Hospital Access Management articles from February 2002

Hospital Access Management archives from February 2002

Cutting-edge approach to denials uses contract law to `get hospitals paid': law firm succeeds with hopeless accounts. (Special report: innovative revenue recovery).
February 1, 2002... What if your hospital could get reimbursement for a procedure even when a required authorization wasn't obtained in advance or when billing wasn't done in a timely manner? How about the premise that if a hospital has provided valuable services...

Pay attention to contract to avoid denied claims: appeal, even if a rule is broken. (Special report: innovative revenue recovery).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... There are several things that access managers can do to help enhance billing efficiency and reduce the risk of claim denials, says Linda Fotheringill, a partner in the Towson, MD-based law firm of Siegel & Fotheringill, which specializes in...

Hospital gets aggressive in turning around denials: InterQual helped with appeals. (Special report: innovative revenue recovery).(Johns Hopkins Hospital )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Before engaging a law firm to take the appeal of reimbursement denials to the next level, Johns Hopkins Hospital undertook a comprehensive revenue recovery initiative that doubled its recovery rate on denied days, explains Dan Wassilchalk, MHA,...

Countywide `paper drill' helps keep hospital ready: registrars man treatment areas.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Personnel at Morton Plant Mease Hospital in Clearwater, FL, regularly take part in a countywide mass-casualty drill, which keeps them in "a constant state of readiness," says Diana Noblet, CHAM, patient access services manager. "We feel...

HazMat situations' keep access employees on alert: `phone tree' keeps staff in reach.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... At, Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu, "we've had our fair share of HazMat situations," says Linda Dullin, RN, admitting director. In little more than a week's time, around the middle of October 2001, she says, the hospital was on...

Saint Vincents' replay offers lessons learned.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... On Sept. 11, 2001, Saint Vincents hospital in Manhattan, a Level 1 trauma center located two miles from the World Trade Center, found itself at the center of an unthinkable tragedy. A Code Three was called after two hijacked airliners slammed...

Clinical, UM experience gives AM a career edge: upfront collections are another focus. (Career Paths).(utilization management)
February 1, 2002... A varied mix of clinical, utilization review (UR), and referral management training and experience helped prepare Linda Dullin, RN, for her current role as admitting director at Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. Her nursing education...

Health system develops real-time bed management.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Many access managers are struggling with bed management issues associated with a high hospital census, notes Marne Bonomo, PhD, metro director for patient access at Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee. With that in mind, Bonomo developed a bed...

Hospitals get breather on 2001 OPPS rates: `technical miscalculations' cited.(outpatient prospective payment system )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... In what is welcome news for access managers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in late December 2001 that the 2002 Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rates will be postponed until the...

HFMA, AHA project puts focus on patients: `it's about little things'.(Healthcare Financial Management Association)(American Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... As hospitals look at making bills more patient-friendly, they should broaden the focus to include a more patient-centered organization. That's a key theme that has emerged from the Patient Friendly Billing Project of the Healthcare...

Hospital outsourcing on the increase.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The outsourcing budgets of health care organizations will increase by 30% by 2003, according to a survey released by VHA Inc. and Michael F. Corbett & Associates. The survey found that in 2001 the health care industry used approximately...

AHA has new guidelines for releasing patient data.(American Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The American Hospital Association's (AHA) Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development has released new guidelines for releasing patient information. The "Guidelines for Releasing Information on the Condition of Patients" are...

Program to help providers remove language barriers.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... About one in five Spanish-speaking Latinos in high-growth communities reports not seeking medical treatment due to language barriers, according to a survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in Washington, DC. The survey found...