1. CHAPTER 10 SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS Establishing Priorities Methods
Advance Preparation
Reported by Leasa Foulk, Amy Hanson, Zach Heuer, Erica Hochstetler, Mary Kramer and Melissa Traiser

2. Introduction
Appointment scheduling is the process that determines which patients the physician sees, dates and times of appointments, and time allotted to each patient.
Time management involves the reality that unforeseen interruptions/delays happen.
Efficient appointment scheduling is one of the most important factors of a successful practice.

3. The Purpose of Establishing Priorities for Appointment Scheduling
Complaints that money spent does not correspond with amount of physician’s time spent with them
Patient must feel confident that physician takes time to understand concerns
Well-planned scheduling and adherence to schedule allows physician to provide time patient requires

4. Using Established Priorities for Appointment Scheduling
Four factors must be considered in scheduling:
The patient’s needs
The physician’s preferences and habits
The facilities available
The duration of office visits

5. Patient Need
The office must consider the socioeconomic status – relating to a combination of social and economic factors when determining hours and appointment times:
Office in busy metro or rural agricultural community
Age of patient
Types of patients seen
Evening/weekend appointments essential

6. Scheduling around school/work
After these elements have been considered, the scheduler must allot time based on the patient’s needs for each individual office visit. These needs can be assessed by determining the following:
Scheduling around school/work
Staff member assisting or physician needed for entire appointment
Purpose
Age
Issues driving after dark
The office should make every attempt to meet the patient’s needs while balancing the physician’s preferences and availability

7. Using Established Priorities for Appointment Scheduling
The person scheduling appointments must consider the preferences and habits of the physicians in the practice before establishing and implementing a scheduling plan
The schedule must be adjusted for physician’s
personality
Compromise so that the schedule is workable
Prompt physician to stay with schedule
Individualized to the specific practice

8. Physician Preferences and Habits
Ask the following questions:
Packed reception area or concerned if one patient kept waiting??
Is the physician conscientious about being available when patient appointments are scheduled to begin?
Is the physician habitually late?
Does the physician move easily from one patient to another?
Does the physician require a “break time” after a few patients?
Would the physician rather see fewer patients and spend more time with each one or schedule more patients each day?

9. Physician Preferences and Habits
All of these preferences and habits become an integral part of the scheduling process
Integral - essential
Keep in mind that the physician cannot spend every moment of the day with patients.
The physician also has phone calls to make and receive, reports to examine and dictate, meetings to attend, mail to answer, and many other business responsibilities.

10. Available Facilities
Getting a patient into the office at a time when no facilities are available for the services needed is pointless
As the medical assistant gains proficiency in scheduling, it becomes easier to pair patient needs with the available facilities according to the physician’s preference
Major equipment frequently used or a certain room with such equipment may need its own scheduling column in the appointment book or software system
Proficiency - competency as a result of training or practice

11. Duration of Office Visits
The medical assistant who performs scheduling duties must know the amount of time required for various office visits and procedures
The time blocks are important, because of the physician’s reimbursement from insurance companies is based partly on the time requirements of the procedure of office visit.
Reimbursement – payment of benefits to the physician for services rendered according to the guidelines of the third-party payer.

12. Methods of Appointment Scheduling
The two most common methods of scheduling are Computized Scheduling and Appointment Book Scheduling

13. Computerized Appointments
Computer programs:
Length/type of appointment required
Day/time preferences
Keep track of future appointments
Print out physician’s daily schedule
Can be accessed by more than one person at a time

14. Appointment Book Scheduling
In some facilities, employees keep an appointment book as a backup to computer scheduling
Can show entire week at a glance
Color coded, with special color used for each weekday
Multiple columns available to correspond with number of physicians in a group practice

15. Reduce number of calls to office
Self-Scheduling – Method that allows patients to view facility schedule, select and make appointment
Pros:
Reduce number of calls to office
Available 24 hours/day
reminders
No more waiting on hold for scheduler
Cons:
Requires minimal computer skills
Patient may object to having their name anywhere on the internet

16. Advance Preparation – sometimes called establishing a matrix
Block out time slots when the physician routinely isn’t available to see patients
days off, holidays, lunch or dinner breaks, time for hospital rounds, and meetings.
Note the reason for why the time is blocked off.
Always try to account for every time period in each day.

17. From the office of Beth Heuer, Radiology Department Administrative Assistant – Northfield Hospital
Being prepared is very important in the medical field and doing things in advance makes the job easier and less stressful.
Prepare the daily schedule, hand out preps, and work closely with radiologists.
Main goal is to have an accurate schedule by the end of the day for tomorrow.
Making notes on the computer about patients and their procedures that might help with the exam.
Verifying the patient’s appointment time is correct and to allow enough time for the exam to be done.
Patient’s really appreciate it if they get in AND out of the hospital on time.
Some exams (MRI’s & CT’s) need to be approved by the insurance companies.
Reminder phone calls to patients to help decrease no shows.
All of this preparation lessens the chances for errors and it increases the overall customer satisfaction.

18. ANY QUESTIONS

19. Are you ready for some…..
????????? JEOPARDY