Chapter 16
Schedule Management
Multiple Choice Questions
1. | Most patients are willing to wait no more than ____ minutes to be seen by a medical provider.
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2. | The first step in preparing the appointment book is to ____.
A. | schedule new patient appointments |
B. | plan for double booking |
C. | establish the matrix of the appointment book |
D. | schedule routine appointments |
E. | have the physicians approve schedule |
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3. | Which of the following is the common abbreviation for Pap smear?
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4. | The typical amount of time for a complete physical examination is ____.
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5. | Which of the following appointments typically takes 5 to 15 minutes?
A. | Emergency office visit |
C. | Follow-up office visit |
D. | Complete physical examination |
E. | Pelvic exam and Pap smear |
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6. | A woman going to the practitioner for a routine prenatal examination can expect the appointment to last ____.
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7. | A new patient calls the provider’s medical office and asks how long the appointment will take. The best response is ____.
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8. | The typical time allotted for a routine Pap smear and pelvic examination is ____.
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9. | In-office minor surgery such as a mole removal typically lasts ____.
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10. | A disadvantage of the open-hours scheduling system is that ____.
A. | it causes problems due to broken appointments |
B. | the patient records must be pulled before the patients arrive |
C. | it still requires the use of an appointment book |
D. | it increases the possibility of inefficient downtime for the physician |
E. | patients may be irritated if they find they have the same appointment time |
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11. | Which of the following appointment scheduling systems allows patients to arrive at their own convenience with the understanding that they will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis?
D. | Modified-wave scheduling |
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12. | The appointment scheduling system that assumes a steady stream of patients all day long at regular, specified intervals is ____.
A. | time-specified scheduling |
C. | computerized scheduling |
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13. | The appointment scheduling system that is based on the reality that some patients will arrive late and others will require more or less time than expected with the physician is ____.
A. | time-specified scheduling |
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14. | The appointment scheduling system in which two or more patients are scheduled for the same appointment time is ____.
B. | combination scheduling |
C. | time-specified scheduling |
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15. | The appointment scheduling system that groups similar appointments together during the day or week is ____.
B. | combination scheduling |
C. | time-specified scheduling |
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16. | In some specialties, patients may be booked weeks or months ahead in ____ scheduling.
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17. | Which of the following appointment scheduling systems is also called stream scheduling?
B. | Modified-wave scheduling |
C. | Time-specified scheduling |
E. | Combination scheduling |
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18. | Which appointment scheduling system is also called categorization scheduling?
C. | Time-specified scheduling |
D. | Combination scheduling |
E. | Modified-wave scheduling |
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19. | In which appointment scheduling system is the number of patients to be seen each hour calculated by dividing the hour by the length of the average visit?
B. | Combination scheduling |
D. | Time-specified scheduling |
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20. | A disadvantage of the wave scheduling system is that ____.
A. | it assumes that two patients will actually be seen by the physician within the scheduled period |
B. | it prevents the medical assistant from pulling the patient's charges before they arrive. |
C. | patients become annoyed or angry when they realize that they have appointments at the same time as other patients |
D. | patients may have a considerable wait before seeing the physician |
E. | it does not allow flexibility to work with patients who arrive late for their appointments |
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21. | Scheduling four patients to arrive at planned intervals during the first half hour, leaving the second half hour unscheduled, is an example of ____.
C. | modified-wave scheduling |
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22. | Which type of appointment scheduling system can be helpful if a patient calls and needs to be seen that day but no appointments are available?
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23. | Physical examinations or procedures such as physical therapy or ultrasound are scheduled only at certain times in ____.
D. | combination scheduling |
E. | time-specified scheduling |
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24. | An advantage of a computerized scheduling system is that it ____.
A. | can identify patients who routinely are late, forget their appointments, or cancel |
B. | eliminates a wait for patients when coming to the office |
C. | cancels any chance that two patients can be scheduled at the same time |
D. | prevents the need to allow time for catching up before the next hour begins |
E. | does not need color-coding to clarify the appointment schedule |
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25. | The practitioner has recommended that a patient have an annual physical to include a breast examination. What is the best way to help a patient remember to schedule next year’s appointment?
