Chapter Twenty-Two: Scheduling Appointments and Receiving Patients

Question 1

audit trail

Answer 1

a record of transaction that identifies by what person or persons and at what time and day an electronic record was accessed in order to maintain accountability for the security of the information as it is accessed.

Question 2

charge slips

Answer 2

see encounter form

Question 3

clustering

Answer 3

scheduling patients for specific type of visits or procedures at specific times; for example, Monday mornings can be reserved for new patients, Wednesday afternoons for immunizations and school physicals.

Question 4

double-booking

Answer 4

(scheduling) the same appointment time is given to two or more patients

Question 5

encounter forms

Answer 5

also called superbills; a record of information obtained during a health care visit, usually a preprinted document, that designates what services and/or procedures are performed and at what level of acuity those services should be billed. Also called a charge slip; lists the procedures performed in that medical office, with their respective codes

Question 6

flex time

Answer 6

refers to the practice of permitting work hours within a range of time

Question 7

matrix

Answer 7

a format for establishing a time schedule for appointments

Question 8

modified wave

Answer 8

scheduled the same as wave but with the exception of scheduling patients in the last 30 minutes at 10-20 minute intervals

Question 9

obliterated

Answer 9

to blot out; leave no trace; destroy

Question 10

open hours

Answer 10

(scheduling) no scheduled appointment. Patients sign in upon arrival and are seen by the provider in that order

Question 11

no-shows

Answer 11

term used to describe a visit in which a patient fails to present for examination without giving the provider advance notice

Question 12

real time adjudication (RTA)

Answer 12

refers to the immediate and complete adjudication of a health care claim upon receipt by the payer from a provider. Adjudication is the final determination of the issues involving settlement of an insurance claim, also known as a claim settlement.

Question 13

referral

Answer 13

sending a patient to a provider of a different specialty for treatment beyond the scope of practice for the initial practitioner

Question 14

single-booking

Answer 14

a method of scheduling in which one one patient is assigned to one block of time in a visit schedule

Question 15

streaming

Answer 15

appointments are scheduled for a particular amount of time based on patient need. This type of scheduling is designed to keep a continuous flow of patients coming through the office

Question 16

unstructured

Answer 16

without specific arrangement

Question 17

utilization

Answer 17

to use or make use of

Question 18

wave

Answer 18

patients are scheduled during the first 30 minutes of each hour, leaving the last 30 minutes for same-day appointments