Deck 4: Office Communications: Phone, Scheduling, and Mail

Question 1

The traditional channel of initial communication between the patient and the physician is:

A) Face-to-face
B) Telephone
C) E-mail
D) Regular mail

Answer 1

Telephone

Question 2

What should always be done prior to placing a caller on hold?

A) Ask permission
B) Take a message
C) Pull the chart
D) Obtain their telephone number

Answer 2

Ask permission

Question 3

If you must keep a caller on hold for more than _____ seconds, go back on the line and ask the caller if they wish to continue holding.

A) 15
B) 30
C) 45
D) 60

Answer 3

30

Question 4

There are many ways to answer the phone, but the preferred method is to answer with:

A) "Hello"
B) "Good morning"
C) "Dr. _____'s office, this is _____."
D) "Please hold the line"

Question 5

Which of the following calls should not be handled by taking a message?

A) Call from another physician
B) Prescription refills needed
C) Non-stat lab or x-ray results
D) A personal friend of the physician

Question 6

After taking a message regarding a patient's care, the assistant should:

A) Advise the physician
B) Advise the medical assistant
C) Enter into the computer
D) Pull the patient's chart

Question 7

All chart entries must be:

A) Dated
B) Signed and filed
C) Signed and dated
D) Printed and dated

Question 8

Almost all patients make their first contact with the physician's office by

A) Writing a letter.
B) Writing an e-mail.
C) Calling on the phone.
D) Stopping by in person.

Question 9

About how far away from your mouth should you hold the mouthpiece of the phone in order to avoid distortion or faintness of voice?

A) 3 inches
B) ½ inch
C) 2 inches
D) 1 inch

Question 10

Before appointments can be made, the administrative medical assistant must know the _____ of the physician's office.

A) Address
B) Basic schedule
C) Average schedule
D) Basic information

Question 11

A primary consideration in scheduling is allotting time for the physician's:

A) Social engagements
B) Favorite hobbies
C) Research time
D) Hospital Rounds

Question 12

In which type of scheduling are patients seen in the order in which they arrive?

A) Open/fixed office hours
B) Wave schedule
C) Double booking
D) Modified wave

Question 13

Another name for wave scheduling is:

A) Group scheduling
B) Open/fixed office hours
C) Modified wave
D) Cluster scheduling

Question 14

What is the difference between "stat" and "today"
Appointments?

A) The time of the appointment
B) The severity of the condition
C) The length of the appointment
D) The age of the patient

Question 15

Which type of scheduling gives patients the flexibility of open office hours while allowing the assistant more control over the flow of patients?

A) Double booking
B) Modified wave
C) Wave scheduling
D) Open/fixed office hours

Question 16

How often are established patients asked to verify their necessary data?

A) Every 3 months
B) Every 6 months
C) Once per year
D) Twice per year

Question 17

Many offices post a sign asking that patients notify the front desk if they are still waiting _____ past their scheduled appointment time.

A) 45 minutes
B) 30 minutes
C) 20 minutes
D) 15 minutes

Question 18

Leaving an interval of _____ free in the late morning and again at the end of the day will help the administrative medical assistant straighten out a delayed schedule.

A) 15-20 minutes
B) 25-30 minutes
C) 30-45 minutes
D) 60 minutes

Question 19

Mail should be stored according to its:

A) Size
B) Date
C) Addressee
D) Importance

Question 20

If confidential mail is opened in error, the administrative medical assistant should reseal the correspondence and:

A) Mark with her initials
B) Mark with the date and the word "mistake"
C) Mark with the date and initials
D) Mark "opened by mistake" and her initials

Question 21

Which type of correspondence relates to the management of the office and may concern insurance companies, lawyers, supply houses, and bills to patients?

A) Clinical
B) Business
C) Personal
D) Professional

Question 22

Which type of correspondence concerns patients, clinical matters, and research?

A) Business
B) Personal
C) Clinical
D) Professional

Question 23

Which type of correspondence pertains to the physician's private life, such as notes to friends or letters about the physician's personal business interests?

A) Business
B) Personal
C) Clinical
D) Professional

Question 24

Which type of mail offers overnight delivery to most destinations?

A) Priority mail
B) Parcel post
C) Express mail
D) First class mail

Question 25

Which type of mail includes all correspondence, whether hand written or typed, all bills, and all materials sealed against postal inspection and weighing 13 ounces or less?

A) Priority mail
B) Parcel post
C) Express mail
D) First class mail

Question 26

Which type of mail is used for mailing items such as books, catalogs, other printed matter, or merchandise not weighing more than 70 pounds and no more than 130" in length or girth?

A) Priority mail
B) Parcel post
C) Express mail
D) First class mail

Question 27

Which type of mail provides the greatest security for valuables?

A) Registered mail
B) Insured mail
C) Certified mail
D) First class mail

Question 28

Which type of mail offers two-to three-day service to most domestic destinations and must weigh less than 70 pounds?

