Medical Office Chapter 4 Terms

Front 1

annotate

Back 1

The act of making notes that are either helpful or necessary in the margins of communications before forwarding them to the physician

Front 2

Bound Printed Matter

Back 2

The classification of mail used for any material permanently bound by materials such as glue, staples, or spiral binding; at least 90% of the mailed materials must be imprinted materials composed by means other than handwriting or typewriting; items may weigh up to 15 pounds and cost is determined by weight, distance, or shape.

Front 3

Certificate of Mailing

Back 3

A receipt purchased at the time of mailing that documents the date the material was presented for mailing to the U.S. Postal Service.

Front 4

Certified Mail

Back 4

A service offered by the U.S. Postal Service whereby the Postal Service keeps a record of delivery and the sender receives a mailing receipt.

Front 5

chief complaint (CC)

Back 5

The reason for the patient's visit to seek the physician's advice.

Front 6

cluster scheduling

Back 6

A method that brings several patients in at the same time, such as on the hour, to be seen by the provider; also known as wave scheduling.

Front 7

Collect on Delivery

Back 7

The U.S. Postal Service delivery service that collects postal and other fees from the recipient when the postal material is delivered.

Front 8

Delivery Confirmation

Back 8

The U.S. Postal Service delivery service that provides the date and time of delivery or attempted delivery.

Front 9

double-booking appointments

Back 9

The practice used, when the schedule is full, of entering overflow patient appointments in a second column beside regular appointments; in some cases, triple columns are used.

Front 10

emergency

Back 10

Acute symptoms of sufficient severity that the delay of medical attention would result in serious jeopardy to an individual or unborn child, serious impairment of body functions, or dysfunction of a body organ or part.

Front 11

established patient (EP)

Back 11

A patient who has seen the physician or a physician of the same specialty within the same practice in the last 3 years.

Front 12

Express Mail

Back 12

Service offered by the U.S. Postal Service that provides next day delivery of items.

Front 13

First-Class Mail

Back 13

The classification of mail weighing 13 ounces or less, which includes all correspondence, whether handwritten or typewritten, such as bills and statements of account, and is sealed against postal inspection.

Front 14

Insured Mail

Back 14

Articles sent through the U.S. Postal Service or other carriers that are covered against loss or damage through the purchase or provision of insurance.

Front 15

Media Mail

Back 15

The rate used by the U.S. Postal Service for the mailing of books, videotapes, looseleaf pages, and binders; also called "Book Rate."

Front 16

new patient (NP)

Back 16

A patient who has not seen the physician or a physician of the same specialty within the same practice group for three or more years.

Front 17

no-show

Back 17

A patient who, without notifying the physician's office fails to show up for an appointment.

Front 18

open/fixed office hours

Back 18

A method of seeing patients during hours when the physician is available an no appointment is made, such as from 10 A.M. to noon; patients are seen on a first-come-first-seen basis.

Front 19

optical character reader (OCR)

Back 19

Equipment used to scan materials for data, such as a ZIP code.

Front 20

Parcel Post

Back 20

The classification of mail for items 70 pounds or less and no more than 130 inches in length and girth; mailing fee is based on weight, distance to travel, and shape.

Front 21

POSTNET

Back 21

A bar code interpretation of the ZIP code or the ZIP+4 consisting of a series of long and short vertical lines which is placed on the lower portion of the mailing address.

Front 22

Priority Mail

Back 22

A service offered by the U.S. Postal Service; two-day delivery service to most domestic destinations.

Front 23

Registered Mail

Back 23

Items sent through the U.S. Postal Service for which a delivery record is maintained at the mailing post office; a receipt is given to the sender at the time of mailing.

Front 24

Restricted Delivery

Back 24

Direct delivery through the U.S. Postal Service; item delivered only the addressee or addressee's authorized agent.

Front 25

Return Receipt

Back 25

A piece of paper provided by the U.S. Postal Service to give the sender proof of delivery.

Front 26

screening calls

Back 26

The practice of evaluating calls to decide on appropriate appointment action.

Front 27

shared medical appointments

Back 27

A method of scheduling patients with the same condition in the a group setting and at the same time.

Front 28

Signature Confirmation

Back 28

U.S. Postal Service delivery service that provides the date, ZIP, time of delivery (or attempt), and signature of the person who accepted the delivery.

Front 29

Special Handling

Back 29

A U.S. Postal Service for-a-fee service to be used when sending items which are fragile and require extra care. The package should be marked "FRAGILE."

Front 30

telephone etiquette

Back 30

A set of skills and attitudes used when answering the phone that allows the assistant to sound alert, interested, and concerned.

Front 31

triage

Back 31

The determination of how soon a patient needs to be seen by the physician based on whether the patient's condition requires immediate attention.

Front 32

urgent

Back 32

A condition that requires immediate medical attention as a result of an unforeseen illness, injury, or condition, but is not defined as an emergency.

Front 33

wave scheduling

Back 33

Groups of patients are scheduled and arrive for appointments at the same stated time, such as on the hour (1 PM). Another wave of patients will arrive at the next scheduled time (2 PM).

Front 34

ZIP

Back 34

Abbreviation for Zone Improvement Plan, which is a system of the U.S. Postal Service of designating delivery of mail based on numerical codes.

Front 35

ZIP+4

Back 35

An extension of the postal ZIP system that adds an additional four codes, which represent a geographic segment such as building number to the original ZIP code.