-
As penalties rise for readmissions, it is critical for hospitals to implement and support continuity of care initiatives as patients transition from one level of care to another.
-
Lakewood Hospitals pilot project in which a patient navigator worked with at-risk patients saved the hospital $156,000 in just six months.
-
The researchers who studied patient handoffs at 23 childrens hospitals found an alarmingly high baseline rate of handoff failure: 25.8% of the handoffs were insufficient or inaccurate.
-
Two organizations will pay a combined $4.8 million to settle a case sparked by a breach of protected health information (PHI). The settlement is the largest ever for a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
-
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will begin conducting desk audits for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in October 2014. These audits will be conducted remotely by requesting compliance documentation.
-
A growing number of patient access areas offer self-service options with online registration or kiosks. Registration times decreased by almost 50% after kiosks were implemented at five of Integris Healths hospitals.
-
A Patient Contact Center At Pittsburgh-based UPMC Handles Scheduling, Discharge Planning, And Collection Of Unpaid Balances For More Than A Dozen Hospitals And 23 Specialties.
-
Patient access areas are moving financial discussions earlier in the process to give patients detailed information about their coverage. At Sutter Health, upfront collections rose by 25% as a result of giving price estimates when pre-registering patients.
-
Rounding in patient access areas gives managers an opportunity to observe the customer service provided by employees firsthand.
-
Patient access leaders at Mission Health offer entry-level employees a variety of options for moving up, including positions in registration, scheduling, pre-registration, and financial counseling.
