Hospital Access Management articles from June 2004

Hospital Access Management archives from June 2004

Increased spotlight on self-pay gives financial counseling an overhaul: successful move from business office to access department.
June 1, 2004... Higher patient copays and increasing numbers of people who are working but not insured have made the management of self-pay accounts a more crucial issue than ever for most of the nation's hospitals. With that in mind, OhioHealth has taken...

Report card provides staff feedback at a glance: customer service, quality ratings included.(Children's Health Care of Atlanta)
June 1, 2004... A new registration report card at Children's Health Care of Atlanta provides access managers with key information on the performance of individual employees in a convenient, easy to read format. Much of the data was available before, but...

Focus on eligibility work becomes career keystone: networking, CM expertise important.(Career Paths)(Patti Daniel)
June 1, 2004... You don't always know which experiences might prove beneficial when it comes to building a successful career in access services. Although Patti Daniel, MS, CCM, LPC, LMSW/AP, never planned or expected to become the director of admissions at...

Dedicated ED issue sparks more debate: urgent care centers addressed.(Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act)
June 1, 2004... The question of whether urgent care centers that are not associated with a hospital are covered under provisions of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is receiving renewed attention. In a recent EMTALA E-Bulletin,...

NJ group suggests billing, collections guidelines.(New Jersey Hospital Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The New Jersey Hospital Association has unveiled billing and collections guidelines designed to help hospitals respond to the needs of low-income, uninsured patients. The move follows various actions by hospitals across the nation and some...

ED problems highlighted: cost, capacity issues cited.(emergency departments)
June 1, 2004... An estimated 2.8 million adults who sought care in hospital emergency departments (ED) in 2001 reported delays or access problems, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. That is about 7.7% of the...

Final stretch proves tough in HIPAA privacy effort.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(survey report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Health care providers are getting close to being in full compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's (HIPAA) privacy requirements, which became effective in April 2003. However, getting to the finish line is...

Almost half of U.S. adults lack health literacy.(survey report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Almost 90 million Americans, or half of the adult population, do not have the ability to understand and make informed decisions about their health. This situation may cause billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs and higher...

State cutbacks affect health coverage for low-income families.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Health care services for low-income families continue to face cutbacks as state budgets are adopted for fiscal year 2005, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Georgia, Florida, California, Missouri, and New...