Hospital Access Management – December 1, 2008
December 1, 2008
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Increase upfront collections: It's more important now than ever
In today's down economy, increasing upfront collections is even more important for patient access departments, but it's getting harder as many patients are struggling to make ends meet, at the same time that their copays, deductibles, and co-insurances are becoming more expensive. -
Should you decentralize to increase collections?
When administrators at Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville asked his opinion about how they could increase point-of-service (POS) collections, Tim Carney, manager of outpatient financial arrangements, told them in no uncertain terms that decentralization was the key. -
Patient access using new Medicare noncoverage form
Patient access staff will have to get used to a change for Medicare patients, with the new Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) form now used for all situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied. The form, implemented by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), becomes mandatory March 1, 2009. -
Invest in patient access team with career ladders
A career ladder has helped the patient access department at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, SC, to "build our own leaders," says Charlene B. Cathcart, CHAM, director of admissions and registration. -
Online pre-registration frees up phone registrars
Allowing patients the option of pre-registering online is good for patient satisfaction and also frees up patient access staff for those who prefer to speak with a representative. -
Electronic ordering halts misplaced, missing orders
After an electronic ordering process was implemented at Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System in Marriottsville, MD, the central scheduling department stopped "pulling their hair out" looking for misplaced or inaccurate orders. -
Patient access attacks ED problem 'on many fronts'
If your hospital is like most, patients admitted through the emergency department are being held, possibly in hallways, for hours and even days. It's a complicated problem that the patient access department isn't responsible for and can't control. Still, you bear the brunt of the poor customer service scores that result from this situation.