A. | Call the patient to remind her to call you for an appointment |
B. | Give the patient a note when she leaves the office to remember to call in a year for an appointment |
C. | Place the patient's name in a tickler file so when the time arrives, a form can be sent to remind the patient to call for an appointment |
D. | Tell the patient when she leaves the office to call in a year to schedule an appointment |
E. | Schedule the appointment before the patient leaves the office |
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26. | Appointment reminders include appointment cards, reminder mailings, reminder calls, and ____.
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27. | Which of the following appointment reminders is best used for appointments that need to be scheduled 6 months to a year away from the patient's current appointment?
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28. | Which appointment reminder is especially helpful for patients with a history of late arrivals or no-shows?
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29. | For which type of appointment reminder does the patient self-address a card when leaving the office that is sent to the patient a week before the scheduled appointment?
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30. | Which of the following should you do when scheduling a patient for a fasting procedure?
A. | Instruct the patient to eat and take all medications as usual |
B. | Schedule the procedure as early in the day as possible |
C. | Tell the patient to eat breakfast and then have only liquids before the procedure |
D. | Allow the patient to come at any time throughout the day for the procedure |
E. | Avoid scheduling the patient in the morning |
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31. | A medical assistant tells a patient that fasting prior to having blood drawn means ____.
A. | avoiding food except liquids for 2 hours before having blood drawn |
B. | eating a diet low in carbohydrates and fats for 12 hours before having blood drawn |
C. | eating and drinking as usual, but not taking medications prior to the test |
D. | refraining from eating and drinking anything, beginning the night before the blood is drawn |
E. | following a clear liquid diet for 24 hours before having blood drawn |
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32. | A patient with ____ requires extra consideration when scheduling and should not be scheduled for late morning.
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33. | The main reason a diabetic patient who takes insulin must eat meals and snacks at regular times is to ____.
B. | keep the blood sugar from dropping too low |
C. | keep the blood pressure from dropping too low |
D. | lower the blood pressure |
E. | increase the heart rate |
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34. | A patient with diabetes whose blood sugar falls too low may experience ____.
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35. | The best time to schedule a patient who needs a regular appointment, such as a prenatal checkup, is ____.
A. | at the first available time in the weekly schedule |
D. | on the same day and time each week |
E. | at noon so the patient does not have to take off work |
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36. | What is the best way to deal with patients who are routinely late for their appointments?
A. | Notify them that they can no longer be seen |
B. | Charge them a fee for being late |
C. | Schedule them for an appointment toward the end of the day |
D. | Tell them how rude and inconsiderate their behavior is |
E. | Schedule all patients who are routinely late on the same day |
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37. | The appropriate procedure to follow with a cancellation is to ____.
A. | erase the patient's name from the appointment book and tell the patient to call later to reschedule |
B. | draw a single line through the patient's name and write "canceled" in the appointment book before entering the rescheduled time |
C. | reschedule the appointment but leave the original appointment in the appointment book |
D. | tell the patient she must come to the office to cancel the appointment in person |
E. | enter the rescheduled time in the appointment book and make a note to cancel the original appointment |
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38. | Yvonne had a cyst removed from her right hand three weeks ago. You scheduled her follow-up appointment for one week after the surgery, but she did not show up for the appointment. Today she called to say that the incision is red and oozing and has a foul smell. She thinks the surgeon "messed up" and is threatening a lawsuit. Which of the following statements applies in this situation?
A. | Yvonne may win the lawsuit if the incision turns out to be infected. |
B. | The physician is not responsible because patients sign a form waiving their right to sue before the surgery is performed. |
C. | The physician is protected from legal action if a "no-show" was documented when Yvonne missed her follow-up appointment. |
D. | The physician should ask Yvonne to come into the office so he can correct his error and avoid a lawsuit. |
E. | Yvonne can file a lawsuit against both the physician and the entire practice because her incision was not properly cared for. |
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39. | The appropriate procedure to follow for a patient who misses an appointment is to ____.
