Basic pattern of available appointment times
Appointment matrix
Times in the appointment schedule when physicians r not available 2 c patients
Blocked
Scheduling similar types of patients or examinations on the same day or part of the day
Clustering
Scheduling 2 patients 4 the same appointment time
Double booking
A patient whose has been seen by 1 of the physicians in the practice of the same speciality w/in the past 3 years
Established patient
4 names 4 an appointment scheduling method in which each patient is given different, specific appointment time
Fixed appointment scheduling
Stream scheduling
Time-specified scheduling
Single booking
Palliative service provided 4 patients whose life expectancy is less than 6 months
Services may b provider in the patients home, a nursing home or a special hospice facility
Hospice
An appointment system that has some fixed appointments and some appointment times during which patients are seen in order of their arrival
Modified wave scheduling
4 billing purposes, a patient who has not received services during the previous 3 years from any physician of the same speciality in a medical practice
New patient
A patient who does not keep a scheduled appointment
No-show
The practice of allowing patients 2 have access 2 the computer scheduling program so that they can schedule their own appointments
Patient self-scheduling
A series of diagnostic tests done b4 surgery 2 establish the patients health status and identify any potential problems that may occur during surgery
Preadmission testing
(PAT)
Permission from a patient's insurance company 4 a test, procedure or surgery
Preauthorzation
The directing of a patient 2 a medical specialist by a primary care physician
Referral
The process of separating patients by the urgency of their need 4 care
Triage
A method of scheduling appointments in which several patients r given the same appointment time and r seen in the order in which they arrive
Wave scheduling
Which of the following is NOT a guideline 4 appointment scheduling?
A) concentrate on the person 2 who u r speaking
B) repeat information back 2 the patient
C) speak quickly 2 save time when another is waiting
D) schedule the proper amount of time 4 the appointment
C
Which of the following applies 2 any manual appointment book?
A)the pages display a single day
B)there is a separate book 4 each physician
C) it is a legal document that must b kept on file
D) it may b written in pencil 2 facilitate corrections
D
What interval(s) is/r commonly used in a manual appointment book or computer schedule?
A) 5 min
B) 10 min
C) 30 min
D) 45 min
E) all of the above
B
How is patient confidentiality maintained related 2 the daily schedule?
A) create only 1 copy of the daily schedule
B) do not post the schedule in areas 2 which patients have access
C) accompany patient's at all times when walking through the
office
D) use a number system instead of a name system 4 the daily
schedule
B
What is the name 4 scheduling patients w/similar problems or conditions on certain days?
A) wave
B) clustering
C) modified wave
D) stream
B
What system schedules 3 or 4 patients every half hour and they r seen in the order they arrive?
A) wave
B) clustering
C) modified wave
D) stream
A
What is the goal of stream scheduling?
A) 2 schedule the same amount of time 4 each appointment
B) 2 b sure that there is always a patient waiting 2 c the physician
C) 2 give the physician time 2 respond 2 telephone messages
between patients
D)2 schedule patients so that there is a steady flow of patients
moving through the office
D
What is the minimum amount of time that would commonly b allotted 4 the examination of a new patient?
A) 10 min
B) 15 min
C) 20 min
D) 30 min
D
What is the advantage of open office hours?
A)they give patients more flexibility
B)they reduce patient waiting time
C)they take full advantage of a computer scheduling system
D)patients know what 2 expect about how long they will have 2
wait
A
When is double-booking often used?
A)when the physician uses 2 examination rooms
B)when a patient w/an acute injury or illness must b fitted in2 the
schedule
C)when there is more than 1 physician scheduled 2 b in the office
D)when the physician is running behind sachedule
B
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of patient self-scheduling?
A)patients can often select their desired time if it is available
B)patients always receive the appointment time they request
C)patients can b co b notified of appointment times electronically
or by letter
D)patients do not need 2
place a telephone call 2 the office 2
schedule an appointment
B
How does the MA set up the appointment schedule?
A)block out the time when patients can b seen
B)block out the time when the MA will not b avaiable
C)block out
the time when the physician is not available 2 c
patients
D)block out the time when the medical office is open
C
How long in advance can patients usually schedule in appointments?
A)up to 3 months
B)up to 6 months
C)up to
12 months
D)up to 2 years
B
Which of the following reasons 4 an office visit will require the most time?
A)an immunization
B)a post operative check up
C)a complete physical examination
D)a follow-up visit 4 hypertension
C
Which of the following variables will affect the appointment matrix the most?
A)the availability of facilities and equipment
B)the season of the year
C)the type of scheduling used by the office
D)the location of examination rooms
w/in the office
A
Which of the following is NOT a physician preference or need thagt may affect the appointment schedule?
A)the time of day the physician prefers 2 do certain types of
examinations
B)other obligations such as
hospital rounds or nursing home visits
C)attendance at conferences and meetings
D)the number of satellite offices affiliated w/the medical practice
D
Which of the following r included as established patients?
A)patients who do
not need a physical examination
B)patients who have appointments at regular intervals
C)patients who insurance refferals
D)patients who have been seen in the medical office
D
If a patient must fast 4 labratory tests, what special scheduling requirements should b initiated?
A) schedule the patient 4 the laboratory test at least 1 week b4 an
appointment w/the physician
B)schedule the patient early in the morning if possible
C)instruct the patient 2 arrive 4 the laboratory test w/a full bladder
D)the patient can b scheduled at any time of day that is convenient
B
What information must b obtained from a new patient?
