Hospital Access Management – January 1, 2019
January 1, 2019
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Competencies, Training, and Fire Safety: All Fair Game During Joint Commission Surveys
Employees in clinical areas are aware that surveyors from The Joint Commission could arrive at the hospital at any time unannounced. The same is not always true for registration areas. But since registration and admission staff are the first employees patients meet, that means these employees also are the first ones surveyors will approach.
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TJC Surveyors Interested in Revenue Cycle Staff Capabilities
Anyone would expect TJC surveyors to ask how staff protect patient safety, not just in clinical areas but in the entire organization. But what about revenue cycle jobs and determining if someone is qualified to work in that department?
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Ask Patients for Input Before Revamping Registration
Before revenue cycle leadership proceeded with its detailed front-end modernization project at a Chicago hospital, they had to run it by some very important people — the hospital’s family advisory board. While it was time to take a fresh look at registration, admissions, and check-in, the group had to ensure that registration processes were not holding up patient care.
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Start Every Week by Announcing Priorities; End Week With Celebration
Never-ending changes for processes, requirements, and regulations mean a top challenge for revenue cycle leaders is how to disseminate all this information to staff. A facility in New Orleans has found success with two methods.
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Tried-and-true Method Gets the Word Out
Patient access gets bombarded with information in person, on email, and paper memos. There must be a way for staff to easily recognize that this information is something they need to review right away.
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Will Your Department Be Among the First to Text Patients?
For patient access, texting protocol is very much in the early stages. Outdated technology and multiple compliance requirements slow the adoption of texting patients on a wider scale.
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Patients Want Advance Warnings About High Out-of-pocket Costs
Patients want to avoid the surprise of unexpectedly expensive bills. For patient access, this means finding better ways to tell patients the cost of their care earlier in the process. Since patient access departments need to do so without adding full-time employees, texts, emails, and patient portals are the likely answers.
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React to Volume Surges, or Face Patients’ Wrath on Satisfaction Surveys
Adding some extra seats and creating a few staff "flex" positions are two ways a Delaware healthcare system addressed sudden surges in patient volume.
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Patient Seen Much Sooner With ‘Fast Pass’ Scheduling
Under a new system, when an appointment is canceled or becomes available for other reasons, patients who have been marked on the waiting list are offered the open slot. Five patients are contacted simultaneously by email, text, and the patient portal. The first person to respond is booked.