Post-operative appointments should be approximately _____ in length.
• 10 minutes
• 45 minutes
• 30 minutes
• 1 hour
Answer: 30
... [Show More] minutes
Rationale: Each medical office will have their own protocol. However, most physicians need about 30 minutes
to review a patient’s health status after being discharged from the hospital. A longer appointment would not
be a good use of the physician’s time and a shorter appointment would not allow for a sufficient examination
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discussion. The amount of time needed might also vary depending on the age and health condition of the
patient.
Competency: Describe scheduling guidelines, CAAHEP V.C-2
2. In _______ scheduling, patients are given a specific appointment time for the first half of the hour, leaving
the second half of the hour open for walk-in patients.
• stream
• wave
• modified wave
• open booking
Answer: modified wave
Rationale: With modified wave scheduling, patients are given a specific appointment time during the first half
of the hour and the second half of the hour is kept open for walk-in patients, catch up time, or
accommodating urgent patients.
Competency: Manage appointment schedule, using established priorities, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.P-1
3. True or false? A clustering appointment type is where patients with similar conditions are seen on the same
day.
Answer: True
Rationale: A clustering appointment type is used to group patients with similar problems together and they
are then seen on the same day.
Competency: Manage appointment schedule, using established priorities, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.P-1
4. A type of appointment scheduling where two patients are given the same appointment time is called:
• stream scheduling.
• wave scheduling.
• modified wave scheduling.
• double-booking scheduling.
Answer: double-booking scheduling
Rationale: Double-booking is an appointment scheduling type where two patients are given the same
appointment time. This is often used when one patient is going to need some preparation before the
physician can see them, so the physician is seeing one patient while the other one is being prepped.
Competency: Manage appointment schedule, using established priorities, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.P-1
5. True or false? Always ask the physician if you are unsure whether a patient should be seen right away.
Answer: False
Rationale: Check the office policies about what types of problems should be seen on the same day if you are
unsure. If you are still unsure, check with the physician.
Competency: Recognize office policies and protocols for handling appointments, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.C-3
6. Most post-operative protocols require the patient to have their first follow-up appointment within ___ days
of having the procedure.
• 2
• 5
• 10
• 14
Answer: 10
Rationale: Most physicians will want to see a patient within 10 days of the procedure to address any issues
the patient may have and remove any sutures or staples that were used.
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Competency: Recognize office policies and protocols for handling appointments, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.C-3
7. What is the chief complaint for Ms. Nasser’s visit?
Answer: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy follow-up
Rationale: The chief complaint is the reason the patient is being seen in the medical office that day. Ms.
Nasser is being seen for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy follow-up. Validate student answer in simulation.
Competency: Recognize office policies and protocols for handling appointments, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.C-3
8. It is office policy that a physician can be double-booked once every two hours. This means that once during
a two hour block of time, how many patients could have the same appointment time?
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
Answer: 2
Rationale: When double-booking is used, two patients are given the same appointment time. The patient that
arrives first or the patient with the most urgent condition may be seen first.
Competency: Recognize office policies and protocols for handling appointments, ABHES 8-d, CAAHEP V.C-3
9. Which of the following patients should be seen on the same day they call the medical office?
• A patient who needs a post-operative follow-up.
• A patient who has had a fever of 103°F for three days.
• A patient who has been nauseous for the past 24 hours.
• A patient who needs a refill of Coumadin.
Answer: A patient who has had a fever of 103°F for three days.
Rationale: A patient who has had a high fever for several days should be seen on the same day they call. The
other patients could wait for another day.
Competency: Describe scheduling guidelines, CAAHEP V.C-2 [Show Less]