Hospital Access Management articles from December 2003

Hospital Access Management archives from December 2003

Access department's own on-site system analyst 'is the only way to go': benefit of immediate, specific problem solving is 'priceless'.
December 1, 2003... Can you imagine the advantage of having a full-time systems analyst in the patient access department, working with access staff on a daily basis to solve information systems (IS) problems--days, maybe weeks before a service request would have...

Financial woes force 'heartbreaking' choices: rationing uncompensated solution to budget crisis.
December 1, 2003... Frontline access management staff at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston face excruciating tasks on a daily basis. How do you tell a chronically ill single mother with outstanding debts to the hospital that she must...

Advance copay reminder boosts hospital collections: patients get "lead time to plan'.
December 1, 2003... South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, MA, is collecting thousands of dollars more each month, thanks to a new initiative aimed at making sure patients are aware--in advance--of their copays. Since May 2003, a financial counselor has been...

Cooperation, competition equal quality improvement: access, accounting partnership is key.
December 1, 2003... A relationship of cooperation and mutual respect between access and the billing department is at the heart of a successful quality initiative at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, says Millie Brown, director of patient access. "Typically,...

What if care's given, consent not obtained? Some refuse to sign, fearing obligation.(Access Feedback)
December 1, 2003... The dialogue among Hospital Access Management readers continues as access managers work to fine-tune processes and enhance cash collection in the emergency department (ED). Natalie Woodburn, RN, patient registration supervisor in the ED at...

CDC issues draft report on SARS preparedness: 'access controls' addressed.(Access Feedback)
December 1, 2003... As hospitals put procedures in place for the possible reemergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during the approaching respiratory disease season, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a...

Insured patient visits behind ED increase.
December 1, 2003... Insured patients, not the uninsured, accounted for most of a 16% increase in emergency department visits between 1996 and 2001, according to a recent analysis by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The study found that emergency...

AHA form available to report problems.
December 1, 2003... A form that hospitals and other health care organizations can use to report problems they encounter sending or receiving electronic transactions using the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) transaction standards is...

Part A deductible rise set for 2004, HHS says.
December 1, 2003... The Part A deductible, paid by beneficiaries in e fee-for-service Medicare program for certain services, including inpatient hospital care, will increase by $36 to $876 in 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced. ...

Pay raise predicted for new registrars.
December 1, 2003... The median pay for newly hired registration/admission clerks will grow 7.4% in 2004, compared to 2003, says a forecast by OfficeTeam, a temporary staffing and job placement company. Hospitals and other health care providers are likely to...