Hospital Access Management articles from August 2003

Hospital Access Management archives from August 2003

Teamwork and Excel expertise lead to fewer 'on-hold' accounts; effort targets reasons behind DNFB, OPEX lists.
August 1, 2003... Philadelphia's Presbyterian Medical Center, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), is dramatically reducing the number of accounts "on hold" in its DNFB and OPEX queues--and freeing up the revenue they represent--with...

AMs report few problems with new privacy notice: but opt-out option still causing confusion.
August 1, 2003... Implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule appears to be going surprisingly well, thanks to extensive planning and a public already used to being informed about privacy practices. That's...

Quick hits and long-term solutions for collections: upfront financial clearance part of strategy.
August 1, 2003... Health care organizations aware of their need for systemic change but short on the capital required increasingly are taking a two-pronged approach: Make some quick revenue-producing hits first, and then implement the longer-term solutions. ...

JCAHO standard to address crowded EDs: board to look at field review, then decide.
August 1, 2003... Access managers with responsibility for emergency department (ED) registration will want to be aware of the proposed new ED overcrowding standard from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) that could become...

How much is too much talk about wait time? Concern's a valid one, expert says. (EMTALA Q & A).
August 1, 2003... [Editor's note: This column runs occasionally in Hospital Access Management and addresses questions regarding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).] Question: If a triage nurse sees a patient and performs vital signs,...

OIG's EMTALA fines continue downward trend.(Office of the Inspector General)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Fines for violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) were down for the first half of the Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) fiscal year, with only $314,000 in fines collected from 10 hospitals from Oct. 1, 2002,...

HFMA issues status report on billing project.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hospitals and other health care providers can promote patient-friendly billing in a variety of ways, from reviewing their organization's billing process to signing up to receive an electronic newsletter from the Healthcare Financial Management...

JCAHO hospital standards reduced to 225 from 508.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has slashed the number of standards in the 2004 hospital accreditation program from 508 to 225 as part of the agency's "Shared Visions, New Pathways" initiative. ...

Survey: providers ready for October HIPAA deadline.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Some 96% of Medicare Part A providers expect to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act electronic transactions standards and code sets by the Oct. 16 deadline, according to a recent report from the Department...

Prompt-pay legislation signed by Texas governor.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Texas has joined the list of states that have passed legislation designed to ensure hospitals and physicians are paid promptly and appropriately by health plans. Senate Bill 418, signed in late June by Gov. Rick Perry, establishes a...

Hospitals doing good job, say majority of Americans.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Yearly three-quarters (73%) of American adults think hospitals do a good job of serving consumers, according to the latest annual Harris Poll ranking 15 industries for customer service. The same percentage of Americans said hospitals served...