Chapter 14
how much time should you allow for a patient to answer when you place a phone call
1 min or about 8 rings
a communication that contains all of the necessary information demonstrates which of the following
completeness
when a patient calls the office for a result of a lab test that happens to be normal you should
give the patient the results if the doctor has given permission that normal results may be given out
the appropriate response to a triage patient who is experience chest pain is
go to the nearest ER immediately preferably by ambulance
a mother calls and informs you that her son has a deep dog bite, your response should be
immediate medical help
If you put a caller on hold and determine it will be a long wait
offer to call back
the appropriate way to obtain patient confidentiality is to
put the message in a file folder marked confidential and place the folder on the physicians desk
the appropriate way to handle an incoming call for a practitioner from another practitioner is to
route the call to the practitioner immediately
what document indicates who is responsible for the various types of calls coming into the medical office and how the calls are to be handled
routing list
which of the following medical conditions require immediate medical help
snake bite
a patient calls with a billing problem stating the bill was too high, when the MA checks the acct she finds, the proper fee was charged
speak to the provider before responding to the patient
your first priority when responding to a complaint of an angry patient is to
stay call and try to pacify the caller
vinny receives a call from mr emerson, wife is confused and feeling faint is sweating, has a weak rapid pulse and skin is cool and moist
symptoms of shock
when handling an incoming telephone call regarding a patients progress report you should
take a message for the physician
Learning the telephone triage process includes
using the office's written guidelines for commonly asked questions
when talking to a patient on the phone, use
a normal conversational tone
which type of call must be immediately routed to the provider
an emergency
which of the following guidelines should you follow when placing an outgoing telephone call
ask if its a convenient time for the patient to talk
Before putting a caller on hold, ____.
ask the caller to state the purpose of the call
the appropriate way to address a patient with a difficult name to pronounce is
ask the patient how to pronounce his or her name
if a patient was over charged for services the appropriate response is
ask the patient to wait for a corrected statement before sending payment
Guidelines for dealing with a sales person on the phone include
asking the salesperson to send you information
which of the following types of telephone calls can a MA resolve
call to change an appt
which of the following symptoms indicates a heart attack
chest pain radiating to the arm, shoulder, and jaw
when you receive or place a phone call your message should be logical and free from ambiguity, which of the following c's ..
clarity
A telephone message that is organized and logical demonstrates ____.
cohesiveness
when a message is organized and logical it is which of the 5 c's of communication
cohesiveness
when you are respectful of a caller which of the 5 c's do you follow
courtesy
2 options that should always be included in the menu for an automated voice response unit are instructions for the caller if the call is an emergency and an option to
dial 0 to speak to an operator
If a patient remains dissatisfied after discussing a bill,
document all comments and relay the information to the physician
after speaking with a patient on the phone about an issue a MA must always
document the conversation in the patients record
Chris answers the telephone, and the caller, a patient named Mr. Patterson, tells Chris that the physician asked him to call the office and let her know how the prescribed medication was working. Mr. Patterson begins to explain in detail how much better he feels and what effect he thinks the medication is having. What should Chris do?
document the patients call and report it to the physician
Speaking clearly and distinctly to help the person you are speaking to understand you is called
enunciation
if you can not give your undivided attention because of an emergency in the office
explain that you are handling an urgent matter and offer to call back
If you do not recognize the name of the patient calling the most appropriate response is
has it been some time since you've seen the doctor
If uncertain about whether to give particular information to a patient on the telephone, a general principle is to ____.
have the provider return the patients call
which of the following is an example of a common triage question that a medical assistant might answer
how do I make my child with chicken pox more comfortable
a drop in body temperature during prolonged exposure to cold is called
hypothermia
the first thing you should do when answering the telephone is
identify the medical office and yourself
under what circumstances will a pharmacist call to check before dispensing refills
if more than 1 year has passed since the original prescription was written
when is it acceptable for an MA to authorize a pharmacy to refill a prescription
if the physician lists in the chart that that the authorized prescriptions are approved
which of the following office procedures should be followed if the practitioner is not in the office when an emergency phone call comes in
instruct the caller to dial 911 for an ambulance
When you answer the phone, you know immediately that the caller is angry. Without identifying herself, the caller begins shouting at you that she had been told that an office visit would cost $79, but her bill was for $135. She says the office is discriminating against her by charging her more than the normal amount. How should you handle this call?
listen carefully and acknowledge the patients anger
if you receive another call while talking to a patient the procedure to follow is to
make sure the 2nd call is not an emergency before putting the call on hold
what can you do to make a message concise
make the message brief and direct
Telephone calls that require the physician's personal attention include ____.
patients request to discuss abnormal test results
The result of answering the phone while carrying out another task is
possible errors in message taking
one of the most important telephone skills saying words correctly is called
pronunciation
a MA should answer all telephone calls using
proper telephone etiquette
the recommended procedure for handling billing inquiries is to
pull the patients chart and billing information
A guideline to follow when an attorney calls the office is to
release information only when the physician has authorized you to do so
the best way to handle a patient who calls the office in real distressing pain is to
schedule an appointment immediately or tell the patient to go to the emergency room
when dealing with a patient who is nervous, upset, or angry should you,
show empathy and understanding of the callers feelings
the appropriate way to deal with a caller who refuses to identify himself is to
suggest he write a letter to the physician
when a call with a patient is long or complicated
summarize the details of the call to ensure understanding by both you and the patient
Mrs. Worth is calling for the result of the CEA (cancer marker) test she had. Georgia, a new administrative medical assistant, looked up the record and discovered that the result is abnormal. Georgia asks you what she should tell Mrs. Worth. What should you tell Georgia?
tell mrs. worth the physician will call back with the results
which of the following is not a way to help insure accurate telephone messages
tell the caller the physician will call him/her back
what is an advantage to having a voicemail system in the medical office
the caller never receives a busy signal
when dealing with a telephone triage problem, remember
to advice the caller that recommendations are based on the symptoms and are not a diagnosis
which of the following conditions requires immediate medical help
trouble breathing
Before placing an outgoing telephone call to a patient you should
verify the correct phone number
a disadvantage of communicating by telephone is that
you cannot see the callers visual signals such as body signals or facial expressions
what is the best response to a patient who calls to ask if he or she can use a medication that was used to treat a previous condition
you should not use the medication because it may not be helpful