A) First class mail
B) Express mail
C) Parcel post
D) Priority mail

Question 29

When processing incoming mail, the office assistant should do all the following except

A) Date stamp the correspondence.
B) Attach needed patient data to correspondence.
C) Place received checks in different locations.
D) Refrain from opening the physician's mail marked "Confidential."

Question 30

During the monthly office meeting, the method of scheduling appointments was discussed. The patients frequently had wait times in excess of two hours and were very upset by the time the physician saw them. The practice is a large community clinic that uses wave scheduling. Which of the following scheduling methods may be a better alternative for the clinic?

A) Scheduled appointments in the morning for call-in patients and open hours in the afternoon.
B) Wave scheduling with double and triple booking of patients at the top of each hour.
C) There is not better scheduling method.
D) See fewer patients each day.

Question 31

While triaging a patient over the phone, the administrative medical assistant learned the patient had "a really deep cut on the inside of the upper thigh" and there was blood everywhere. The patient stated he was not able to stop the bleeding. The patient should be advised to:

A) Come to the office, since the wound may become infected.
B) Call 911 or go immediately to the emergency department because the patient may have cut into an artery.
C) Elevate the leg above his heart and see if the bleeding decreases.
D) Schedule an appointment for the following morning.

Question 32

After taking a message regarding a patient's care, the administrative medical assistant should obtain the __________.

A) patient chart
B) doctor's input
C) vital statistics
D) referring physician telephone number

Question 33

A __________ may be used to send or receive information about the patient immediately.

A) Fax machine
B) Copy machine
C) Postage machine
D) Weighing machine

Question 34

All chart notations must be signed and __________.

A) proof-read
B) triaged
C) dated
D) posted

Question 35

The __________ for cancellations and rescheduled appointments should be posted in areas accessible to patients such as the waiting area or examination room.

A) NPP
B) OCR
C) office policy
D) management book

Question 36

An assistant must screen calls according to the office policy, take complete and accurate messages, and __________________________.

A) Distract the caller
B) Follow proper telephone etiquette
C) Answer all questions that the patient may have
D) Only put through calls that they feel are important

Question 37

Another word for telephone etiquette is telephone ________________.

A) conduct
B) screening
C) demeanor
D) accomplishment

Question 38

You work in an oncologist office, and a patient calls to get the results of their breast biopsy. You cannot determine the identity of the patient over the phone so you should ______________.

A) tell them to call back and talk to someone else
B) go ahead and release the requested information
C) have them call the lab directly for the results
D) not disclose any information until you have received proper release

Question 39

The ideal time to answer a call is on the _______________ ring.

A) Fourth
B) Third
C) Second
D) First

Question 40

What is it called when patients with the same condition(s) meet in a group setting?

A) shared medical scheduling
B) wave scheduling
C) open scheduling
D) fixed scheduling

Question 41

A local immunologist has a large Spanish-speaking patient population, and she offers appointments the first Tuesday of each month so everyone can get their blood glucose test, vitals taken, and wounds on feet checked. A dietician also attends these sessions and during the encounter Spanish is spoken. What type of scheduling does the immunologist use in this case?

A) fixed
B) open
C) wave
D) shared medical

Question 42

What type of scheduling has offices enter the extra appointment in the second column beside the regular scheduled appointment?

A) wave
B) open
C) shared medical
D) double-booking

Question 43

How would you classify a patient who, without notifying the office, fails to come to their appointment?

A) No show
B) Failed show
C) No appearance
D) Failed appearance

Question 44

The process of using good judgment to determine how soon a patient needs to be seen is called _________________.

A) triage
B) determination
C) priority calling
D) patient assessment

Question 45

When opening payments from patients, the administrative medical assistant should do everything except

A) Carefully put aside the check.
B) Verify whose bill is being paid.
C) Mark it personal and confidential.
D) Keep all patient checks together to be recorded and deposited later.

Question 46

Which type of mail is used for mailing items such as books, catalogs, sound recordings, and video recordings?

A) Bound Printed Matter
B) Express Mail
C) Priority Mail
D) Media Mail

Question 47

The doctor wants to send a dismissal from care letter to the patient for refusing to follow medical advice. The office will need to make sure that the patient has received this letter for documentation purposes. Which method of mailing should they use?

A) Parcel Post
B) Priority Mail
C) Certified Mail
D) First-class Mail

Question 48

Which way should patient statements be mailed?

A) First-class mail
B) Priority mail
C) Parcel Post
D) Certified Mail

Question 49

_______________________ requirements are that at least 90 percent of the mailed materials must be imprinted materials generated by a means other than handwriting or typewriting.

A) Media mail
B) Parcel post
C) First-class mail
D) Bound printed matter

Question 50

When sending something that requires special handing, you should mark the package as _________________.

A) Delicate
B) Fragile
C) Beware
D) Breakable

Question 51

You want to send a letter to a patient with confidential HIV test results, and you want to make sure that only the patient (or the patient's agent) receives the letter. How should you send this delivery?

