Chapter 39 Flashcards
Duties of first person in the office: (5)
1.) Disarm the alarm system
2.) Turn on the lights
3.) Unlock the door through which patients enter
4.) Unlock file cabinets, medical records files, and medicine cabinets
5.) Turn on all of the office equipment that will be used
Duties to prepare telephone system for the day’s activities:
1.) Switch from the night/weekend message to the day message on the voice mail system
2.) If office uses an answering service, need to notify service that office is open
Checking for faxes that have arrived overnight:
Route to the appropriate person
Make sure fax machine has adequate amount of paper
- Retrieve messages from a separate prescription request mailbox
Preparing for the Day’s Activities:
- Review the day’s tasks
- Note any deviations from normal routine
- Prepare manual day sheet if it will be used
- Review electronic task system or tickler file
- Tickler file is set of 12 folders (one for each month) plus 31 additional folders (one for each day of the month
- Contains notes, bills to be paid, other items for the day when it must be handled
Patients charts are usually pulled when before the appointment?
the evening before the appointment
Charts are arranged with an appointment schedule for each physician.
What is printed for each person and placed with the record? When may these be printed?
- Charge slip
- When charts are pulled
- When the patient arrives
What form of schedules are updated as patients are added and printed for each physician nd placed throughout the office? What are usually kept at the front desk until the patient arrives?
- Appointment schedule
- Charts
Waiting rooms should be checked for:
- Cleanliness
- Neatness
- Correct temperature
When checking the office and waiting room what should m turned on? What should be cleaned regularly? And holders fr what are tidied and restocked?
- Television, radio, and/or DVD player in waiting room should be turned on
- Toys in children’s play area
- Patient information brochures
When checking equipment and supplies, the office should be checked visually for what? What should you fill paper trays on?
What do you also do in the laboratory besides turning on equipment?
What should you unload if it was used the night before?
- Safety
- Copier and printer
- Run controls
- Autoclave
What can run when office is closed and allows the instruments to dry overnight and gives more time in the morning?
- What are pulled at the end of the day?
- What should you make backup copy of, as needed?
- Autoclave
- Medical Records
-Main computer hard drive
Closing the medical office tasks:
1.) Turn off all equipment except fax machine and telephones
2.) Change telephone system to night message and/or call answering service
3.) Lock the door through which patients enter
4.) Lock file cabinets, medical record files, and medication cabinets
5.) Make sure kitchen equipment is turned off
6.) Turn off lights
7.) Alarm system is set as the last person leaves
Should have adhesive peel-off strips to preserve confidentiality
Sign-in sheet
Prevents people in the waiting room from hearing telephone conversations in the reception area.
- If information provided is sensitive, patient is taken to private area.
Sliding glass window
Forms completed and/or signed by a new patient:
-Personal and insurance information (if not already recorded)
- Consent for treatment/release of information form
- Form authorizing assignment of benefits
-Payment will go directly to the office
New patient is given a copy of this. New patient signs a form acknowledging this. If office policy, new patient signs a general form consenting to release of information.
HIPPA: notice of office privacy practices…form acknowledging receipt of notice of privacy practices.
New patient fills this out before seeing the physician. May be mailed to the patient or given before the first visit.
Patient History Form
Verifying Insurance and Obtaining Authorizations:
- Photocopy both sides of the insurance card
- Some insurance companies require authorizations every time the patient sees the primary care physician
People with this insurance usually have to be verified and/or receive prior authorization for each visit. This is an insurance program established by the federal government. Pays for low-income patients’ medical needs. These patients can be verified by electronic card reader, fax, or telephone.
Medicaid
Some insurance companies require what every time the patient see the primary care physician? Other types of insurance may necessitate calling the patient’s insurance company to obtain this for treatment. Call if there is a question about whether the insurance will cover the visit before patient is seen
Authorization
For physician other than primary care provider, this may be required. Will state how many visits are allowed. Will state problem for which the patient is being referred. Must accept what insurance pays. If not covered by insurance or this form, patient must be informed of responsibility for bill.
Referral form
Must verify that billing information is correct EACH time a patient visits the office. Update information when there is any changes.
Established patients
A fixed amount of money that the patient is required to pay each time he or she receives medical treatment. Amount is usually printed on the patient’s insurance card. May be collected before the visit because it is a fixed fee. Patient is given a receipt for this and amount is recorded on patient’s charge slip.
Coypayment
After a patient has been checked in, medical record is placed in designated space. Patient is placed in examination room when one is free. Forms are inserted in the medical record or scanned into an electronic medical record.
Charge slip is usually attached to front of medical record or routing slip. Physician will complete the charge slip. Patient information is checked and/or added in the computer.
Indicating that the Patient is in the Waiting Room
Brief description of the physicians and information about them. Specialties of physicians in the practice, types of patients seen, and basic philosophy of physician(s). Information about languages spoken by the staff. Location of the main office and satellite offices, directions to each office, and a description of available parking and access to public transportation. Types of insurance the practice accepts, how to make appts and the policy regarding canceling appts, telephone procedure and whether the physician has call in times, and with which hospitals each physician is affiliated. How medication refills are handled and whether the patient can request refills through the online patient portal. How to sign up to use an online patient portal
Information for New or Prospective Patients
Some doctors may not be accepting patients, why?
- Most physicians see new patients only on certain days and at certain times.
- Remind new patients to bring a complete list of medications to initial appointment, as well as a list of concerns
- Already have as many patients as they can handle
- Have been out on leave and are working a reduced schedule
- Planning to retire
Considerations to Facilitate Patient Understanding:
Take into account the patient’s cultural or ethnic background, patient’s developmental stage, and any communication barriers that may exist
May be necessary to sometimes simplify explanations or increase the amount of information provided
Always use language appropriate for patient’s developmental stage
Implement safety measures for very young or elderly patients
Patient Informational Materials:
- Website with lots of information, including photographs of office and office staff
- Sections about practice information, directions, health and wellness, etc.
- Maintaining website is usually responsibility of an office administrator
- Many offices have an information booklet or brochure
- Important to keep booklet up-to-date
- Patient information booklets are very successful marketing tools