A. | notify the patient that she will be charged for the missed appointment and interest will be applied. |
B. | refuse to reschedule an appointment for the patient |
C. | document the no-show in the appointment book and in the patient's chart |
D. | schedule another appointment for the patient, but tell her the appointment will be cancelled if she does not call the day before to confirm it |
E. | call the patient and ask her why she did not come in for her appointment |
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40. | What is the best way to handle a practitioner who consistently throws off the office schedule by returning late from lunch?
A. | Organize the entire office staff to be late for work one day |
B. | Reprimand the practitioner for being rude and inconsiderate |
C. | At a staff meeting, demand that the practitioner start being more punctual |
D. | Have the entire staff threaten to quit if the practitioner does not start being more prompt |
E. | Avoid scheduling patients for the first appointment after lunch when possible |
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41. | When scheduling a patient for an outpatient surgical procedure, the medical assistant should _______ before choosing the facility or surgeon.
A. | talk with the patient to find convenient appointment times |
B. | ask the patient if she would rather schedule the appointment herself |
C. | ask the patient to verify the exact procedure to be performed |
D. | determine the day and time the procedure must be done |
E. | check with the patient’s insurance company to verify coverage |
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42. | Carrie is to be scheduled for an elective outpatient surgical procedure. When you ask if she has a preferred date and time for the procedure, she tells you she would really like to have the surgery done on Monday of next week because her sister will be in town to help care for her. You check with the outpatient facility, and they have an operating room open at 11:30 on Monday morning. However, the surgeon is scheduled to leave for vacation on Monday at noon. What should you do?
A. | Tell Carrie that next week is impossible because the surgeon will be on vacation |
B. | Tell the surgeon that he'll have to postpone his vacation to perform Carrie's surgery |
C. | Explain the situation to the surgeon and ask for his advice |
D. | Schedule Carrie for Friday instead, even though her sister will not be here yet |
E. | Schedule the surgery for Monday at 11:30 and hope the OR is running ahead of schedule |
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43. | A medical assistant can help a practitioner make the most efficient use of his time by ____.
A. | double-booking patients all day to eliminate slow times |
B. | allowing the practitioner several rest periods throughout the day |
C. | asking the practitioner to plan his own daily schedules |
D. | avoiding overbooking or underbooking |
E. | squeezing appointments in between closely scheduled meetings |
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44. | A detailed travel plan that lists dates and times of flights and events, locations, and telephone numbers is a(n) ____.
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45. | Another name for a substitute physician who is hired to see patients while the regular physician is away is ____.
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46. | A medical assistant may be responsible for setting up the list of topics to be discussed or presented at a meeting in the order of presentation. This list is called ____.
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47. | Which patient information would the medical assistant provide when scheduling a patient's surgery?
A. | Diagnosis and insurance information |
B. | Education level and income |
C. | Occupation and hobbies |
D. | Religion and professional organizations |
E. | Driver's license number and next-of-kin |
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48. | What situations can result in the practitioner having large, unused gaps in the schedule?
A. | Underbooking and patient cancellations |
B. | The practitioner spending too much time with each patient |
C. | Meetings and conferences |
D. | The practitioner arriving late in the morning |
E. | Double-booking every other time slot |
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49. | What is the best approach to handling patient cancellations?
A. | Send the patient a letter pointing out that he canceled a necessary appointment |
B. | Attempt to schedule another patient in the cancellation slot |
C. | Encourage the physician to take the time off |
D. | Schedule other activities in cancellation slots |
E. | Leave the time open so the physician can decide what to do |
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50. | A patient who is currently in the office needs immediate attention, but the practitioner has been called away to an emergency at the hospital. The best solution is to ____.
