Medical assistant scheduling guide

A member calls your office

1. Confirm the office and membership

   Confirm your office is participating and which benefit it has authorized. Use the clinic-approved DoctorMD verification process. A badge or a caller saying “I’m a doctor” does not establish active membership. If verification is unavailable, contact your designated coordinator without delaying clinically necessary care.

2. Follow the usual clinical triage

   Apply your clinic’s triage protocol. Route symptoms or urgent concerns to a nurse or clinician; the MA should not independently diagnose or decide clinical urgency. Emergency concerns follow your emergency protocol. Membership never overrides clinical priority.

3. Check appropriate available appointments

   Look for the earliest clinically suitable opening, the approved cancellation list, or another participating physician the member agrees to see. Do not displace a patient with greater clinical need or promise a reserved appointment. If the member requests an MD or DO, check that preference and clearly explain any alternative before booking.

4. Check the booking requirements

   Confirm new-patient eligibility, insurance or self-pay arrangements, referral requirements, orders, prior authorization, location, and clinician. For cash pricing, use the approved written quote and clarify what it includes. Membership does not waive copays, deductibles, or other charges.

5. Confirm the details with the patient

   Provide the date, time, location, clinician’s name and credentials, arrival instructions, paperwork, and cancellation policy. If nothing earlier is available, offer the usual appointment and, with permission, a cancellation list. Explain how quickly the patient must respond to an opening.

6. Protect privacy and follow through

   Use your clinic’s approved record system and minimum necessary information. Send clinical details only through authorized channels. Do not post symptoms, records, or appointment details in community groups, and do not send them to the public DoctorMD email. Keep membership coordination separate from clinical records unless your policy requires otherwise.

Suggested phone wording

“Thank you for letting us know you are a DoctorMD member. I’ll check our office’s participating benefits and the earliest suitable opening. Appointments depend on availability, and our usual clinical triage still applies. May I confirm your scheduling details?”

The office’s designated coordinator handles membership questions. The treating clinic retains responsibility for care, triage, records, and billing.