Deck 9: Scheduling Appointments and Patient Processing

Question 1

The use of phonetic writing in the medical office can help you

A) better understand medical abbreviations.
B) pronounce patients' names correctly.
C) learn the meaning of medical terms.
D) take notes quickly and accurately.

Answer 1

pronounce patients' names correctly.

Question 2

The appointment setting method by which a patient logs on to the Internet and views a facility's schedule to set his or her own appointment is called

A) flexible office hours.
B) self-scheduling.
C) grouping procedures.
D) advance booking.

Answer 2

self-scheduling.

Question 3

Which of the following should be removed from the reception area as quickly as possible?

A) Talkative patients
B) Angry patients
C) Children
D) Patients' relatives

Answer 3

Angry patients

Question 4

The way to organize appointment scheduling so that it best supports the success of the practice is to

A) schedule as many patients as possible throughout the entire day.
B) allow frequent rest breaks.
C) include a lot of time for the physician's administrative activities.
D) consider the preferences of the physician.

Question 5

Which information item is not included on the patient information form that new patients are required to complete?

A) Social Security number
B) Name and address of nearest relative
C) Name of spouse, if applicable
D) Summary of medical history

Question 6

The statistical characteristics of human populations are called

A) numbers.
B) perceptions.
C) demographics.
D) phonetics.

Question 7

Which of the following should most often be added to a patient chart's on each visit?

A) Medical history form
B) Progress notes form
C) Patient information sheet
D) Insurance information sheet

Question 8

Which patients should be personally escorted to examination and treatment areas and given detailed instructions about what they are to do?

A) New patients
B) Established patients
C) Consultations
D) All of the above

Question 9

The patient's name should be used

A) on greeting him or her at arrival.
B) when he or she leaves the office.
C) during the examination.
D) All of the above

Question 10

The medical assistant should follow all the following practices regarding patient arrivals except

A) personally escorting patients from reception to the appropriate room.
B) telling patients the specific items of clothing to remove.
C) explaining exactly how to put on the exam gown.
D) having patients wait in the examination room instead of the waiting room.

Question 11

Which of the following is not true regarding examination rooms?

A) Patients enjoy a magazine rack so that they can read while waiting for the physician.
B) The examination table should face the entrance to the room so that the patient is clearly visible when the physician enters.
C) The examination room should be tidied immediately after use and before the next patient is escorted in.
D) The examination room should not be used to clear out the reception area.

Question 12

The principal advantage of using the wave method when designing the scheduling process is that it

A) allows flexibility to accommodate the unpredictable.
B) gives priority to established patients.
C) provides more breaks for staff members.
D) enables the physician to see more patients each day.

Question 13

When informing patients that you must postpone their appointments because of the absence of the physician, it is good practice to

A) give them the name of one or more alternative physicians.
B) explain exactly why the physician cannot see them.
C) offer them priority over patients already scheduled in the future.
D) be extremely apologetic about the inconvenience.

Question 14

Why is it necessary to include a note in the patient's chart when the person does not show up for a scheduled appointment?

A) To bill the patient for the time
B) To keep count of the number of no-shows for a possible drop in the future
C) To provide the medical assistant with a reminder to call and reschedule
D) To be prepared for future legal consequences regarding the patient's care

Question 15

A matrix in the schedule

A) prevents overcrowding.
B) prevents booking of patients during meetings and hospital rounds.
C) is used only in large offices.
D) is done at the end of the day.

Question 16

An effective way to deal with patients who are always late for appointments is to

A) refuse to schedule them after this happens several times.
B) have them wait until it is convenient for the physician.
C) advise them that they disrupt the office schedule.
D) give them the last appointment of the day.

Question 17

Which of the following is not true regarding chart placement in the medical facility?

A) The chart should be placed in the door holder when the patient is ready for the physician.
B) Offices should develop convenient signals regarding chart placement that everyone understands.
C) Charts can be left in the examination room while the patient is waiting for the physician.
D) Charts may be placed in either the horizontal or the upright position in the door holder, depending on the physician's preference.

