Scheduling Appointments and Receiving Patients Chapter 12 Scheduling Appointments and Receiving Patients

Preparing the Appointment Schedule Appointment books versus computerized scheduling Establishing a matrix Mark off unavailable time Allow for flex time

Copyright ©2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning. Methods of Scheduling Clustering Double-booking Walk in/open hours Single-booking Streaming Wave Modified wave Copyright  ©2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Appointment Documentation Schedules are legal documents Important to enter information correctly Follow office procedure for cancelling appointments Can be useful to document a history of no-show or cancellation

Creating New Appointments

Creating New Appointments Required information Correctly spelled name Next available appointment or time requested Date and time understood by patient Amount of time to be reserved Preference for time of day Alternate time

Creating New Appointments Telephone appointments Obtain all necessary information before patient hangs up Read back information to verify Copyright  ©2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Creating New Appointments Follow-up appointments Appointment cards Copyright  ©2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Creating New Appointments Referral appointments Often referred for diagnostic testing, or to see a specialist Inpatient admissions Be prepared to provide necessary information

Maintaining the Schedule Walk-in or chronically patients Emergency appointments Work-in patients Missed appointments Business appointments

Greeting Patients “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Smile Use active listening skills Make eye contact Provide clear and complete explanations Maintain confidentiality

Greeting Patients Patient sign-in Obtain new patient information Helps maintain the schedule Always protect confidential patient information Obtain new patient information Verify insurance eligibility

New Patient Information Complete, correctly spelled name Date of birth Social security number Marital status Current address Telephone numbers Health insurance information Guarantor Employer information Driver’s license Referral information Copyright  ©2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Explaining Office Policies Use good communication techniques Patients may be unsure about new and unfamiliar experiences Helps ease fears Maintains good rapport with patients Clarifies office policies Encourages patient compliance