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With widespread adoption of safer sharps in hospitals, needlesticks declined by more than half for some of the most hazardous devices. Safety has become the norm in phlebotomy. Needle devices are placed in sharps containers instead of being left on bed linens or carts, where someone else may be stuck.
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Training and education of health care workers is an important aspect of preventing transmission of flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this specific recommendation:
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The problem of fatigued medical residents has gotten the attention of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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Current ACGME standard (2003)
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Sheri Lasater, manager of patient access for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, says that wait times have been minimized for scheduled patients through a comprehensive pre-registration program.
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The patient access department at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas recently switched to an automated quality assurance (QA) system. "I had recently come from a very automated facility and was well aware of the benefits a good automated system can provide," says Jeanette Foulk, director of patient access.
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Time to upgrade some of your copiers? Are you planning to sell the old machines to recoup some money to use for new ones? Think twice before placing your "for sale" sign on the copier because you might be selling more than just the machine.
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The role of your patient access staff has undoubtedly changed dramatically and will continue to become more complex. It's likely, though, that the way you evaluate competencies doesn't reflect this evolution.
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Patient access staff are the very first contact many patients have with physicians and facilities. Whether staff are registering patients in the emergency department, call center or at the front desk of a physician's office, "this first impression has long-lasting effects," says Colleen McMahon, senior manager of the integrated call center/ University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) physician service division, registration and scheduling.
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You may not think of it this way, but your department has a wealth of data that would impress others. Have patient wait times decreased dramatically, have patient complaints become almost non-existent, or have your accuracy rates doubled? Don't resist the urge to brag.
