Lecture Medical assisting: Administrative and clinical competencies (2/e) - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Scheduling appointments and maintaining the physician’s schedule. In this chapter you will learn to identify the different types of scheduling systems, how each is used, and which type of practice each system would work best in. You will also learn how to handle many types of scheduling situations within the office, including patient appointments, emergencies, pharmaceutical representatives, and the scheduling of outside appointments with other medical facilities.

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Chapter 12 Medical Assisting

Chapter 12

Ramutkowski • Booth • Pugh • Thompson • Whicker

Scheduling Appointments and 

Maintaining the Physician’s Schedule

The Appointment Book

A well managed  appointment book:

• Creates an efficient  patient flow

• Shows respect for  everyone’s time by  preventing excessive  wait time

Unexpected events  that occur:

• Early & late arrivals

• No­show patients

• Emergencies

• Physicians spend  extra time with  patients

15 min 15­20 min 15­30 min

30 min

30 min or > 30­60 min

Use your knowledge of abbreviations and scheduling to order these patients from least time required to most 

CPE complete physical examination   30­60 min.

FU follow­up appointment   5­10 min.

can  cancellation   0 min.

P&P Pap smear (Papanicolaou smear) and pelvic examination    15­30 min.

 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  order of their actual arrival

Appointment Scheduling Systems  

(cont.)

 Double Booking

 Scheduling two or more patients for the same 

time with the plan that both will see the doctor within the scheduled period

Appointment Scheduling Systems 

(cont.)

Combination scheduling consisting of cluster and a form 

of wave scheduling would be recommended to allow for the needed flexibility

­Answer Answer

 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.

Appointment Reminders

Recall notices

•Form letter sent to  remind patients 

that they need to be  seen

Arranging Appointments  (cont.)

A new patient is scheduling an appointment over the 

telephone with the medical assistant. This medical office uses Time Specified Scheduling. The next available 

Special Scheduling Situations

Medical office schedules can be interrupted by: 

a) Patients b) Physicians c) Both

d) Neither

 Referrals

 Patients referred by other physicians should be 

seen as quickly as possible as a matter of professional courtesy and good business practice

 Schedule their appointment as early as possible

Patient Scheduling Situations 

(cont.)

 Cancellations

 Be sure to draw a line through the patient’s name in the 

appointment book and document in his/her medical record  the cancellation

accordingly.

­ Answer Answer

Maintaining the Physician’s  Schedule

Schedule   (cont.)

 Planning Meetings

 Find out number of 

people, length and  purpose of meeting

 Secure location with 

adequate room and  parking

 Prepare an agenda if 

requested

 Secure equipment like 

podium and  microphones

 Scheduling Time with 

the Physician

 Meet regularly with the 

physician to review items  such as:

Maintaining the Physician’s 

Schedule   (cont.)

Apply Your Knowledge

When making travel arrangements for the physician, which of the following would be most important?

a) Locum tenens b) Itinerary

c) Agenda 

­ Answer Answer

End of Chapter