Chapter 42 Scheduling Appointments

which of the following is NOT a guideline for appointment scheduling?

speak quickly to save time when another patient is waiting

what is one advantage of a computer appointment system?

it is useful if the office includes several practitioners and several locations

which of the following applies to any manual appointment book?

it can provide a backup to the computer schedule

what time interval is frequently used to set up the appointment schedule in a medical office?

15 minutes

how is patient confidentiality maintained related to the daily schedule?

do not post the schedule in areas to which patients have access

what is the name for scheduling patients similar problems or conditions on certain days?

clustering

what system schedules three or four patients every half hour, who are seen in the order they arrive?

wave

what is the goal of stream scheduling?

to schedule patients so that there is a steady flow of patients moving through the office

what is the minimum amount of time that would commonly be alloted for the examination of new patient?

30 minutes

what is the advantage of open office hours?

they give patients more flexibility

When is double-booking often used?

when a patient with an acute injury or illness must be fitted into the schedule

if an office uses a modified wave scheduling system, approximately how many patients are given individual appointment times?

about half of the patients (50%)

which of the following is an advantage of patient self-scheduling compared to scheduling using an appointment book?

patients do not need to place a telephone call to the office to schedule an appointment

how does the medical assistant set up the appointment schedule?

block out the times when the physician is not available to see patients

how long in advance can patients usually schedule appointments?

up to 6 months

which of the following reasons for an office visit will require the most time?

a complete physical examination

which of the following variables will have the greatest effect on the appointment matrix?

the availability of facilities and equipment

which of the following is a physician preference or need that may affect the appointment schedule?

the time of day a physician prefers to do certain types of examinations

which of the following are included as established patients?

patients who have been seen in the medical office during the past 3 years

if patients must fast for laboratory tests, what special scheduling requirements should be initiated?

schedule the patient early in the morning

what information must be obtained from a new patient for billing purposes?

the type of medical insurance and coverage

which of the following adult patients has the highest priority to be seen by the physician on the day the patient calls, if possible?

the patient who complains of nausea and vomiting for the past 3 days

which condition is the lowest priority and could wait until an available appointment in 1 or 2 days?

cold with runny nose

which method(s) can be used to allow the physician to avoid falling behind or catch up with appointment times?

all

how does the office usually handle visits from pharmacy representatives or medical salespeople who want to see the physician?

give them a specific appointment time, often during the lunch break

if an unscheduled patient comes to the office but does not appear to be ill, what should the medical assistant do?

explain that patients are seen with appointments only, and give the patient the first available appointment

what is important when changing the appointment date and time for a patient?

delete or erase the original appointment completely

what is important when rescheduling a group of patients due to an unexpected change in the physician's schedule?

give the patients new appointments as soon as possible

when a patient does not keep an appointment or call to cancel, what should the medical assistant do?

document the missed appointment in the medical record

why is it important to document missed appointments in the patient's medical record?

all

what is a way to handle a patient who has a pattern of being late for appointments?

give the patient the last appointment of the day

if a patient with managed care insurance must be referred to a specialist physician, what is the responsibility of the primary care physician's office?

to submit a referral form the managed care organization and obtain preauthorization for the referral

which of the following information should the medical assistant have on hand before scheduling a diagnostic test for a patient?

all

why should the office have a system to verify that the results of diagnostic tests were given to patients?

to protect the physician from possible lawsuits for malpractice or abandonment

when the patient is going to be admitted to the hospital from home, what should the medical assistant do?

make sure there is preauthorization for the admission

within what time period must the physician visit a patient he or she has admitted to the hospital?

24 hours

when scheduling surgery for a patient, what information should be provided in addition to the type of surgery, name of surgery, and name of the surgeon, and any assistant surgeon?

the insurance prior authorization number

which of the following diagnostic tests is usually included in preadmission testing before any surgery?

electrocardiogram (ECG)

why must proper procedures be adhered to in scheduling patients for consultations with specialists?

managed care insurance often requires written referral forms, or it will not pay

who is responsible for giving the patient written instructions before surgery?

the surgeon's office

Time-specified scheduling

also known as stream scheduling involves scheduling appointments at a specific time

wave scheduling

three or four pts are scheduled every hr and are sent in the order in which they arrive

Modified wave scheduling

Patients given specific times during the first half-hour, and keep the second hour for shorter appointment or to catch up

Double booking

Two patients given same appointment, maybe used when need to fit someone in when schedules full

Open booking

No scheduled appointment but are given a time range patients seen in order of arrival, ER patients seen first

Patient self-scheduling

Allow patients to request routine appointment from the practice website

Clustering ( categorization)

Involves scheduling patients with similar problems conditions into groups

appointment matrix

basic pattern of available appointment times

blocked

times in the appointment schedule when physicians are not available to see patients

Fixed appt and single booking

the medical assistant needs to make sure to allow time in the schedule to accommodate urgent visits such as ill or injured visits