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1. A well-designed reception area allows for patient comfort, together with a functional and efficient use of space. The reception area should be well lit; should not be too bright or too dark; and should have clearly defined areas that are accessible, roomy, and comfortable. If a practice includes several patient populations, from children to older adults, sections of the reception area can be designed to accommodate each group’s special requirements. The medical receptionist should have a clear view of patients who are waiting to see the physician yet still provide privacy and confidentiality to those patients when they approach the receptionist's desk. All areas should be fully accessible to the physically challenged, in compliance with the ADA.

Using the template below, design a functional reception area. Move the templates around on the floor plan; use tracing paper to experiment with different placements and configurations. Visualize your experience of the space, both as a patient of the practice who is waiting for service and as a medical professional who must work in the space. Use only those templates that you determine are the most functional and efficient for the space you are designing; you do not have to incorporate each element into your design. Once you have decided on an arrangement, copy the final configuration onto the blank floor plan. When you have completed your design, write a brief description of the nature of the medical practice the reception area is intended for (e.g., pediatrician, gerontologist, or family practitioner) and of the patients who will be using the space.

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Final Reception Area Design (Floor Plan).

Describe the medical practice and its patients.

2. Computers are used at work, in school, and at home by more and more people each year. The Electronic Information Age has become a part of everyday life. In the ambulatory care setting, computers perform simple tasks, but they also make possible an array of more complex tasks that would have been difficult or time-consuming to execute manually, such as compiling information for and extracting information from databases and executing mail merges and sorts. New software applications are continually released that are user-friendly and perform tasks quickly and efficiently. The potential of computers seems endless, and now the Internet is opening up whole new areas of communication and information access via the computer.

Discover the range of resources, services, and products available to today’s computer user. The more savvy administrative medical assistants are about new and existing applications and resources, the more they can contribute to getting the most out of the office’s computerized systems. Go to your local library, bookstore, and computer superstore to research and identify the following:

A. Name five magazines devoted to computer hardware, software, or computer issues and applications. Give a one-sentence description of the main focus of each periodical.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

B. List five computer programs, each of which performs a different function. Give the name of the program and describe the function it performs.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

C. Name three resources that provide medical information online. Give the Internet or World Wide Web addresses and a brief description of the nature and type of information available. A librarian is a good person to help you find this information. Two examples of online resources are MEDLINE, a bibliographic database of articles from medical journals, and the National Institutes of Health.

(1)

(2)

(3)

3. The medical assistant’s tone of voice while speaking on the telephone is as important as the specific words that are said to others. Practice can help medical assisting students develop a pleasant telephone personality and improve the clarity and sound of their voices so callers will trust and understand what is said.

For each telephone scenario listed, work with two other classmates to role-play the parts of the medical assistant and the patient/caller, and the third student will be an observer and recorder. Use nonworking phones as props to approximate the experience of a real telephone call. This exercise works best if the callers and call recipients are not able to see each other. If possible, use a tape recorder to record the role-playing exercise for each scenario. The person playing the medical assistant should always demonstrate professionalism. Other characters in each scenario can be role-played as broadly and creatively as possible to challenge the student who takes the role of the medical assistant. Create additional scenarios for role-playing.

Telephone Scenarios

A. Medical assistant answers a call from Jaime Carrera, who has been diagnosed by Dr. James Whitney with back strain from heavy lifting at his construction job. Mr. Carrera is taking a prescription for Tylenol with codeine. He reveals that he is dizzy, has a severe pounding headache, and feels like he will faint if he tries to walk. He slurs his words and seems “out of it.” Of special note: Mr. Carrera recently completed a substance abuse rehabilitation program. Dr. Whitney is currently with another patient.

B. Medical assistant takes a call from Mr. Richards, an aggressive medical supply salesperson, who requests the earliest possible appointment with Dr. Elizabeth King.

C. Medical assistant calls Cele Little, an older adult woman who is hard of hearing, to confirm her 3:00 pm appointment with Dr. Susan Rice on Friday, January 15. Mrs. Little does not remember making the appointment.

