Phlebotomist Queue Manager Guide Office Assistant Queue Manager Guide

Please review prior to onsite training to become familiar with Express Check-in functionality and terms.

Overview

The Office Assistant plays a vital role ensuring all patients have a positive experience with Express Check-In, whether they are a walk-in who has never heard of Express Check-In or an Express patient who frequents the MAU. The Express Check-In Queue Manager allows Office Assistants to control the flow of patients through the queue with an easy to use interface tailored for the CCHS MAU workflow.

The Queue Manager requires OAs to perform a set of core functions that will be described in this reference guide:

1. Help patients enter the queue whether it’s at the Check-in Kiosk, by phone, etc.
2. Ensure the Queue is current
3. Maintain Queue Settings (# providers, etc.)

In This Reference Guide

• Basics of the Queue
• Updating a Patient's Status
• Adding a Patient to the Queue
• Maintaining Up-to-date Queue Settings
• FAQs

Basics of the Queue

The Queue includes all patients, walk-ins and Express patients who reserved their spot in line with Express Check-In. Each MAU’s Queue is split into two parts, the Active Queue and the History Queue.

Figure 1. Queue Basics

The Active Queue  (1)

The Active Queue includes patients who are waiting to be roomed.

The following patients are included in the Active Queue:

1. Not Present: Patients who have reserved their spot with Express Check-In but have not yet arrived
2. Arrived: Patients who have checked in at the MAU’s Check-in Kiosk
3. Registered: Patients who have been registered in Sorian.

NOTE: Patients who are ready to be registered will appear in bold lettering in the Active Queue.

The Queue History (2)

The History includes all patients who have been roomed or removed from the Active Queue.

The following patients are included in the History:

1. Roomed: Patients who have been moved to an exam room.
2. Canceled: Patients who have chosen to cancel their upcoming visit.
3. Walkout: Patients who have chosen to leave the MAU before they are seen by a provider.
4. No Show: Patients who did not arrive for their visit. 

View other CCHS MAU Queues (3)

View the queue of any other operational MAU. You will only be allowed to update the Queue of the MAU at which you are currently stationed.

Updating a Patient's Status

Ensuring up to date patient status is the the responsibility of the Office Assitant. The Office Assistant has the capability to update any patient’s status at any time within both the Active Queue and History Queue. Patient status should be updated by the OA during the following scenarios:

1. Patient Registers: Once the patient’s registration is complete in Sorian, update the patient's status to “Registered.” If a patient is NOT manually updated to “registered”, nurses and MAs will NOT call the patient to an exam room.
2. Patient Cancels: If a patient contacts the MAU to cancel their appointment, the patient’s status must be updated to “Canceled.” Note: Patient will receive a text alert following the update
3. Patient Never Arrives: If a patient is more than 10 minutes late for their assigned Visit Time, the Queue Manager will prompt you to mark the patient as a “No Show”.
4. Patient Walks Out: If a patient chooses to leave the MAU before they are seen by a provider, the patient must be marked as a “Walkout” within the Queue Manager.

Status updates typically handled by others:

1. Patient Roomed: When patient is called from the waiting room to an exam room, the Nurse or MA updates the patient's status to “Roomed”.
2. Patient Arrives: Once the patient completes check-in at the Kiosk, their status will be updated to “Arrived”.

Note: If a patient status is updated inadvertently and the patient is moved to History, you may restore them to their original position in the Active Queue by updating their status (see steps below). 

Quick Lesson: How to update a Patient’s Status

Figure 2: patient status update

1. If updating status to “Registered”, use the shortcut in the table to register patients.
2. To update the status, click on a patient’s row in the table to display the pop-up window.
3. Select the desired status from the dropdown list.
4. Save your selection before closing the pop-up window.

Adding a Patient to the Queue

Most patients who use Express Check-In will get in line through the website, but some patients may call the MAU to reserve their spot in line (see phone script here). Patients who are unable to check-in at the Kiosk may also require the OA’s assistance to join the Queue.

Quick Lesson: How to Add Patients to the Queue

Figure 3: add patient pop-up window

1. Open the “Add Patient to Queue” window by clicking the plus button on the home screen
2. Complete the form with the patient's input
   1. Select the visit type from the drop down menu.
   1. Walk-In indicates that the patient is currently at the MAU.
   2. Express indicates that the patient has not arrived at the MAU.
   2. Be sure to collect the patient's cell phone number. Express type visit patients will receive a text message with their Visit time and confirmation information.
   3. Select a reason for visit that most resembles the patient’s chief complaint
3. Add the patient to the Queue

Maintaining Up-to-date Queue Settings

MAU Queue Settings must be maintained at all times while the MAU is open to patients. These settings ensure that the Express Check-in Next Available Visit Time (“Visit Time” hereafter) is calculated properly. Each patient’s Visit Time is calculated using:

1. Number of providers in the MAU
2. Current length of the queue
3. Average patient processing time

Patient’s are expected to arrive at or before their assigned Visit Time. If the Queue Settings are not kept up to date with current MAU operations, Express Check-in patients will experience unexpectedly long wait times or fewer Express visits will be available.

Quick Lesson: Initialization of the Queue Settings

Figure 4: initial Queue settings at login

1. After logging into the Queue Manager, you will be asked to set the queue settings
2. Select the MAU at which you are currently stationed
3. Determine the number of providers who are currently at the clinic (Physicians, PAs and NPs)
4. Set the average processing time for each patient (How should I set the average processing time?)
5. Proceed to the Queue

Quick Lesson: Updating the Queue Settings

Figure 5: Queue settings from home

1. Click “Update Settings” to enable settings changes
2. Adjust the number of providers to meet current operational status
3. Adjust the processing time depending on MAUs current efficiency
4. Save the settings updates