A) Special
B) Limited
C) Restricted
D) Controlled

Question 52

First-class mail is primarily processed by OCR, which stands for ______________.

A) Optical certified reader
B) Outgoing certified reader
C) Outgoing character reader
D) Optical character reader

Question 53

The use of ZIP + 4 _________ mandatory

A) is
B) is not
C) used to be
D) may become

Question 54

The office is going through the medicine cabinet and notes that there are a few medicines that have expired. What should the office do with these medications?

A) Throw them in the trash
B) Flush them down the toilet
C) Hurry up and give them out
D) Take them to a centralized location for proper disposal

Question 55

Patients judge the care they receive by the attitude of the office personnel, which can be reflected by the administrative medical assistant's

A) tone of voice and choice of words.
B) accent and pronunciation.
C) sentence structure.
D) Office personnel.

Question 56

According to good telephone etiquette, what should you do when answering the phone?

A) Visualize the person
B) Answer on the fourth ring
C) Just get through each call quickly
D) Make sure you say "bye-bye" when ending the call

Question 57

You should speak at a ______________ pace throughout the conversation.

A) Slow
B) Fast
C) Moderate
D) Leisurely

Question 58

Your office should utilize a _________________ to help you screen and transfer calls.

A) Memo pad
B) Prewritten script of what to say
C) Call screening sheet
D) Dispatch system

Question 59

When screening calls, the first priority is to:

A) Make sure the patient understands you and ask them to hold
B) Determine the name and nature of the call
C) Find out if the patient needs an appointment
D) Tell the patient that you are busy and will get back to them within 3-5 minutes

Question 60

Which one of the following calls would you put through to the physician?

A) A patient's relative requests information about the patient
B) A prescription refill
C) A lab calling with test results
D) A call from a patient with an acute illness, such as a severe reaction to medication

Question 61

A patient, Mary Jones, was seen last week and the doctor asked her to inform the office after a week on a new medication. What should the administrative medical assistant do when Mary reports that information?

A) Put the call immediately through to the physician
B) Let Mary tell you about it and do nothing
C) Take a message and give it to the doctor
D) Have the doctor paged

Question 62

CMS defines an emergency medical condition as:

A) a medical condition that manifests itself by chronic symptoms of low severity
B) a medical condition for which treatments are not medically necessary and are chronic
C) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity
D) a medical condition for which treatments are medically necessary and immediately required

Question 63

CMS defines an urgent medical condition as:

A) a medical condition that manifests itself by chronic symptoms of little severity
B) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity
C) medical conditions for which treatment is not medically necessary but are chronic
D) medical conditions for which treatment is medically necessary and immediately required as a result of an unforeseen illness, injury, or condition

Question 64

When screening a nonmedical situation, the caller refuses to give you information over the phone. What should you do in this situation?

A) Suggest that a letter be written and marked "Personal"
B) Refuse to help the caller until the information is obtained
C) Just hang up the call because it was probably a sales call
D) Put them on hold and wait for them to hang up

Question 65

When taking a message you should use ____________ to save time when recording a message.

A) slang expressions
B) colloquial expressions
C) complete medical terminology
D) abbreviations

Question 66

A drawback to which type of scheduling system is that you do not know the reason for the patient's visit until they arrive in your office?

A) Wave scheduling
B) Open/fixed office hours
C) Shared medical appointments
D) Online scheduling

Question 67

When Mike Capney needs to see his physician, he can just go to the office whenever he wishes. The practice is utilizing what type of patient scheduling?

A) Wave scheduling
B) Shared medical appointments
C) Scheduled appointments
D) Open/fixed office hours

Question 68

What type of scheduling system do many physician offices and clinics use where patients are given a set appointment time?

A) Wave scheduling
B) Shared medical appointments
C) Scheduled appointments
D) Open/fixed office hours

Question 69

Through what type of scheduling system can patients gain encouragement because they realize they are not alone in their struggles?

A) Wave scheduling
B) Shared medical appointments
C) Scheduled appointments
D) Open/fixed office hours

Question 70

ZocDoc is an example of what type of scheduling?

A) Wave scheduling
B) Shared medical appointments
C) Patient online scheduling
D) Open/fixed office hours

Question 71

What type of scheduling enables available appointment slots in a physician's schedule to be very easily located?

A) Computer scheduling
B) Wave scheduling
C) Open/fixed office hours
D) Double-booking

Question 72

Bonnie calls in complaining of cramps and bleeding, and she is 26 weeks pregnant. When would you give an appointment to this patient?

A) Stat and/or today
B) Tomorrow
C) Later
D) No appointment is required

Question 73

David Kelly calls to book his annual physical. How would you classify this appointment?

A) Stat and/or today
B) Tomorrow
C) Later
D) No appointment is required

Question 74

A patient, Kathy Cole, calls to say that she has had vaginal discharge over the past week along with blood in stool. How should this appointment be scheduled?

A) Stat and/or today
B) Tomorrow
C) Later
D) No appointment is required.