It is my sincere hope that this book will assist you in training your staff. It is designed to present the basic elements of radiology scheduling. Drawing on over 30 years of experience managing radiology centers, I have gained an understanding of the unique challenges associated with scheduling imaging procedures.

Consider this: schedulers are typically not hired with the extensive experience that technologists or billers possess. While both technologists and billers have specialized classes to train and prepare them for their roles, schedulers often lack this luxury. In many cases, schedulers are hired without any medical training and are then thrust into the complex world of medical imaging.

A scheduler must understand concepts related to medical insurance, billing, and various imaging equipment protocols. I personally struggled with providing effective training as a manager and director for many years. This training manual is crafted to prepare a newly hired individual in radiology scheduling, with the aim of equipping them for hands-on training. Additionally, it can serve as a valuable resource to reinforce the knowledge base of an experienced scheduler.

The repercussions of a scheduling error are far-reaching, from an irate patient and frustrated technologist to upsetting a referring doctor's office. Such errors can have a detrimental impact on your facility's referrals, reputation, and billing collections. Therefore, to tackle these issues, this book marks the initial installment in a series of training materials that I will be releasing, covering the full scope of patient preparation tailored specifically for each modality.

I believe you will find this material invaluable in reducing the learning curve for your schedulers.

Thank you, and God Bless

Rick R. Rivera, CRA