Hospital Access Management articles from June 2003

Hospital Access Management archives from June 2003

Cancel the triennial 'stage play'; JCAHO has a new survey process: get ready for everyday compliance, surprise visits, JCAHO VP says.(Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
June 1, 2003... Ever reflected on the absurdity of gearing up every three years to face the JCAHO surveyor--piles of policies in hand and brass freshly polished--only to heave a sigh of relief and go back to business as usual the next day? The Oakbrook...

Without a JCAHO score, where are the distinctions? 'We want to stop the billboard war'.(Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
June 1, 2003... One of the key ways in which the Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) new accreditation model "really blows up the old paradigm," says Joe Cappiello, vice president for...

Scanning system boosts registration efficiency: document history available instantly.
June 1, 2003... Registrars at the University Hospital of Arkansas in Little Rock are saving time and paper and creating more accessible records by scanning patients' insurance and health information into the computer, says Mary Nellums, CHAM, admissions...

New discharge station aids ED copay collection: full registration occurs after treatment. (Access Feedback).(emergency department)
June 1, 2003... Cheryl Staske, MS, director, hospital registration centers, at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL, has some feedback for access colleague Kathy Pajor, who seeks advice in the March issue of Hospital Access Management on how to increase...

Keep EMTALA in mind while taking SARS action: expert addresses prescreening issue. (Access Feedback).(Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, severe acute respiratory syndrome)
June 1, 2003... Don't let concerns about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) prompt measures that will put your hospital at risk for violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), warns Stephen Frew, JD, a web site publisher and...

New privacy issue not about HIPAA: CA law affects Blue Cross policies. (Access Feedback).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and California)
June 1, 2003... There's a new patient confidentiality development access personnel should know about, and it has nothing to do with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy standard. A California law that took effect July 1, 2002,...

Consent form, patient care subject of new study.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Getting advanced consent for eight commonly performed procedures when patients were admitted to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) significantly increased the frequency with which informed consent was obtained, without compromising the...

Interim rule issued for HIPAA penalties.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... An interim rule establishing procedures for imposing civil monetary penalties on entities that violate standards adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's (HIPAA) administrative simplification provisions has been...

Hospital mergers down, recent study shows.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Hospital merger activity declined significantly in 2002, hitting its lowest level in 10 years, according to a recent report by Irving Levin Associates based in New Canaan, CT. In 2002, 58 hospital mergers or acquisitions involving 101...

Medical liability reform still needed, survey says.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Legal reforms have slowed the growth of medical liability insurance premiums where they have been enacted, but federal reform still is needed, says a recent report in the on-line news service AHA News Now. Medical liability expenses are...

More help sought for rural hospitals.(financial aid)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Rural Community Hospital Assistance Act, introduced in late April by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) could provide some relief for financially troubled rural hospitals. The act enhances the Critical Access Hospital...

LOS trending down, CDC survey explains.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The average hospital stay was 4.9 days in 2001, the latest year for which data are available, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure, which is based on a survey of discharges for...