Medical Assistant (MA) Administrative Assisting Practice Test 2025 - Free MA Administrative Assisting Practice Questions and Study Guide

The scheduling method that involves arranging two or three patients during the last 30 minutes of an hour is known as wave scheduling. This approach allows for flexibility in managing patient flow, as it anticipates that not all patients will require the same amount of time. By scheduling multiple patients close together in this way, it can help accommodate variations in appointment lengths and reduce wait times.

Wave scheduling can be especially effective in a healthcare setting where some patients may have shorter visits due to routine check-ups, while others might require more extensive consultations. It can also help to optimize the available time slots within a busy practice while ensuring that the last part of the hour remains productive.

In contrast, cluster scheduling focuses on grouping similar types of appointments together, double-booking refers to scheduling two patients for the same time slot, potentially leading to conflicts, and open hours scheduling allows patients to arrive at their convenience, which may result in unpredictable patient flow. Each of these methods serves different purposes based on the needs of the practice and its patient population, but for the question regarding scheduling multiple patients in the latter half of the hour, wave scheduling is the most accurate choice.