HC21- Appointments

What is hospitalization?

When a patient is checked into a hospital

Which of these statements is the best way to respond to an unexpected visitor to the office?

i'm sorry, but Dr. Torrez's schedule is full today. Would you like to schedule an appointment for another time?

What is a scheduling system?

A preplanned way of separating available time in the schedule

Which of the following best defines a standing appointment?

A regular appointment occurring at the same time most every week or month

Mrs. Lopez calls to schedule an appointment for what she thinks is a sinus infection. This is an example of what kind of an appointment?

A routine appointment

Emma calls the East Health Center to schedule an appointment with the visiting nutrition counselor. This is an example of what kind of an appointment?

A specialized appointment

A new patient has been referred to the Collman General Practice. What should Ron, the assistant, request from the referring physician?

Additional Patient Info

Why is a pen used to record appointments in an appointment book?

Entries become a permanent, legal record.

(T/F) A patient must be with a practice for more than a year to be considered an established patient

False

What is one of the advantages of double-booking appointments?

Allows for urgent care when there are no available appointments

What is a referral?

An authorization for a patient to receive specialized services from another practice

How can assistants calm patients' fears about their hospital admission?

Answer their questions and provide them with information

Why do assistants include the abbreviation NP when entering a new patient's appointment in the appointment book?

As a reminder to have the patient complete registration forms

What is the best way to filter a salesperson's request to see the physician without disrupting the office schedule?

Ask for product information and a business card

Which of the following forms of scheduling is most common for consultation referrals?

Assistant schedules the consultation

Why are outpatient tests scheduled by an office assistant?

Assistants know the referral process and the medical language involved.

As an assistant, TJ deals with many people who want to see the physician. How should he handle all of these people?

Filter their requests

What does it mean to schedule by exception?

Fitting emergencies into the schedule, even if the office is busy

What should the medical office assistant do after a patient has had surgery?

Follow up with the hospital and patient

What role do medical office assistants play in referring a patient for a consultation?

Assistants may schedule the appointment and answer patient questions.

Which of the following is true about emergency hospitalization?

Assistants still must be prepared with the patient's information.

What is a disadvantage of the wave scheduling system?

Patient wait times may vary.

Why are outpatient instructions important?

Patients may need to prepare for the appointment.

What are walk-ins?

Patients who want to see the physician without an appointment

Travis is confronted by a pharmaceutical rep wishing to see the physician. Dr. Smithfield has a full schedule. What should Travis do?

Tactfully request that he leave literature for the physician to review

Why may physicians refer patients for outpatient tests?

The medical office does not have the required equipment.

Shawna, an assistant, is rescheduling a patient. What information must she transfer to the new date and time?

The patient's name, phone number, and reason for the visit

Which of the following is a common reason for a delay in the schedule?

The physician is held up at the hospital.

Under what circumstance might a physician refer a patient to another physician for a consultation?

The physician would like a second opinion on patient care.

How does an open office hours scheduling system eliminate missed appointments?

There are no scheduled appointments.

What is one of the disadvantages of grouping similar appointments?

There is less flexibility with appointment times.

Which of the following statements about specialized appointments is correct?

They are planned in advance.

Why are emergencies scheduled by exception?

They are serious situations that require immediate attention.

What is a benefit of standard appointment times assigned to different types of appointments?

They enable more precise scheduling.

Which of the following statements about cancellations is correct?

They occur when patients notify the office that they cannot keep scheduled appointments.

What does wave scheduling assume about patients?

They rarely arrive for their appointments on time.

What is the purpose of appointment reminder systems?

To increase patient show rates

What is the purpose of an appointment book?

To record patient appointments

(T/F) A medical office assistant should always consult the office guidelines for preferred methods of scheduling

True

(T/F) Diego is scheduled to see Dr. Wise at 10:30 AM for a medication check. The office assistant just scheduled Greg to see Dr. Wise at 10:30 AM for a backache. The 10:30 AM appointment time is now double-booked.

True

(T/F) In addition to blocking out professional travel in the appointment book, assistants may arrange the flights and accommodations for physicians

True

(T/F) Medical office assistants are responsible for scheduling and canceling appointments

True

(T/F) Practice-management software simplifies the process of scheduling appointments.

True

(T/F) Stream scheduling is the most commonly used scheduling system.

True

Which type of hospitalization is not planned in advance?

Emergency hospitalization

What is one of the disadvantages of stream scheduling?

A late patient can cause the entire schedule to become delayed.

