Hospital Access Management articles from October 2004

Hospital Access Management archives from October 2004

How to create or expand a call center: experts share their tips: it's important to have a vision, UPMC director says.
October 1, 2004... With reports touting the financial and customer service benefits of call centers, it's no wonder that more hospitals--often under the aegis of their access departments--are looking either to establish a call center or to expand the capabilities...

One-on-one training model for improved call centers: help reps feel good about job.
October 1, 2004... One-on-one coaching is a new aspect of call center training that is as important as the usual focus on customer service skills and keeping the calls flowing in a timely manner, says Katherine Dean, SPHR, a partner in Banks & Dean, an...

HIPAA privacy violation leads to criminal conviction: use case in training, lawyer advises.
October 1, 2004... A HIPAA-related criminal conviction has drawn attention to the seriousness of violations regarding protected health information and should be used as an object lesson in access training initiatives, suggests Michelle Masucci, JD, counsel in the...

Telecommuting 'win-win' for Carolina health system: productivity and morale boosted.
October 1, 2004... A telecommuting project in the pre-services department at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, NC, is reducing the amount of work time lost to bad weather and delighting employees who find themselves well suited to working at home. ...

IL consumers get access to hospital 'Report Card': will other states follow suit?
October 1, 2004... Illinois hospitals are in the process of developing procedures for fielding questions about the Hospital Report Card Act, an Illinois law that became effective in January. As the first point of contact for most patients, access departments...

Hospitals given suggestions for reducing terrorism risk: IDs and access restrictions advised.
October 1, 2004... A recent posting on the web site (www.medlaw. com) of EMTALAand risk management specialist Stephen A. Frew, JD, warns hospitals to assess their vulnerability to acts of terrorism and suggests some precautionary measures. A contribution to...

Laws hinder adoption of health IT, study says.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Legal barriers posed by certain fraud and abuse, antitrust, federal income tax, intellectual property, malpractice, and state licensing laws hinder providers' adoption of health information technology, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)...

CA bill sets minimum for hospital discount.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The California legislature passed a bill (SB 379) in late August that would require hospitals in the state to provide financial assistance in the form of charity care or payment allowances to uninsured patients whose income is at or below 400%...

Hospital chain plans discounts for uninsured.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Triad Hospitals plans to implement a new discount program for uninsured, self-pay patients at its 51 hospitals. The plans are subject to local restrictions. Company officials said each hospital would offer a blanket discount of a certain...

JCAHO panel to assist with cultural issues.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has appointed an expert panel to assist in a study of hospitals' efforts to address cultural and linguistic issues that affect patient care. The 2 1/2-year study...

Moody's forecast dim for nonprofit providers.
October 1, 2004... Nonprofit hospitals and health systems were given a dim forecast in a recent report from Moody's Investor Service, despite such positive developments as payment increases due to the Medicare Modernization Act. The credit rating agency said...

HIPAA rule's effect on states explained.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A new set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) posted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights explains how the HIPAA privacy rule relates to state public records laws, also known as freedom of information laws. ...