Hospital Access Management articles from November 2003

Hospital Access Management archives from November 2003

Performance improvement team creates success in patient flow, clinician buy-in: relentless monitoring of the discharge process is the key.
November 1, 2003... A process begun four years ago when the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston took a hard look at pending discharges has led to a cutting-edge bed management program and a best practice designation from two national...

Data quality review 'one of best around': every outpatient registration is checked.
November 1, 2003... Not only do the verification and quality services personnel at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem perform one of the most thorough registration quality checks around, they've been doing it for 12 years. When Keith Weatherman,...

Space redesign, counseling boost ED collection efforts: before, charts were walking out the door.(Access Feedback)(emergency department manages patient payment options)
November 1, 2003... When Tara Tinsley, CHAM, began working as an access supervisor in the emergency department (ED) at Children's Health Center in Birmingham, AL, registrars weren't asking for copays, and were collecting only about 10% of the dollars that could...

Access preparations pay off when disaster strikes: 'everybody was there, ready and waiting".(Access Feedback)(disaster planning for patient access services )
November 1, 2003... When an explosion happened at a nearby bean processing plant, the good news was that Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, IA, was ready to handle the eight injured workers brought in for treatment. "It seemed to go smoothly," says Gail...

Hospital operation is smooth during blackout: but event sparked look at IS location.(Access Feedback)(New York Presbyterian Hospital)
November 1, 2003... It was pretty close to business as usual for New York Presbyterian Hospital during the electrical blackout that hit a large swath of the northeastern United States in August 2003, but with one important realization gained, says Bill Greene,...

'Reasonable' registration still guideline for CMS: but what exactly does that mean?(Access Feedback)
November 1, 2003... New regulations regarding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) notwithstanding, patient access managers continue to seek clarity on exactly how much registration activity may take place in the emergency department (ED) before...

Legal concerns addressed regarding JCAHO review.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has announced two options intended to mitigate legal concerns related to the periodic performance review component of its new accreditation...

Medicaid spending slows, first time in seven years.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Medicaid spending growth slowed in 2003 for the first time in seven years as all 50 states implemented Medicaid cost control strategies, according to the latest survey by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Average...

EMTALA sourcebook cuts through new regs.(EMTALA: The Essential Guide to Compliance )
November 1, 2003... You and your facility waited more than a year for the final revisions to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), but are they really good news? Emergency department (ED) managers and practitioners, hospital administrators,...

Latest hiring trend adds medical records experience to access mix: hospital requirements more demanding, but salaries not always in line.(employment trends for patient access managers)
November 1, 2003... It's been clear for a while that patient access managers could increase their marketability by beefing up their business office and patient accounting experience. But the very latest trend appears to be toward hiring a triple threat--someone...

Privacy regulations complicate communication with patients: balancing confidentiality and safety is a challenge.
November 1, 2003... The privacy regulations enacted as part of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have caused some unforeseen complications for hospitals trying to ensure patient safety and improve communication between...

What to do if you're just getting started: time to prioritize your responses, expert says.(Transactions and Code Sets testing)
November 1, 2003... At the Seventh HIPAA Summit held in Baltimore in mid-September, "Doctor HIPAA"--former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) executive William Braithwaite--said that while Transactions and Code Sets (T&CS) testing should have started...

Privacy implementation going well, says HHS: compliance 'widespread,' says OCR director.
November 1, 2003... Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights director Richard Campanelli says that many covered entities have done a good job of coming into compliance with the HIPAA privacy requirements that took effect in April, although...

CMS implements contingency plan: legacy claims accepted for undetermined period.(transaction and code sets compliance)
November 1, 2003... With surveys indicating that the required Oct. 16 compliance with transaction and code sets (T&CS) HIPAA requirements would be spotty at best, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has drawn industry support for deciding to...

Survey shines light on HIPAA compliance efforts: nonprovider compliance improves.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The summer 2003 Industry HIPAA survey conducted by HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) and Phoenix Health Systems found that "not enough time" was seen as the major roadblock to meeting the Oct. 16 implementation...

Labs seek HHS transaction guidance and relief: ACLA president testifies before Senate.
November 1, 2003... In testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) said that although labs are committed to compliance with the transaction standards, the Department of Health...