A. | have the patient wait until the practitioner returns |
B. | make sure the patient is seen by another practitioner |
C. | let the patient leave, but have him return later that day |
D. | cancel the patient’s appointment and ask him to call to talk to the practitioner |
E. | document that the patient could not be seen because the practitioner had an emergency |
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51. | What is the common abbreviation for a complete physical examination?
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52. | When you are obtaining patient information for an appointment, you should include the ____.
C. | patient's marital status |
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53. | What is the standard abbreviation for blood pressure?
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54. | What is the standard abbreviation for an electrocardiogram?
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55. | A patient calls for an appointment because she has had a sore throat for four days. How much time should you schedule for her appointment?
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56. | E-scheduling is another term for ____.
D. | scheduling for elective surgery |
E. | laboratory and diagnostic scheduling |
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Fill in the Blank Questions
57. | Scheduling appointments in a(n) ________ manner creates an efficient patient flow.
________________________________________ |
58. | Prior to scheduling appointments, you need to prepare the appointment book. The first step in this process is to establish the ________.
________________________________________ |
59. | Because the appointment book is considered a(n) ________ record, entries must be clear and easy to read.
________________________________________ |
60. | The scheduling system in which patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis is ________ scheduling.
________________________________________ |
61. | Time-specified or _______________ scheduling assumes a steady flow of patients throughout the day at regular, specified intervals.
________________________________________ |
62. | A practice that needs flexibility to allow for appointments that take more or less time than anticipated could use ________ scheduling.
________________________________________ |
63. | When a service such as ultrasound is available only at certain times, ________ scheduling is used to group ultrasound appointments together.
________________________________________ |
64. | Mr. Jones just completed his annual physical exam and wants to schedule the appointment for next year. This is called ________ scheduling.
________________________________________ |
65. | A(n) ________ scheduling system can lock out selected appointment slots for various purposes and can provide the physician with a variety of reports that can help improve efficiency.
________________________________________ |
66. | Appointment ________ can take various forms, but all help patients keep track of their appointments.
________________________________________ |
67. | A patient who arrives without an appointment expecting to see the practitioner is referred to as a(n) ________ patient.
________________________________________ |
68. | A patient who does not call to cancel an appointment but does not come to the appointment is called a(n) ________.
________________________________________ |
69. | It is important to avoid ________ appointments because doing so creates stress for the physician and other staff and causes the office schedule to fall behind.
________________________________________ |
70. | When making travel arrangements for the physician, you should obtain a(n) ________ of travel plans and make sure both the physician and the office has copies of it.
________________________________________ |
71. | The monthly office staff meeting will be held tomorrow. One of your responsibilities to prepare for the meeting is to develop the ________ of topics to be discussed.
________________________________________ |
72. | During the monthly staff meeting, you are responsible for taking detailed notes so you can prepare the report of what was discussed and decided upon at the meeting. These notes are known as the ________ of the meeting.
________________________________________ |
73. | A practitioner who is hired to see patients while the regular practitioner is away from the practice is referred to by the legal term ________.
________________________________________ |
74. | Before changing to ________ scheduling, the practice should assess its needs, survey patients for Internet access, and investigate privacy issues.
________________________________________ |
75. | Before a practice can use e-mail to schedule appointments, patients must sign a(n) ________ allowing communication via e-mail.
________________________________________ |
76. | After you have scheduled a patient for an outpatient procedure, you should answer any questions the patient may have and make sure she understands that if the ________ instructions are not followed, the procedure may need to be rescheduled or repeated.
________________________________________ |
Multiple Choice Questions
77. | The appointment book is a legal record and as such experts feel the old appointment books should be kept by the practice for at least ____ years.
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Fill in the Blank Questions
78. | The open-hours scheduling system is also known as a ______ system.
________________________________________ |
79. | An efficient schedule depends on the practitioner’s _________ and habits, the available facilities, and patient need.
________________________________________ |
80. | A basic outline of the times the practitioners are and are not available to see patients is known as a _________.
________________________________________ |