Hospital Access Management – August 1, 2014
August 1, 2014
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Patients expect self-service — Give options: Register online, at kiosk
A growing number of patient access areas offer self-service options with online registration or kiosks. Registration times decreased by almost 50% after kiosks were implemented at five of Integris Healths hospitals. -
Collections up 25% with this change
Patient access areas are moving financial discussions earlier in the process to give patients detailed information about their coverage. At Sutter Health, upfront collections rose by 25% as a result of giving price estimates when pre-registering patients. -
Give staff members opportunity to move up
Patient access leaders at Mission Health offer entry-level employees a variety of options for moving up, including positions in registration, scheduling, pre-registration, and financial counseling. -
See service skills of staff firsthand
Rounding in patient access areas gives managers an opportunity to observe the customer service provided by employees firsthand. -
Reward access for good service
Below is a description of the Go the Extra Mile (GEM) program used by the patient access department at Mercy Hospital Springfield (MO). -
How was service? Ask patients directly
At Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, patient access managers interview 15 patients each month. -
Set your criteria for customer service
All patient access employees in Mercy Hospital Springfield (MO)s main admitting area are required to sign a Customer Service Interaction Plan. -
Centralized scheduling provides many benefits
A Patient Contact Center At Pittsburgh-based UPMC Handles Scheduling, Discharge Planning, And Collection Of Unpaid Balances For More Than A Dozen Hospitals And 23 Specialties. -
Providers satisfied with call center
Before a Patient Contact Center was implemented at Pittsburgh-based UPMC, providers accustomed to handling their own scheduling were skeptical, reports Karen Shaffer-Platt, vice president of patient concierge services/access in UPMCs Corporate Revenue Cycle department. -
Humana ranks no. 1 in being easy to work with
For the second year in a row, Humana ranked first in overall performance among 148 payers, according to the 2014 PayerView Report, an annual report from athenahealth in Watertown, MA. -
Physician’s tinkering causes data breach, record $4.8 million in HIPAA settlements
Two organizations will pay a combined $4.8 million to settle a case sparked by a breach of protected health information (PHI). The settlement is the largest ever for a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). -
Desk audits are coming, but what are they like?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will begin conducting desk audits for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in October 2014. These audits will be conducted remotely by requesting compliance documentation. -
Update risk assessments, don’t comply on the spot
An initial risk assessment will not enough when you undergo a desk audit, says Bruce D. Lamb, JD, a shareholder with the Gunster law firm in Tampa Bay, FL. -
Google Glass could become HIPAA-compliant
Google Glass, the eyeglass-like device that provides constant computer access, takes photographs, and streams live video, has been used during surgery at some facilities, but there have been questions about whether some uses would violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).