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OTC collections increase
A Patient Responsibility Calculator (PRC) dreamed up by an admitting supervisor and brought to fruition by an employee in the reimbursement department enables staff at Sonora (CA) Regional Medical Center to quickly calculate copay amounts and let patients know how much they owe before the service is performed.
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Heres what providers should know
By Loren Ratner, Nixon Peabody LLP Garden City, NY
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is preparing to implement a new program that will provide funding for emergency health services received by undocumented aliens.
This represents the first time federal funding will be available to hospitals and other providers for services they are required to provide to undocumented aliens under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
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CBO staff examine every question on the face sheet
A process that tracks every registration for errors and corrects them before the bill drops has improved accuracy dramatically, reduced accounts receivable (AR) days, and boosted staff morale at Catholic Health West (CHW) hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Facilitating that effort, says Barbara Griffin, director of patient financial services for CHW Bay Area, is an admitting error tracking system (AETS) from Burbank, CA-based RISARC that allows central business office (CBO) staff to look at registration face sheets on-screen.
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Professionals talk semantics
Are the terms discharge planning and case management interchangeable, or are they distinct, and is there a place for both in todays health care environment?
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ED and outpatient surgery key targets
Hospitals tread a fine line when it comes to placing patients in observation status. If patients dont meet criteria for observation, your claim probably will be denied.
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Provider can disclose to P&A
A health care provider covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may disclose an individuals protected health information (PHI) to a state-designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system without that individuals authorization, as the disclosure is required by law and complies with the laws requirements.
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Safety of care at issue?
Hospitals will be required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), beginning in January 2006, to document each patients language and communication needs in the medical record.
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Why cant N95 filtering facepiece respirators fit better? Amid the turmoil over annual fit-testing, employee health professionals are asking for better products and product information. It may be a while before they get them.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations hailed the enactment of federal patient safety legislation that will encourage the voluntary reporting of medical errors, serious adverse events, and their underlying causes.
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Hospitals are using questionnaires as a way to monitor the possible health effects on employees who work with chemotherapeutic agents. But there are no guidelines that tell hospitals what to ask or how to implement the program.
