Telephone Etiquette
A medical administrative assistant must ask for this and wait for a response before placing a caller on hold.
What is permission?
This process involves sorting patients based on how quickly they need medical attention without making a diagnosis.
What is triage?
Under this scheduling method, every patient receives a specific appointment time.
What are fixed office hours?
This personal identifier should always be verified before booking, canceling, or changing a patient's appointment.
What is the patient's date of birth?
This marking is placed on incoming correspondence to document when the medical office received it.
What is a date stamp?
A professional telephone greeting should include these four components to create a positive first impression.
What are a greeting, the office name, the CMAA's name, and an offer to assist?
Medical offices use these three priority classifications when screening patient telephone calls.
What are emergency, urgent, and routine?
This scheduling method allows patients to arrive without appointments and generally be seen in order of arrival, with urgent patients prioritized.
What are open office hours?
A patient who misses a scheduled appointment without notifying the medical office is referred to by this term.
What is a no-show?
Unless specifically authorized, a CMAA should deliver mail bearing either of these two labels directly to the addressee without opening it.
What are "Personal" and "Confidential"?
When a caller's name is difficult to understand, this action helps ensure that patient information is documented accurately.
What is asking the caller to spell their name and repeating it back?
An annual physical, a stable condition follow-up, and a routine appointment change all belong to this triage category.
What is routine?
In this scheduling system, several patients are asked to arrive at the same time, often at the beginning of each hour.
What is wave scheduling?
When confirming an appointment, a CMAA should remind patients to bring these three items to the medical office.
What are a photo ID, insurance card, and copay?
This office reminder system helps staff track documents, follow-up responsibilities, and items expected to arrive at a later date.
What is a tickler file?
A complete telephone message must include the caller's name, date of birth, telephone number, and this important detail explaining why the patient contacted the office.
What is the reason for the call?
A patient reports a fever of 101°F and a sore throat lasting two days. This type of appointment or follow-up should be arranged.
What is a same-day or next-day appointment or nurse callback?
Scheduling two patients during the same appointment slot is known by this term.
What is double-booking?
A patient arrives 25 minutes late for a 15-minute appointment. Rather than automatically placing the patient ahead of others, the CMAA should follow this established guideline.
What is the office's late-patient policy?
When a patient's payment arrives through the mail, the CMAA must verify this information before recording and depositing the check.
What is the patient account to which the payment belongs?
When leaving a voicemail for a patient, a CMAA must avoid mentioning these three types of confidential medical information.
What are test names, test results, and diagnoses?
A caller reports chest pain accompanied by difficulty breathing. According to emergency telephone protocols, the CMAA should immediately direct the caller to contact this emergency service.
What is 911?
A medical office accepts walk-in patients from noon until 2 p.m. but requires scheduled appointments during the remaining office hours. This combination represents this scheduling method.
What are open and fixed office hours?
Before scheduling an MRI or another procedure requiring approval from the patient's insurance company, the CMAA must ensure this authorization has been obtained.
What is preauthorization?
A medical office receives a letter indicating that supporting patient records will arrive separately. The CMAA should use this reminder system to ensure the missing documents are followed up on.
What is a tickler file?