National Healthcare Access Personnel Week is scheduled for April 5-11, 2015, and is a weeklong celebration of people in the patient access profession. The date marks the anniversary of the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM).
“We provide quality care in patient registration and all of its support processes to patients, providers, and payers throughout a patient’s healthcare experience,” NAHAM said. “Not only do we represent the first impression, becoming the face for the entire facility, but we also serve as the key component in putting every healthcare visit in motion. It all starts and ends with patient access management, and we truly do pave the road to success for our patients and our facilities!”
Supporting National Healthcare Access Personnel Week demonstrates to your employees that you appreciate their efforts and encourage them as “goodwill ambassadors for the entire hospital,” NAHAM said. A recognition program during this week enhances guest relations, increases staff morale, and improves communications, the organization said.
If your hospital has a newsletter, a feature article on the access department can appear that week, suggested NAHAM, which provides a sample newsletter article at http://www.naham.org/?page=Newsletter. Local newspapers often have sections highlighting various community events and can help draw attention to the celebration, NAHAM said. “Displays describing the work, growth, and/or evolution of the department or spotlighting on the access department’s employees can be set up in a central, heavily traveled part of the hospital,” the organization suggested.
NAHAM has created a complimentary toolkit to assist you with planning a recognition program with free puzzles and games for you to engage your staff. It provides numerous suggestions for events and contests you can implement and offers a list of audiences you should remember during your celebration.
“You can also purchase a variety of specially designed products for use throughout the week and entire year as recognition gifts and reminders of your department’s important contributions to the operation of the hospital,” NAHAM said.
Go to http://www.naham.org/ to access the following:
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suggested Access Week activities;
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an Access Week toolkit;
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a sample press release;
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a sample memo to send to the marketing department;
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an official proclamation.
NAHAM suggests that patient access departments consider these activities:
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Conduct a ‘Get to Know Us’ survey, and give each participant a gift (i.e., popcorn/candy, etc.).
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Arrange a catered lunch for your staff.
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Have a daily trivia contest with prizes.
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Publish information with registration statistics and other information in the hospital newsletter.
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Have staff members vote for peers in assorted categories, such as Most Accurate, Most Likely to Succeed, Highest Cash Collector, and Best Customer Representative.
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Hold a luncheon for your CHAMs and invite your COO, CIO, CEO, or CFO.
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Have a speaker discuss a topic relating to the workplace or access.
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Give a flower to each staff member with a thank-you note from the manager, director, and/or vice president.
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Hold a story board or discussion session to share goals and ideas toward making your department better.
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Hold an open house for family members of access staff.
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Hold a recognition luncheon for access staff.
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Hold an employee and volunteer open house.
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Honor your physicians and their office staff.
