Hospital Access Management articles from February 2003

Hospital Access Management archives from February 2003

Everyone involved in the revenue cycle is an important part of the process; AM controls crucial first step, but there's more to impacting the bottom line.(access managers)
February 1, 2003... Whether your hospital has embraced the methodology associated with the term "revenue cycle management," chances are you've heard the words bandied about. Certainly the crucial importance of accurate and efficient front-end operations to a...

Reserve your smallpox vaccination handbook today.(Hospital Handbook on Smallpox Vaccination from American Health Consultants)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... American Health Consultants (AHC) now offers the Hospital Handbook on Smallpox Vaccination, a facilitywide resource containing all the information you need about smallpox vaccination in most heath care facilities and environments. Learn...

Committee seeks ways to enhance hospital revenue; grass-roots effort leaves no stone unturned.(Revenue Enhancement Committee for the James Cancer Hospital, Ohio State University Health System)
February 1, 2003... When Donna Madlener agreed to lead the Revenue Enhancement Committee for the James Cancer Hospital, which is part of The Ohio State University Health System (OSUHS) in Columbus, she signed on for "a unique experience" that went to the heart of...

Veteran access pro segues into revenue management; computer and financial experience were key. (Career Paths).
February 1, 2003... Several years ago, when The Ohio State University Health System (OSUHS) decided to convert from its homegrown computer system to a commercial product, Joe Denney, CHAM, who was then director of patient access and financial services, was given a...

Arbitration viable option for handling payer denials: it should be final step in appeals process. (Guest Column).
February 1, 2003... In October 2002, HCA in Nashville, TN, won an $8.8 million arbitration decision against Humana Medical Plan Inc. of Florida for the late payment or nonpayment of 3,300 patient accounts at 16 hospitals in Florida. HCA alleged that Humana paid...

"STAR" is first award honoring access staff: employees nominate their peers. (Guest Column).(Striving Together Achieving Results )
February 1, 2003... The University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock has instituted its first recognition program aimed specifically at access personnel, says Holly Jones, revenue integrity specialist and a member of the committee that selects the winner. ...

HHS: 450,000 health workers may get vaccine.(smallpox vaccine distribution)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A preliminary review of smallpox vaccination plans submitted by U.S. states and cities in mid-December indicates that close to 450,000 public health and health care personnel may be offered the vaccine when it becomes available, according to...

Outlier payment scrutiny to be increased, CMS says.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hospitals receiving large proportions of Medicare revenues as outlier payments will face an increased probability of review, and fiscal intermediaries will be asked to carefully scrutinize all of their billing practices, according to an...

Hospitals can offer free rides despite gift limits.(free local patient transportation to hospital and its facilities will be allowed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Provisions that limit gifts to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries will not be enforced in the context of complimentary local transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) has said. The...

HAM offers more with HIPAA insert.(Hospital Access Management)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
February 1, 2003... This month's issue of Hospital Access Management includes a copy of HIPAA Regulatory Alert, an eight-page, bimonthly supplement that covers the complexities of remaining compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...

HHS offers guidance on HIPAA privacy rule.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A document to address frequently asked questions about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy regulation is available from the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Civil Rights. According to one...

HIPAA privacy guidance seeks to maximize voluntary enforcement; enforcement rule is in drafting stage.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
February 1, 2003... In December 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) released an extensive guidance outlining various aspects of the privacy portion of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)....

HHS outlines major changes in privacy.
February 1, 2003... The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said for months that HIPAA would continue to be a work in progress. The agency proved that again last month when it added a new section to the guidance on public health disclosures and...

How to deal with family members under HIPAA; facilitywide culture change may be necessary.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
February 1, 2003... One of the many challenges facing providers under HIPAA, particularly in the context of oncology, cardiac surgery, and OB/GYN services, involves health care services provided to a family member The final HIPAA regulations say that if the...

Survey finds major progress toward HIPAA compliance; HHCA compares old, new responses.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Health Care Compliance Association)
February 1, 2003... According to a survey just released by the Minneapolis-based Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), the health care industry is continuing to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with sweeping changes required by HIPAA. The...

Confidentiality may involved sticky legal, ethical issues; think before you share patient-sensitive information.
February 1, 2003... When it comes to confidentiality issues, health care professionals often walk a tightrope, Mindy Owen, RN, CRRN, CCM, asserts. Case managers, for example, have to be careful about what kind of information they share with family members,...

White paper addresses DM, HIPAA concerns.(Disease Management Association of America )(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A comprehensive analysis of HIPAA and its impact on disease management has concluded that the new privacy regulations will not hamper disease management programs, according to the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) in Washington,...

Feds offer database for record disclosures.(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Privacy Accountability Database)(www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a021007c. html)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created a Privacy Accountability Database to aid in tracking, reporting, and accounting the disclosures made from all CMS systems of records permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974 and HIPAA....

Web site answers FAQs about HIPAA.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Department of Health and Human Services' web site)(www.hhs.gov/ocr/faqs 1001.doc)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A "Frequently Asked Questions" document about the HIPAA privacy rule is posted on the Department of Health and Human Services' web site. The document answers questions ranging from privacy rights to compliance dates. "Does the rule create...