Play back the taped telephone conversations and evaluate the following elements of the medical assistant’s telephone techniques and etiquette. If the conversation isn’t recorded, the third student should be certain to make note of the following elements:

1. Enunciation: Are the words spoken clearly?

2. Tone of voice: Does the tone convey enthusiasm, warmth, empathy, and interest in the caller?

3. Speed: Is the rate of the speech fast, slow, or normal?

4. Volume: Is the volume such that the patient can hear without difficulty, but is not so loud that others can overhear or it is irritating to the caller?

5. Etiquette: Is the medical assistant courteous, considerate, patient, and responsive?

4. As a class, contact a few medical clinics and offices in your area to see what type of scheduling system they use. If you explain that you are a student and are learning about scheduling methods, they probably will be anxious to share information. You might even be able to go in person to the clinic to see the appointment book or screen.

While you are there, or as a separate project, ask the receptionist what his or her major problems are with scheduling. After the information is gathered, discuss, as a class, the various problems, then brainstorm some options and possible solutions. Your instructor might want to share the results of your brainstorming with the offices.

The following questions might assist you in your inquiry:

1. Which type of scheduling system or combination of systems does the clinic use?

2. Who makes up the matrix?

3. When are in-office surgeries/procedures scheduled? Is there a special time?

4. How does the clinic handle no-show appointments? Does the clinic ever charge for missed appointments?

5. What sort of tickler file does the clinic keep as a reminder to call patients back?

6. Which types of calls are put through to the physician immediately, even if he or she is with another patient?

5. Filing skills are mastered through memorization and practice. By memorizing the basic rules of filing, medical assistants will be more confident about filing records and documents accurately. Filing becomes less of a mystery, and filing duties can be performed with efficiency, speed, and ease.

A. Memorization Game

Create index cards with a basic filing rule written on each one. Consult your textbook for the basic filing rules. Also consult your textbook to create cards for the filing rules associated with numeric filing, cross-references, and the filing procedure examples for correspondence.

Now, divide the class into small groups of students seated in a circle of no more than five people. Each group has a complete set of filing rule index cards. Shuffle the cards, facedown, so the information cannot be read. The first student, designated by the group, takes a card from the shuffled deck of filing rule cards and reads the rule out loud to the group. The first person in the group to give a correct example of the rule “wins” the round. The student’s correct answer is written on the index card and initialed. Then the deck is passed to this student who chooses another card and begins a new round. The game continues until all index cards have been used. The complete deck, now annotated with student answers and initials, is given to the instructor.

As a class, discuss the process of memorizing filing rules and how easy or hard it is to apply filing rules.

B. Practice

Each student in the class agrees to volunteer to perform 2 hours of filing for a campus organization, department, administrative office, or library within one designated school week. The following week, discuss in class the different filing systems used on campus. Assess the general experience. For example, how organized was the filing system? Was the system up to date? Was the filing process efficient, confusing, streamlined, disorderly, a no-brainer? Did the office staff exhibit a high knowledge of the inner workings of their filing system? Discuss the impact of effective records management on the smooth operation of any workplace environment, including the ambulatory care setting.

7. On a computer, create a personal letterhead design and write a two-page business letter using your letterhead. This will be a real letter that you will mail. Use this opportunity to write a letter to a business either to thank them, praise a job well done, or notify them of something they might not be aware. Perhaps your letter will be a letter of complaint or for another purpose. You may choose to apply any of the acceptable letter styles.

Print your rough draft on plain, inexpensive paper, proofread it using standard proofreader’s marks, and then adjust the letter accordingly. When you are satisfied with the finished product, print the first page on letterhead paper and print the second page on plain matching paper. Be sure the second page is numbered using the software page numbering option. Include in your letter all the components of a business letter as outlined in this chapter.

Sign the letter and keep a copy for your records, either a soft copy saved by the computer or a printed hard copy. Fold the pages appropriately for a business letter, insert them into a business size envelope, addressed properly according to the criteria outlined in this chapter, and mail the letter. When you receive a reply, go through the reply letter, identifying the style used and labeling all the components of the letter. If a reply from you is appropriate, write the reply, and then send it.

8. Many offices do not have transcription services located in the office, but rather send their transcription work out to another place or agency. To better understand the services available, investigate the ways transcription services can be offered. Gather information about transcription companies, including how they are staffed, the turnaround times, and how they charge for their services. Share this information with the class.

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