Question 18

An incidental disclosure

A) cannot reasonably be prevented.
B) is limited in nature.
C) occurs as a result of another use or disclosure that is permitted.
D) All of the above.

Question 19

What is the best way to decide whether patients need special assistance in disrobing?

A) Ask all patients if you can be of assistance.
B) Wait for patients to request help.
C) Use special consideration with patients who have a disability.
D) Offer help to patients who appear ill or upset.

Question 20

If a patient has been waiting longer than ________ minutes past his or her appointment time, the medical assistant should offer to reschedule the appointment.

A) 5
B) 15
C) 20
D) 30

Question 21

When the physician is scheduled at outside facilities, the medical assistant must be sure to allow time for

A) emergencies.
B) travel.
C) returning phone calls.
D) the physician's late arrival.

Question 22

Health records should never be left in the examination room to be picked up and read by a patient. When using an EHR, it is important to remember to log out of the computer when you are ready to leave the room.

A) Both statements are true.
B) Both statements are false.
C) The first statement is true; the second is false.
D) The first statement is false; the second is true.

Question 23

Which type of scheduling system is often used in an urgent care setting?

A) Open office hours
B) Modified wave scheduling
C) Grouping procedures
D) Time patterns

Question 24

An obstetrician who devotes two afternoons a week to seeing pregnant patients is using an appointment scheduling method called

A) wave scheduling.
B) advance booking.
C) grouping procedures.
D) modified wave scheduling.

Question 25

The first prerequisite for scheduling an outpatient admission or procedure is

A) a signed consent form.
B) the telephone number of the diagnostic or inpatient facility.
C) the patient's demographic information.
D) an oral or written order for the procedure from the physician.

Question 26

A parent or guardian must accompany all children under the age of 10 into the exam room with no exceptions. Minors need a parent to consent to treatment in most cases.

A) Both statements are true.
B) Both statements are false.
C) The first statement is true; the second is false.
D) The first statement is false; the second is true.

Question 27

Uncertainty in new surroundings can often create ____________.

Question 28

When rescheduling an appointment, which of the following needs to occur?

A) Set the new appointment time
B) Remove the first appointment day and time
C) Schedule for the last appointment of the same day
D) Both A and B

Question 29

Which of the following scheduling systems reduces the number of calls to the office and is available to the patient 24 hours a day?

A) Computerized scheduling
B) Self-scheduling
C) Appointment book scheduling
D) Paper-based scheduling

Question 30

Patients may fail to appear for appointments because

A) they have been pressed for a payment but do not have the funds to pay.
B) they are in denial and are having difficulty facing their illness.
C) the office consistently runs behind schedule.
D) All of the above

Question 31

A person who fails to keep an appointment without giving advance notice is called a

A) disruption.
B) no-show.
C) cancellation.
D) reschedule.

Question 32

Which types of outpatient procedures might be scheduled by the physician's office?

A) MRIs
B) CT scans
C) Blood work
D) All of the above

Question 33

For security reasons, stating that the doctor is unavailable is best used in which of the following situations?

A) When provider is called to an emergency
B) When provider is out of town
C) When provider is delayed
D) All of the above

Question 34

When patients need a series of appointments, it is best to

A) schedule them individually.
B) let the patient call when he or she is ready to come in.
C) try to set the appointments for the same day of the week at the same time.
D) use any method of scheduling; they will all be effective.

Question 35

All patients want to be kept informed about how long they should expect to wait to see the provider. Any delay longer than ________ minutes should be explained.

A) 10 to 15
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40
E) No explanation is necessary.

Question 36

Which type of scheduling is an attempt to create short-term flexibility within each hour?

A) Time-specified scheduling
B) Stream scheduling
C) Wave scheduling
D) Modified-wave scheduling

Question 37

The medical assistant must remember that the physician will have other types of appointments that will need special notation in the appointment schedule, such as

A) new patients.
B) physicals.
C) surgeries.
D) established patients.

