Certified Medical Assistant (CMA AAMA)Administrative: Billing, Coding and SchedulingMedium
A busy family practice schedules several patients at the top of each hour (e.g., 9:00, 10:00, 11:00) and sees them in order of arrival within that hour, allowing the front-loaded time to absorb no-shows and short visits. What scheduling method is being used?
- AOpen-access scheduling
- BWave scheduling
- CDouble-booking
- DStream scheduling
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Wave scheduling
Wave scheduling groups multiple patients at the same time interval (such as the top of every hour) and sees them on a first-come, first-served basis within that block, which helps compensate for no-shows and variable visit lengths. Stream scheduling assigns patients individual fixed time slots throughout the day.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Open-access scheduling reserves same-day slots for patients to be seen when they call, not grouped by hour.
- C. Double-booking assigns two patients to the exact same single time slot, not a whole hour block.
- D. Stream scheduling assigns each patient a distinct individual appointment time.
Wave Scheduling
An appointment scheduling method in which multiple patients are scheduled for the same broad time block (e.g., the beginning of each hour) and seen in the order they arrive.
- Helps absorb no-shows and variable exam lengths
- Patients within the block are seen first-come, first-served
- Contrasts with stream scheduling, which gives individual fixed times
Memory trick: Wave = group of patients riding in on the hour