Hospital Access Management articles from April 2004

Hospital Access Management archives from April 2004

Expanding access department tackles revamp of medical records; 'we just reorganized the way people worked'.
April 1, 2004... When the director of medical records at the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian left for another position, it presented yet another opportunity for the hospital's proactive patient access department to take...

Program targets patient, physician satisfaction; reducing LOS is another important goal.
April 1, 2004... A new preadmission program at the University of California (UC) Davis Health System is building a stronger link between hospital and physician's office and identifying issues--much earlier in the process--issues that might affect length of stay...

Centralized access unit is 'vision for the future'; 'one-stop shop' will help physicians.
April 1, 2004... As the University of California, Davis, Health System goes forward with the successful implementation of its preadmission discharge planning and utilization review program, Karen A. Warne, RN, manager for patient services and transfer center,...

Bedside registration may be best EMTALA defense; patient perception is key, risk officer says.(Access Feedback)
April 1, 2004... Hospitals wishing to protect themselves from EMTALA-related complaints and the scrutiny follows are well advised to embrace the growing trend toward bedside registration, suggests Peggy Nakamura, RN, MBA, JD, assistant vice president, chief...

Financial aid guidelines recommended by CHA; limit expectations, hospitals told.(Access Feedback)
April 1, 2004... The California Healthcare Association (CHA) has adopted a new set of voluntary guidelines on financial aid, charity care, and discount payments for its member hospitals, including a recommendation that hospitals provide financial assistance for...

HHS secretary clarifies financial aid policies; nothing prohibits discounts, AHA told.(Access Feedback)
April 1, 2004... Recent guidance from the Department of Health d Human Services (HHS) recognizes that "a good-faith determination of 'financial need' may vary depending on the individual patient's circumstances and that hospitals should have flexibility to...

Poll indicates hospitals feeling HIPAA burnout.
April 1, 2004... Some hospitals are experiencing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) burnout as the April 21, 2005, deadline for compliance with the legislation's security rule approaches, a recent American Hospital Association (AHA)...

Charity, bad debt costs up by almost $1 billion.
April 1, 2004... U.S. hospitals provided $22.3 billion in uncompensated care in 2002, up from $21.5 billion in 2001, according to the latest American Hospital Association Annual Survey of Hospitals. The survey measure includes charity care and bad debt,...

CMS quality initiative participation increasing.
April 1, 2004... The number of hospitals displaying at least one of 10 quality measures on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) web site as part of a CMS quality initiative more than tripled--to 1,400--between October 2003 and February 2004, CMS...

ED volume increasing, most hospitals report.
April 1, 2004... Some 68% of hospitals responding to a recent survey by the Schumacher Group said patient volume in their emergency department (ED) had increased in the past 12 months, with most reporting an increase from 1% to 10%. Only 18% of respondents...