What does an arrow in the appointment book indicate?

A patient's visit is longer than 15 minutes.

Dr. Brenner will be out of the office starting at 3:15 PM on August 10. How should the assistant record this in the appointment matrix?

Block out the time on August 10, and note the reason the physician is unavailable.

Which of the following is an outpatient diagnostic test?

Blood test

Sam, a medical office assistant, is calling the Health East Hospital to schedule an appointment for a patient. He has been transferred to the correct department. How should he start the conversation with the receptionist?

By identifying himself and the office he's calling from

What steps can a medical office assistant take to fill a cancelled appointment time?

Call patients who have appointments scheduled later that day or week

How should assistants respond to disruptions in the office schedule?

Calmly

What does the abbreviation "C" represent in the appointment book

Cancellation

Which of the following statements about wait times is correct?

Chronic problems with wait time should be discussed at a staff meeting.

What space-saving technique is used in the appointment book to document a patient's reason for visiting the office?

Common abbreviations

What does the abbreviation "c/o" stand for in an appointment book?

Complains of

Alicia, an assistant, is preparing to call an outpatient facility to set up an appointment. In addition to the patient's name and contact information, what other patient information will she need to provide?

Date of birth and reason for the test

Tom, a medical office assistant, receives a call from a patient who has what sounds like a serious infection. How should Tom schedule the acutely ill patient?

Double-book the appointment, if necessary.

Sophia has been asked to schedule a hip replacement surgery for a patient. What type of hospitalization will this be?

Elective

When scheduling an elective hospitalization, which gets scheduled first?

Elective surgery

Samantha received a large cut that demands immediate attention. The physician cannot perform the procedure and immediately sends Samantha to the hospital. What type of hospitalization is this?

Emergency

Mrs. Applegate has been referred to another physician for a consultation. She prefers to schedule the appointment herself. What should the assistant do?

Give her a referral form and the facility's contact information

A patient, Trent, is scheduled for a 7:45 AM hospital admission. What does this mean?

He will be formally checked into the hospital at 7:45 AM.

Where should the assistant document cancellations, late arrivals, and no-shows?

In both the patient chart and the appointment book

Why is a patient's telephone number entered in the appointment book?

In case the assistant needs to reach the patient

When blocking out unavailable times in an appointment matrix, why is it important to note where the physician will be

In case there is a need to contact the physician

Under what circumstance would a hospital admit a patient before surgery is scheduled?

In emergency

An unscheduled patient has stopped by Dr. Hopkins' office, hoping to see the physician. Suzanne, the assistant, determines that the patient's request is not an emergency. How should she handle the patient?

Inform the patient of the office's appointment policy and offer to schedule a future appointment

Which of the following statements about practice-management software is correct?

It may require on-site assistance.

What is one of the advantages of the modified wave system?

It offers some flexibility in case a patient is late.

How does an appointment card help a medical office's schedule?

It reminds patients of their scheduled appointments.

Why does the initial information gathered from a new patient include the patient's date of birth?

Knowing the patient's date of birth distinguishes between patients with the same name and helps the physician better prepare for the appointment.

What is the standard procedure for writing a patient's name in the appointment book?

Last name, First Name

Paul was last seen by Dr. Carson five years ago. When scheduling his next appointment, what kind of a patient will the assistant consider him?

New

What does the abbreviation "NP" stand for in an appointment book?

New Patient

How can an assistant determine if a person is a new patient?

New patients have never been seen, or they have not been seen in the past three years.

What does the abbreviation "N/S" stand for in the appointment book?

No Show

When a patient misses an appointment without calling the office, it is commonly referred to as what?

No show

Dr. Velasquez has been delayed at the hospital for another hour. How should the assistant respond?

Notify all scheduled patients and give them the option to reschedule

Which of the following is a key step in scheduling an appointment?

Offer the patient choices of dates and times

What should guide the medical office assistant in making appointments?

Office Policy

What does the abbreviation "PT" represent in an appointment book?

Physical therapy

In what manner must medical office assistants present themselves when talking to patients

Polite and courteous

What is one of the advantages of grouping similar appointments?

Reduces staff preparation between appointments

Which of the following statements about routine visits to the medical office is correct?

Routine appointments require basic equipment and little preparation.

What is a benefit of scheduling with practice-management software?

Searching for available appointment times is made easy.

What should an assistant do when there is a concern about the current scheduling system?

Share the concern with the office manager

What is practice-management software?

Software that electronically manages medical office operations