in the "THINK" acronym stands for:

Is it helpful?

Which of the following is incorrect when documenting a telephone message?

Record nature of call only if urgent message

With electronic health records, there is a digital footprint of each and every access to a patient's records. If a provider or manager wants to know who has accessed a patient's record, they would do which of the following?

Run an Operator Audit Log.

Which types of telephone calls will a medical assistant have to answer in the medical office?

a. Appointments b. Prescription refills c. Follow-up calls d. Difficult calls

Identify methods of screening and routing incoming calls.

a. Determine nature of call. b. Accurately describe patient symptoms. c. Determine level of urgency. d. Use standard questions and respond in a template form preauthorized by the provider.

Which of the following describes the types of community resources for patients' health care needs?

a. Senior services b. Lab services and locations

When scheduling appointments, you should positively identify the patient and:

a. confirm the date of the last visit. b. obtain at least two identifiers of the patient, including date of birth as well as last and first names. c. confirm the provider is contracted with the patient's insurance.

Sometimes all lines ring continually. Basic guidelines for handling several ringing lines include:

a. excuse yourself and ask the patient you are speaking with if you may place him or her on hold. b. answer the second call, determine the nature of the call (be sure it is not an emergency), and ask if he or she can hold c. return to the first call and thank him or her for holding

A method of informing the patient of how to reach the provider must be available 365 days a year, which is why a(n)

answering machine is often used

Which of the following is NOT considered a guideline (protocol) for answering the telephone in the medical office?

b. Put the caller on hold as quickly as possible. d. Document only the important calls.

When the phone rings in the office, someone should answer each line as soon as possible, at least:

by the third ring.

Senior services, child protective services, emergency medical services, home health services, and lab services and locations are examples of ----------- that should be maintained for reference and referrals.

community resources

Data regarding patients may not be given out over the telephone to anyone unless the patient has given written permission for the release of specific information. This authorization is often given with a signature on the

confidential communication preference (CCE) form

In addition to privacy (HIPAA) and distraction issues, cell phones and similar devices present ----- that must be considered.

contamination, infection, hygiene

Because the phone call is often the first contact a patient has with the office, your manner of speaking and the ---------- you convey are part of establishing an appropriate image of the practice.

empathy

Each office has its own rules for prescription refills. The general rule is that a medical assistant does not give out information or call in a prescription without the

express direction

As a medical assistant, there are times you encounter difficult callers. When you receive a difficult caller, the best approach is to:

hold off any negative judgments and try your best to accommodate the requests.

that must be considered. ------- by the telephone, as well as ------ for patients and emergency preparedness

frequently called numbers resources

The CDC, Medicare, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the current directory for the local clinics and hospitals, are examples of ------- that should be maintained for reference and referrals.

frequently called telephone numbers

The acronym "HEAT" stands for:

hear them out, be empathetic, apologize, and take action.

In addition to patients whose native language is other than English -------- patients may require interpreter services?

hearing-impared

There are unique challenges for providers and health care facilities across the nation in meeting the cultural and language needs of their patient populations. Many health care facilities have systems to address patients' language needs, often referred to as:

interpreter services

system is designed to be more efficient, route to the proper person or department, prevent the caller from being disconnected, or from being kept on hold too long.

phone menu

If there is a serious telephone emergency that cannot be handled in the facility, it is best to:

refer the patient to an emergency medical service

If you are speaking to a patient face-to-face at the office and you need to answer the phone, ------------ , and then continue with what you were doing with the patient in front of you.

say to the patient, "excuse me for a moment please" answer the phone call, place the caller on hold

All messages must be signed off (both paper and electronic) to confirm that final action has been taken. This usually entails that the last person to contact the patient:

shall sign off and file or save to chart and notify patient of action

If you need to transfer a patient's call to another department or office, first give the caller the phone number, the extension, and the person's name to whom you are transferring him or her in case a disconnection occurs. You should then:

signal (or page) the person and, when the person answers, explain who is waiting to speak to him or her and give a brief summary of the issue

You should learn how to proceed logically through a set of questions that will reveal the caller's condition and help determine, if necessary, how soon the patient should be seen by a provider. This process is called:

telephone screening

A telephone screening manual is also referred to as a

triage manual