ESL Podcast 551 - Scheduling a Medical Appointment

appointment - a scheduled meeting; a specific date and time when one will do something

Each October, Clarke makes an appointment to get his teeth cleaned at the dentist's office.

health plan - medical insurance plan or coverage; the policy that helps a person pay for his or her medical expenses

Stefan has a great health plan where he has to pay only $5 each time he sees his doctor.

patient - a person who receives medical advice and/or treatment from a doctor, clinic, or hospital

The patient in room 2B is asking to see you, Doctor.

to route - to send a call to the right person or in the right direction, and especially to connect a caller with the right office when he or she is calling a large organization or business

The receptionist is responsible for routing calls to the company's many departments.

to stay on the line - to hold; to not hang up the phone; to wait on the phone until someone is available

Whenever I call the bank, I have to stay on the line for at least ten minutes before I can speak with a real person. It's very frustrating.

medical group - a clinic; a group of doctors who work together in the same building

Could you please recommend a good medical group in the Dallas area? Our family needs a medical group with a good general practitioner and a pediatrician.

returning - a repeat client; referring to a client or patient who has used the services of a particular business or doctor before and is requesting another meeting or appointment

More than 90% of our new patients become returning patients, so we know we're providing good service that makes them want to come back.

to refer - to recommend that someone see a particular doctor, work with a particular company, or shop at a particular store

Our friends referred us to you. They said you helped them buy their first home last year, and they really enjoyed working with you.

health benefit - one of the things that a medical insurance plan pays for while the individual pays little or nothing

This insurance coverage isn't very good. The health benefits exclude physical therapy, prenatal care, and all prescriptions.

to self-refer - to be able to request to see a certain doctor without first needing a referral (recommendation and approval) from one's doctor or approval from one's insurance plan

Pyotr needs to see an ophthalmologist, but because his insurance plan doesn't allow him to self-refer, he has to see his regular doctor first and request a referral.

specialist - a doctor who is an expert in a specific area of medicine and works only in that area

In her third year of medical school, Yasushi decided she's like to become a cancer specialist.

medical record number - an identifying number in a medical insurance plan or at a doctor's office, used to find one's papers quickly and easily

If you don't have your medical record number, we'll have to look up your account information with your last name and telephone number.

booked up - with a busy, full schedule; without any unscheduled time on one's calendar

This restaurant is always booked up. If you want to have dinner there on Valentine's Day, you'll need to request a reservation months in advance.

opening - a period of time when one is available because nothing else has been scheduled yet during that time

Dr. Te has openings on Thursday at 10:15 and 2:30. Which would you prefer?

to check in - to come to an office or conference and officially speak with someone to let people know that one has arrived and is ready for the appointment or meeting

When you arrive at our office building, please check in with the receptionist and he'll lead you to our office.

paperwork - uninteresting work where one must fill out many forms and documents or write reports

I hadn't realized how much paperwork was involved in adopting a child from another country!

to put (someone) down - to schedule someone for something by writing his or her name on a calendar or in an appointment book; to sign someone up for something; to register someone for something

We've put you down for a photo session on Wednesday at 3:45. If you need to cancel for any reason, please call us as soon as possible.