-
Health information exchanges (HIEs), which support secure electronic sharing of patient health information among caregivers, patients, public health authorities, and health care and payment services providers across different setting and geographical areas, are among the most promising initiatives in health care, but there are privacy and security issues that should concern risk managers.
-
A former University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Healthcare System employee who says he had no idea it was a crime to look at patient records will have four months in prison to think about it.
-
Resident elopement and wandering can be extremely dangerous for patients and costly to the facility if the patient is injured or dies, but many health care providers do not have a formal plan in place to prevent the problem or respond effectively once staff realize a patient is missing.
-
Gaining patient consent and provider adoption for health information exchanges (HIEs) is important for the success of the effort, and patients must be adequately educated about the HIE or they may not give their permission, says Jared Rhoads, senior research analyst with CSC, a technology consulting company based in Falls Church, VA.
-
A pregnant woman at full term presented to the hospital for the birth of her son. The baby was delivered via Caesarean section. Normal tests were conducted on the newborn, and all seemed to be in order.
-
A 57-year-old nursing home resident with a history of dementia climbed out the open window in her room, falling 30feet to the ground below. The woman suffered severe injury as a result of the fall, and a jury awarded the plaintiff $276,164 in damages.
-
-
Uncollectible funds, or "bad debt," is a problem your patient access department can't afford to ignore. With increasing numbers of self-pay, uninsured, and underinsured patients access managers should revamp processes sooner rather than later.
-
Are you certain the patient's insurance is actually active? The earlier in the process you learn this information, the more likely you are to avoid bad debt.
-
If a patient becomes upset about the amount he or she will owe, Joseph Ianelli, senior financial manager of Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital's admitting department, says that the message patient access staff want to give is: "There is something we can do for you. We want you to get the medical care you need."