A)the patient's work schedule
B)the patient's past medical history
C)whether the patient smokes cigarettes
D)the type of medical insurance and coverage
D
Which of the following adult patients should b seen by the physician on the day the patient calls, if possible?
A)the patient who complains of nausea and vomiting 4 the past 3
days
B)the patient w/a fever of 101.8*F since the previous evening
C)the patient who has an unexplained weight loss over the last 2
months
D)a patient who has had difficulty falling asleep for 2
weeks
E)all of the above
A
Which condition is the lowest priority and could wait until an available appointment in 1 or 2 days?
A)vaginal bleeding during pregnancy
B)earache w/drainage
C)cold w/runny nose
D)a laceration that
will not stop bleeding
C
Which method(s) can b used 2 allow the physician 2 avoid falling behind or catch up w/appointment times?
A)leave at least 15-20 minutes free each morning and/or afternoon
B)schedule a lunch break that is 20-30
minutes longer than
physician will need
C)end appointment times about an hour b4 the physician plans 2
go home
D)schedule the physician 4 examination room that r side by side
E)all of the above
E
How the the office usually handle visits from pharmacy representatives or medical sales people who want 2 c the physician?
A)give them a specific appointment time, often during the lunch
break
B)take their cards and inform them that the physician will contact
them if needed
C)allow them 2 wait until the physician has a free minute between
patients
D)c them at the completion of scheduled office hours
A
If an unscheduled patient comes 2 the office but does not appear 2 b ill, what should the MA do?
A)plan 2 fit the patient in between patients
B)allow the patient 2 wait until the end of office hours 2 b seen as
the last patient of the day
C)tell the patient that he/she can wait 2 c if their is a
cancellation or
missed appointment
D)explain that patients r seen w/appointments only and give the
patient the 1st available appointment
D
What is important when changing the appointment date and time 4 a patient?
A)delete
or erase the appointment completely
B)record that the appointment was changed in the patient's
medical record
C)always draw a line through the original appointment if a manual
appointment book is used
D)give the patient an appointment w/in 2 days of the original
appointment, double-booking if necessary
A
What is important when rescheduling a group of patients due 2 an unexpected change in the physician's schedule?
A)give the patients new appointments as soon as possible
B)reschedule the patients on an extra day, such as a Saturday
C)write a note of apology 2 each because of the appointment
change
D)extend the physician's schedule by 1 hour 4 each of the next 3
days
A
When a patient does not keep an appointment or call 2 cancel, what should the MA do?
A)send the patient a letter instructing him/her 2 find another
physician
B)have the physician call the patient
C)document the missed appointment in
the medical record
D)nothing-the patient obviously does not want 2 c the physician
C
Y is it important 2 document missed appointments in the patient's medical record?
A)it shows that the patient had an appointment and didn't keep
it
B)it is a potential defense against a claim that the physician was
not available
C)it provides grounds 2 terminate a relationship w/the patient
D)it provides written documentation that the patient does not
follow medical advice
E)all of the above
E
What is a way 2 handle a patient who has a pattern of being late 4 appointments?
A)give the patient the last appointment of the day
B)encourage the patient 2 find another physician
C)call the patient the day b4 the appointment and remind him/her 2
b on time
D)send the patient a note encouraging him/her 2 b on time 4 his/
her next appointment
A
If a patient w/managed care insurance, must b referred 2 a specialist physician, what is the responsibility of the primary physician's office?
A)nothing; the patient just makes an appointment w/a specialist
B)2 make the appointment w/the a specialist
C)2 submit a referral
form 2 the managed care organization and
obtain preauthorization 4 the refferal
D)2 notify the specialist so that the specialist's office can obtain
preauthorization 4 a patient appointment
C
Which of the following information should the MA have on hand b4 scheduling a diagnostic test 4 a patient?
A)the patient's name and telephone number
B)the patient's insurance information
C)the type of procedure being preformed
D)the patient's diagnosis or the reason the procedure is being
preformed
E)all of the above
E
Y should the office have a system 2 verify that results of a diagnostic test were given 2 patients?
A)2 verify that the tests were done
B)2 place the results of the test somewhere important
C)2 protect the physician from possible lawsuits 4 malpractice or
abandonment
D)2 have test results ready 4 the physician 2 discuss w/the patient
at the next visit
C
When the patient is going 2 b admitted 2 the hospital form home, what should the MA do?
A)make sure there is preauthorization 4 the admission
B)arrange transportation 4 the patient
C)schedule the physician 2 b at the hospital when the patient is
admitted
D)instruct the patient not 2 eat or drink after midnight the night b4
the admission
E)all of the above
A
W/in what time period must the physician visit a patient he/she admitted 2 the hospital?
A)w/in 1 hour
B)w/in 12
hours
C)w/in 24 hours
D)w/in 48 hours
C)w/in 24 hours
When scheduling surgery 4 a patient, what information should b provided in addition 2 the type of surgery and the name of the surgeon and any assistant surgeon?
A)the insurance
authorization number
B)the exact date that the surgeon wants 2 perform the surgery
C)the name and telephone number of the patient's next of kin
D)whether the patient has completed a living will or health care
proxy
E) all of the above
A
Which of the following diagnostic tests is usually included in preadmoission testing b4 any surgery?
A)ultrasound of the area
B)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
C)electroencephalogram (EEG)
D)electrocardiogram (EKG)
E)all of the above