Hospital Access Management – August 1, 2003

August 1, 2003

• Teamwork and Excel expertise lead to fewer ‘on-hold’ accounts

  Philadelphias Presbyterian Medical Center, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, is dramatically reducing the number of accounts on hold in its DNFB and OPEX queues and freeing up the revenue they represent with multidisciplinary teamwork and the development of review and monitoring reports on Excel spreadsheets.

  Read more about Teamwork and Excel expertise lead to fewer ‘on-hold’ accounts - Hospital Access Management – August 1, 2003

• AMs report few problems with new privacy notice

  Implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule appears to be going surprisingly well, thanks to extensive planning and a public already used to being informed about privacy practices. Thats the consensus of a sampling of access managers who spoke with Hospital Access Management about their hospitals experience with the regulation.

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• Quick hits and long-term solutions for collections

  Health care organizations aware of their need for systemic change but short on the capital required increasingly are taking a two-pronged approach: Make some quick revenue-producing hits first, and then implement the longer-term solutions. Thats just one of the strategies in place at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas.

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• JCAHO standard to address crowded EDs

  Access managers with responsibility for emergency department registration will want to be aware of the proposed new ED overcrowding standard from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations that could become effective in early 2004.

  Read more about JCAHO standard to address crowded EDs - Hospital Access Management – August 1, 2003

• EMTALA Q&A: How much is too much talk about wait time?

  This column runs occasionally in Hospital Access Management and addresses questions regarding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

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• News briefs

  OIGs EMTALA fines continue downward trend; HFMA issues status report on billing project; JCAHO hospital standards reduced to 225 from 508; Survey: Providers ready for October HIPAA deadline; Prompt-pay legislation signed by Texas governor; Hospitals doing good job, say majority of Americans

  Read more about News briefs - Hospital Access Management – August 1, 2003