Scheduling, Patient Demographics and Insurance Verification

Question/Prompt: As a medical office assistant, you are required to be familiar with many different aspects of the office. When a new patient calls to schedule an appointment, what kind of information do you need to collect from them in order to ensure that everything is ready by the time the patient comes in for the visit?

• How often do you verify the patients’ demographics or update that information?
• How would you know if their insurance will cover the visit, if they need a referral, or how much to charge them?
• What are 2 ways you could verify the patients’ benefits and find out if they are in network with your office, have a copay or co-insurance, or whether they need a referral at the time of their appointment?

**must be 350 words**