Question 38

For legal purposes, what needs to occur when a patient fails to keep an appointment?

A) Call to determine reason for failed appointment
B) Reschedule as soon as possible
C) Place documentation in the patient health record and appointment schedule
D) Classify the patient as a "deadbeat"

Question 39

Which of the following is true concerning the scheduling of new patients?

A) Financial arrangements should be explained when the appointment is made if the patient is expected to pay at the time of service.
B) The patient should be offered only the times reserved for new patient appointments, without flexibility.
C) It should be assumed that the patient will look up directions to the office on the Internet.
D) The medical assistant should wait to obtain information about the chief complaint until the patient arrives for the appointment.

Question 40

When a requested appointment time is not available, the medical assistant should

A) explain why the time is not available and offer a substitute date and time.
B) insist that the patient accept the next available appointment.
C) immediately put the patient on a waiting list for that time slot.
D) suggest the patient see an alternate physician in the practice.

Question 41

Approaching a situation with caution is using _______________.

Question 42

A(n) ____________ note helps track the patient's condition in the medical record.

Question 43

__________, in almost all cases, need their parent's permission to be treated by a physician.

Question 44

A patient's anger may be a reflection of his or her pain or __________ of what the physician may discover during the examination.

Question 45

If something is marked by accord in sentiment or action, it is said to be ____________.

Question 46

All patients should leave the medical facility feeling that they were treated with ___________.

Question 47

If a patient has a poor experience at the physician's office, he or she will tell ____________.

Question 48

If the medical assistant's desk is in open view of the patients, it should be free of ____________.

Question 49

An unexpected event that throws a plan into disorder is called a ______________.

Question 50

A parent normally accompanies a child in the exam room unless the parent is suspected of _________________.

Question 51

Patient _______________ do not violate HIPAA laws, even if others can read names on the register.

Question 52

Something conducive to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment is called a(n) __________.

Question 53

It is possible to violate patient ______________ when using a sign-in register.

Question 54

Sign-in sheets should not list the __________ for the patient's office visit.

Question 55

The term that means "relating to or arranged in a sequence" is ______________.

Question 56

Many medical offices are not concerned enough about the _________________ aspect of the practice.

Question 57

A quick, acute, and intuitive cognition is called _________________.

Question 58

When the office staff commits to making the patient feel welcome, success of the practice is _____________.

Question 59

Patients who are returning to the office and have previously seen the physician are called _____________________.

Question 60

The patient should be given a(n) ___________ of times and dates when making a return appointment.

Question 61

Periodically, ____________ calls will necessitate rescheduling of appointments.

Question 62

Advance preparation for the arrival of patients helps the day progress smoothly and in a relaxed manner.

Question 63

Competency as a result of training or practice is called ____________.

Question 64

The appearance of the reception room influences the patient's perception of the entire office.

Question 65

The office should not keep any types of toys in the reception area.

Question 66

If a thing is considered ____________, it is an indispensable part of a whole.

Question 67

Journals for physicians may not be displayed as reading material in the reception area.

Question 68

Two-way communication is also called ______________.

Question 69

The medical assistant must take care not to offer medical advice to the patient.

Question 70

A crowded reception room means that the physician is very popular and competent.

Question 71

Something in which a thing originates, develops, takes shape, or is contained is called a(n) __________.

Question 72

Patients understand if the physician's office is not completely clean, because most offices are busy facilities.

Question 73

A process required by some insurance carriers in which the provider must prove medical necessity before performing a procedure is called ___________________.

Question 74

Any toys placed in the waiting area should be washable.

Question 75

Every patient has the right to expect courteous treatment in a physician's office.

Question 76

The medical assistant needs to watch the patient's body language.

Question 77

The medical assistant should offer assistance only to patients who are obviously handicapped.

Question 78

A space of time between events is called a(n) ____________.

Question 79

If the patient brings a relative to the physician appointment, this implies that the patient consents to discussion of the patient's care with the relative.

Question 80

A thing that is necessary to achieve an end or to carry out a function is called a(n) ________________.