Hospital Access Management articles from January 2002

Hospital Access Management archives from January 2002

In disaster preparation, try to imagine the unimaginable: `there were lessons learned ... things that went well'. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).
January 1, 2002... When hospitals across the country began re-evaluating their disaster response plans in the wake of Sept. 11 and anthrax, Riverside HealthCare in Kankakee, IL, found itself in better shape than most. Riverside had gone through a mock...

HEICS: the way to go, but takes time, money: this plan puts hospitals on same page. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).(Hospital Emergency Incident Command System)
January 1, 2002... After Riverside HealthCare in Kankakee, IL, dealt with the crash of an Amtrak train in March of 1999, hospital officials took a hard look at their disaster response plan and decided some changes were in order, says Sherry Mayes, RN, BSN, trauma...

For access departments, communication is accented: key link is between the ED and admitting. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).
January 1, 2002... St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta conducts disaster drills three or four times a year, says registration supervisor Felicia Dafivbiroro, but it is another world since Sept. 11 for the access department and the rest of the hospital. In the...

With possibilities growing, disaster training is needed: keeping your disaster program flexible is key. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).
January 1, 2002... Sept. 11th and anthrax bring home one important message to all health care professionals, including access managers: There is no possible way a department can prepare for every contingency. It's not like the old days of preparing for...

Ensure patients' privacy before disaster arrives: an expert offers up some advice for recovery. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).
January 1, 2002... Every disaster plan should include a strategy for coping with damaged records. It's a crucial first step in the department's recovery. If the facility contracts with a fire, flood, or storm damage restoration company, it's a good idea to...

Here are the essentials of a contingency plan: AHIMA offers strategies and samples. (Special Report: Planning for ultimate disasters).(American Health Information Management Association)
January 1, 2002... Among the strategies published by the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is the following advice about how to create a contingency plan, which is part of a paper written by Gwen Hughes, RHIA, a Belgrade,...

Access staff eagerly line up to strengthen their skills: training draws additional takers.(University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock)
January 1, 2002... If you offer in-depth, relevant access training, your staff will line up to take part. That's the lesson at the University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock, where the Strengthening Bridges program aimed at adding to and reinforcing the...

Managers learn firsthand about employee training: learning to work like a team is highlight.(University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock)
January 1, 2002... When the access training advisory committee at the University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock established a comprehensive new training program, they knew that management buy-in would be crucial to its success, says Becky Glover, RN, MSNc,...

Safest course on copays: wait until screening done: if you do ask, exercise caution. (Access Feedback).(Emergency Medical and Treatment and Active Labor Act requirements)
January 1, 2002... [Editor's note: Kathy Pajor, director of patient access services for St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, CN, asked Hospital Access Management for clarification on the federal Emergency Medical and Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)...