PowerPoint® to accompany
Chapter 12
Medical Assisting
Chapter 12
Second Edition
Ramutkowski • Booth • Pugh • Thompson • Whicker
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
1
Scheduling Appointments and
Maintaining the Physician’s Schedule
Objectives
121 Explain the importance of the appointment book in
maintaining the schedule in the medical office.
122 Identify common scheduling abbreviations.
123 Identify and describe different types of
appointment scheduling systems.
124 Discuss ways to arrange appointments for patients.
125 Explain how to handle special scheduling
situations.
2
Scheduling Appointments and
Maintaining the Physician’s Schedule
Objectives (cont.)
126 Explain how to handle noshow and late patients
with proper documentation.
127 Describe how to schedule appointments that are
outside the medical office.
128 Discuss ways to keep an accurate and efficient
physician schedule.
3
The Appointment Book
A well managed
appointment book:
Unexpected events
that occur:
• Creates an efficient
patient flow
• Shows respect for
everyone’s time by
preventing excessive
wait time
• Early & late arrivals
• Noshow patients
• Emergencies
• Physicians spend
extra time with
patients
4
The Appointment Book
Preparing the Appointment Book
First a matrix must be created by blocking off
times the doctor is unavailable.
Examples of when time should be blocked off:
Hospital Rounds
Surgery
Vacation & Holidays
Scheduled Meetings
5
The Appointment Book
Patient’s full name
Home and work telephone numbers
Purpose of the visit
Estimated length of visit
6
The Appointment Book (cont.)
Abbreviation
Meaning
BP
blood pressure check
can
cons
CPE
ECG
FU
I&D
cancellation
consultation
complete physical examination
electrocardiogram
followup appointment
incision and drainage
7
The Appointment Book (cont.)
Abbreviation
Meaning
inj
injection
N&V
nausea and vomiting
NP
new patient
P&P
Pap
Pap smear (Papanicolaou smear) and pelvic
examination
Pap smear
PT
physical therapy
re
recheck
8
The Appointment Book (cont.)
Abbreviation
Meaning
ref
referral
RS
reschedule
sig
sigmoidoscopy
S/R
suture removal
surg
surgery
US
ultrasound
CP
chest pain
C&C
called and canceled
9
The Appointment Book (cont.)
Abbreviation
Meaning
C
canceled
Lab
Laboratory studies
Rx
Prescription
SOB
Shortness of Breath
c/o
Complains of
pt
Patient
GI
Gastrointestinal
PMS
Premenstrual Syndrome
STD
Sexually Transmitted Disease
10
Determining Standard
Procedure Times
510 min
3060 min
1020 min
30 min
15 min
1520 min
30 min or >
1520 min
1020 min
1530 min
15 min
510 min
1530 min
30 min
30 min or >
11 3060 min
A Legal Record
The appointment book is considered to be a
legal record.
Some offices keep appointment books on
hand for at least 3 years.
Use ink and never pencil.
Never erase a name or use liquid paper to blot names out.
Write the date, time, and reason for cancellations.
It can be used as evidence, so entries must be easy to read.
12
Apply Your Knowledge
Use your knowledge of abbreviations and scheduling to
order these patients from least time required to most
time required.
S/R
CPE
FU
can
P&P
13
Apply Your KnowledgeAnswer
Use your knowledge of abbreviations and scheduling to
order these patients from least time required to most
time required.( 1= least time & 5= most time required)
1 can cancellation 0 min.
2 FU followup appointment 510 min.
3 S/R suture removal 1020 min.
4 P&P Pap smear (Papanicolaou smear) and pelvic examination
1530 min.
5 CPE complete physical examination 3060 min.
14
Appointment Scheduling Systems
OpenHours Scheduling
Patients arrive at their own convenience
Patients are seen on a firstcome, firstserved
basis
Time Specified Scheduling
Patients are scheduled for specific times
Longer appointment times are given as needed
15
Appointment Scheduling Systems
(cont.)
Wave Scheduling
Uses an hourly target by determining the
number of patients to be seen hourly and
dividing by the average estimated length of
the visits
Works well in large offices that can see
several patients at the same time
Several patients are scheduled for the same
appointment time, and they are seen in the
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order of their actual arrival
Appointment Scheduling Systems
(cont.)
ModifiedWave Scheduling
One modification is to schedule patients in 15
minute increments
Another option is to schedule four patients during
the first half hour and leave the second half hour
free for catch up
Double Booking
Scheduling two or more patients for the same
time with the plan that both will see the doctor
17
within the scheduled period
Appointment Scheduling Systems
(cont.)
Cluster Scheduling
Groups similar appointments together during the
day or week
Useful if specialized equipment has limited
availability
Advance Scheduling
Scheduling patients weeks or months in advance
such as with annual gynecologic examinations
18
Appointment Scheduling Systems
(cont.)
Combination Scheduling
Using two scheduling methods
Computerized Scheduling
Affords the following advantages:
Can “lock out” selected appointment times
Information can be accessed from all terminals in the
office
Help identify patients who are late, canceled, or those
requiring more time with the physician
19
Apply Your Knowledge Answer
A large pediatrician office commonly must “squeeze”
patients in that have become ill, so this new office plans
to offer immunizations only twice per week.
Which scheduling system(s) would you recommend for
this medical practice?
Combination scheduling consisting of cluster and a form
of wave scheduling would be recommended to allow for
the needed flexibility.
20
Arranging Appointments
New Patients
Patients who have not
been established at the
medical office
Get correct information
such as spelling and
pronunciation of their
name, address, telephone
number, etc.
Requested to arrive 15
30 minutes early to
complete forms
Return
Appointments
It is a good practice to
ask patients that come to
the office for visits if
they need another
appointment before they
leave.
21
Arranging Appointments (cont.)
Appointment cards
•After appointment
time is entered in the
book, it is recorded
and given to the
patient
Reminder mailings
Appointment
Reminders
•Patient addresses
a postcard to
themselves that
the office mails
one week before
the appointment
Reminder calls
Recall notices
•12 days before the
scheduled
appointment a follow
up call is made
•Form letter sent to
remind patients
that they need to be
seen22
Apply Your Knowledge Answer
A new patient is scheduling an appointment over the
telephone with the medical assistant. This medical office
uses Time Specified Scheduling. The next available
appointment is 0930. What time will the medical
assistant request that this patient arrive based on this
information?
This patient should be scheduled to arrive no later than
0915, so the necessary forms can be completed prior to
the scheduled time to see the physician.
23
Special Scheduling Situations
Medical office schedules can be interrupted by:
a) Patients
b) Physicians
c) Both
d) Neither
24
Patient Scheduling Situations
Emergencies
Patients told to come to the office for emergency
appointments are seen before patients already
scheduled, once they arrive.
Referrals
Patients referred by other physicians should be
seen as quickly as possible as a matter of
professional courtesy and good business practice.
25