Hospital Access Management – November 1, 2020
November 1, 2020
View Issues
-
Hospitals Need Patient Access to Financially Clear More Accounts — and Earlier
Financially clearing accounts earlier has never been more important, as hospitals’ budgetary issues continue.
-
Patients with Chronic Conditions Put Off Needed Care
More “near older” patients (age 50 to 64 years) with chronic health conditions are putting off needed care they cannot afford. Researchers found lack of coverage is a particular problem for this group, which lives with more chronic health conditions than younger groups, but is not old enough for Medicare. Their income, especially for those who still work part or full time, is too high to qualify for Medicaid.
-
Registration Mistakes Can Harm Patients Clinically
Registration errors mean lost reimbursement for hospitals, but more than money is at stake. If a duplicate medical record is created, “it compromises safety, could delay care, or could result in inappropriate care.
-
Departments Are Revamping Registration Identification Processes
To prevent errors, registrars can use two identifying factors (name and date of birth) and ask the patient to verify the spelling of both their first and last names. Engaging patients by asking for their information instead of just reading it to them is especially important.
-
Coworkers Share Tips for Staying Calm if Caller Yells
Keeping cool when someone is shouting is not easy, but it is certainly part of the patient access role. Registrars share tips for how to handle these difficult scenarios.
-
Registrars Counter Rising Tension with Calmness, Kindness
Constant changes during the pandemic have escalated the amount of tension in registration areas. Registrars explain how to defuse some difficult situations.
-
Identify a Registrar’s ‘Pain Points,’ and Fix Them Fast
To do something about what annoys staff, supervisors need to know about it.