Use QA tool to train staff
Needs of employees vary
A patient access employee working in central admitting has different training needs from someone working in radiology, the emergency department, or same-day surgery.
Deborah L. Brown, CHAA, education coordinator for quality assurance and staff development at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, uses an automated quality assurance (QA) tool to see where each individual employee is having difficulty, so she can customize training.
"This has become more important due to so many different areas of patient access," she says. The QA system has dramatically reduced errors, which in turn has reduced claims denials, reports Brown. "Having this system, with rules that we write, has become a wonderful teaching tool," she says. "How are you going to know if you are doing something incorrectly, unless you are shown?"
Staff give input
As part of their annual review, members of the patient access staff are required to participate in quarterly training and testing on topics such as Medicare as secondary payer completion, insurance, and customer service.
"With so many changes taking place in healthcare and the more we are asking our patient access team to do, it can easily become overwhelming," says Brown. "It is easy to become complacent in our everyday jobs. Refreshers help to keep our tasks upfront."
To determine the training topics, Brown reviews actual claims denials and also asks staff members what they would like to review.
"Providing continuing education and training has helped to build staff confidence," she says. "This gives back tenfold to our patients, visitors. and fellow team members."
A patient access employee working in central admitting has different training needs from someone working in radiology, the emergency department, or same-day surgery.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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