Vocabulary Review

1. The office manager cautions the medical assistants to avoid _____, because most patients do
not understand complicated medical terms.
2. The highness or lowness of sound is called its ____.
3. When speaking on the phone or in public, Dr. Conn knows that he should avoid ____ speech to
keep the listeners interested and enthusiastic about what he has to say.
4. The utterance of articulate clear sounds is ____.
5. Dr. Beard ordered the laboratory tests ___ so that the results would be reported to him
immediately.
6. Mackenzie has learned to be ___ when she speaks with patients on the phone so that she
maintains a good relationship with them.
7. Dr. Lightfoot prefers that the receptionist ___ all his calls so that he can concentrate on the
patients in the office during their examinations.
8. Patients have expressed that they would like to be able to talk to a real person when calling the
office after hours. The office manager is considering using a (n) ____ to address patient
concerns.
9. When the receptionist is not sure if the patient should be seen that day they would transfer the
call to the ____ area.
10. ________ provides callers with a menu of choices to be directed to the correct department.

Skill and Concepts

Part I: Answering Incoming Calls and Taking Phone Messages

Physician Dr. Julie Beard

Office Manager Julia Carpenter

Clinical Medical Assistant Trina Martinez

Clinical Medical Assistant Dean Howell

Scheduling Assistant Stephanie Dickson

Receptionist Ginny Holloway

Insurance Biller and Medical Records Gloria Richardson

1. Message retrieved from the answering machine, “Hello, this is Peter Young, I saw Dr. Beard on
Monday about a rash on my forearms. This thing isn’t getting any better, and the cream she
prescribed for me isn’t helping the itching, and it’s very uncomfortable. Is there anything else we
can do to help it? My number is 972-555-9873.” The message was received at 7:30 am on
Thursday, February 3.
 Who should receive this message?

 Questions to ask the patient when returning the call:

  What action should be taken after speaking with the patient?

2. Gerald Morris calls Dr. Beard’s office today to ask whether his insurance has paid for his last
office visit. He is an established patient and has worked as a city police officer for more 10 years.
After asking to place Mr. Morris on hold, you pull up his account on the computer. No insurance
payment has been credited to his account, and a note indicates that his insurance was not in
effect at the time of his office visit. Mr. Morris asks you to check with the insurance company
and call him back, because he is concerned about resolving this issue. His phone number is 972-
555-8824. This call was received at 3:45 pm on September 4.
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask the patient:
 What action should be taken after speaking with the patient?

3. Mr. Juan Ross calls to get his prescription for Ambien refilled. His pharmacy is Wolfe Drug, and
the drugstore phone number is 214-555-4523. Mr. Ross is allergic to penicillin. His phone
number is 214-555-2377. Mr. Ross’s message was received on July 23 at 10:15 am.
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask the patient:
 What action should be taken after speaking with the patient?
4. Message retrieved from the answering machine, “This is Sarah at Cline Meador Lab with a STAT
laboratory report. It is 9:35 am on November 16. The patient’s name is Laura Williamson, date
of birth January 14, 1984 and her WBC count is 18,000. Please notify Dr. Beard immediately. The
laboratory phone number is 800-555-3333 and my extension is 255. If she has any questions,
please have her give me a call. Thanks.”
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask Sarah:
 What action should be taken after speaking with Sarah?
5. Judy Jordan has migraine headaches and occasionally takes hydrocodone to relieve the pain. Dr.
Beard leaves the office for the weekend at noon on Friday, and office policy dictates that she is
not to be paged except in emergencies. Patients with routine or lesser health issues are to be
instructed to make an appointment to come in and see the physician or to go to the emergency
department. Ms. Jordan calls at 4:45 pm on Friday afternoon, March 9, after Dr. Beard has left
the office. She requests that the staff authorize a refill for her pain medicine and insists on
speaking to the office manager, who currently is in a meeting. Ms. Jordan’s phone number is
214-555-9822.
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask the patient when returning the call:
 What action should be taken after speaking with the patient?
6. Message retrieved from the answering machine, “Hello. My name is Christina Cawtel, and I was
referred to your office by Dr. Preston for evaluation of an ovarian cyst. Today is Wednesday,
October 4, and it is 8 am. I would like to make an appointment for early next week if possible.
 My phone number 817-555-9325. Oh, and by the way, I need to know if you are a provider for
Aetna, because my company just changed to their managed care plan. I probably need to have a
mammogram too, and want to see whether you will order it before I come in for the
appointment. Thanks.”
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask Ms. Cawtel when returning the call:
 What action should be taken after speaking with patient?
7. “My name is Janeen Shaw, and I am Dr. Beard’s patient. It is just before 2 pm and 1 am trying to
reach you as soon as you open your office after lunch. I am having a hard time breathing, and I
have stomach pains. I am hurting all over my upper body, on my chest, my arms, my neck, just
everywhere. I’m sweating, and I’m very nauseated. I’m 45 years old, and I’m almost never ill. I
wanted to find out if I can come in for an appointment today. Please call me back as soon as
possible. My phone number is 601-555-3423. Thank you. Please call as soon as you can. I really
feel awful.”
 Who should receive this message?
 Questions to ask the patient when returning the call:
 What action should be taken after speaking with the patient?

Part II: Handling Difficult Calls

1. Angry callers
2. Sales calls
3. Emergency calls
4. Unauthorized inquiry calls
5. Callers with complaints
6. Callers who speak foreign languages or have heavy accents

Part III: Answering the Telephone

1. Ophthalmologist:
2. Oncologist
3. General practitioner
4. Chiropractor
5. Cosmetic surgeon
6. Dermatologist

Part IV: Fill-in-the-blank

1. Selecting which calls will be forwarded to the physician immediately is a process called ____.
2. The medical assistant should not eat, drink, or _____ while answering the office telephone.
3. The medical assistant must maintain patient _____ at all times, even when on the telephone.
4. Telephone calls should be answered by the _____ ring.
5. Unsatisfactory progress reports from patients should be directed to the ____.
6. _______ help with communication when the healthcare facility has various locations.
Part V: Time Zones
1. When it is 3 pm in Dallas, it is _____ in Los Angeles, California.
2. When it is 2 pm in Washington State, it is _____ in New York City.
3. When it is 5 pm in Las Cruces, New Mexico, it is _____ in Flint, Michigan.
4. When it is 4 pm in Augusta, Maine, it is _____ in Columbia, South Carolina.
5. When it is 11 am in Biloxi, Mississippi, it is ______ in Chicago, Illinois.
Part VI: Telephone Technique
1. List five questions that might be asked of a patient who calls with an emergency situation:
2. The phrase that often calms an angry patient is:
3. Explain the procedure for transferring a phone call.
4. What should the medical assistant do if a caller refuses to identify himself or herself?
5. List the seven components of a proper telephone message.
Case Study
1. Denise has been the receptionist for a moderately large clinic for the past 3 months. She
replaced Dorothy, who retired. Denise has been overwhelmed with the calls to the clinic, and
the office manager has spoken to her twice about missing calls. Denise insists that she is
constantly on the phone answering and transferring calls. She is beginning to lose faith in
herself, but as she considers why is failing at her job, she realizes that two new physicians have
joined the practice since Dorothy left, and numerous calls come to the clinic for those two
physicians. Denise wants to suggest to the office manager that perhaps the time has come for a
second receptionist, but she is unsure how to broach the subject. How can Denise begin her
conversation with the office manager? What should she not do or say?