Hospital Access Management 2013-05-01

Want dramatic revenue results? Be the ‘go-to’ place for providers

Providers ordering stat CT scans or magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) certainly dont want their patients to wait hours in the emergency department, to show up for a test only to learn the original order was incorrect, or receive a bill due to a failure to obtain a required authorization. Too often, however, those situations occur.

Patient disputes appointment time?

All conversations that come into central scheduling are recorded and are used for two purposes, says Mike Horton, manager of the central scheduling department at Hackensack (NJ) University Medical Center.

Stop needless delays with diagnostic tests

If a physician mistakenly orders a CT scan with contrast when it needs to be done without contrast, is this error corrected before the patient arrives?

Patients benefit from teamwork

It was no secret that clinical areas didnt have a good working relationship with registrars at OSF Healthcare in Peoria, IL. In 2013, patient access leaders set out to change this relationship.

Clinicians and access work side by side

Registrars at Georgia Regents University in Augusta work side by side with utilization review/precertification nurses to prevent claims denials.

Ask registrar to shadow clinicians

Registrars at Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, WI, have learned a lot by shadowing clinical staff when they are first hired, reports Linda Swanson, registration coordinator.

POS collections started at 0 and are now $4.5 million

Just five years ago, patient access employees at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle werent collecting anything from patients at all. This year, collections in the emergency department topped $4.5 million.

Ability to estimate equals quadruple revenue

Emergency department (ED) registrars at the University of Washington (UW) Medical Center in Seattle have collected co-pays for five years, but soon they also will collect coinsurance from patients and give cost estimates on the patients total out-of-pocket responsibility.

Tell staff the cost of registration errors

If the information collected by registrars is not correct the first time around, this problem means less revenue and dissatisfied patients, but patient access employees dont always realize the implications of simple mistake.

Errors could affect patient’s treatment

Patients and family might perceive the information they give registrars as mundane demographic details, says John Linser, MPA, director of operations for Registration Services at Cincinnati (OH) Childrens Hospital Medical Center.

ID unique challenges with ED accuracy

As a new manager in the emergency department (ED) setting, Shante R. Hill, manager of the patient access revenue cycle at University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, discovered some unique challenges with registration accuracy.

Needless turnover? Put a stop to it

If one of your best registrars is considering leaving patient access for a higher-paying position in another hospital department that offers better compensation and hours, there might be something you can do to change his or her mind.

Cutting Medicaid costs through reduced ED visits

Faced with rising Medicaid costs, most states are trying to come up with ways to save money.

Draft application is long for health exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) came out in March with a draft insurance application that showed what applying for benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges might look like.

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Are you in the cloud? Time to scrutinize agreements

Although healthcare organizations have been slower to adopt cloud-computing services than other industries,1 a recent study shows that 62% are using cloud services for some activities.2 However, 47% of respondents relying on the cloud are not confident that information is secure, and 23% are only somewhat confident.