A patient arrives for a scheduled appointment, but the physician is unexpectedly unavailable due to an emergency. What is the best initial step for the medical assistant to take in this situation?
Reschedule the appointment without informing the patient about the delay.
Allow the patient to leave without offering any explanation or rescheduling options.
Inform the patient about the delay and offer to reschedule or provide alternative options.
Ask the patient to wait in the waiting area until the physician becomes available.