Hospital Access Management – July 1, 2010
July 1, 2010
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Zero in on whether people are really satisfied with your access department
If patients report being "very dissatisfied" with the admission process, does that mean they're angry because a registrar was rude and unfriendly? Or was it because they waited hours in the emergency department hallway for an inpatient bed to become available? -
Survey says: Give staff recognition
If a satisfaction survey includes any positive feedback about an access employee at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, this does not go unnoticed. -
Want to improve? Don't rely on surveys alone
Relying on patient satisfaction survey scores alone to drive your improvement efforts is probably a mistake, says Michael F. Sciarabba, MPH, CHAM, director of patient access services at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. -
Make a good first impression: It's critical
Improving patient satisfaction is "a high priority" for the patient access department at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, according to Michael F. Sciarabba, MPH, CHAM, the hospital's director of patient access services. -
Want your worst problems fixed? Ask staff
Whether your biggest "pain point" is a sudden surge in denied claims, terrible compliance with a new payer requirement, or a slowly growing trend of unhappy patients, the solution comes from the same place. Your staff know the answers whether they realize it or not. -
Brag about your POS collection incentives
Like many improvements in patient access processes, increasing up-front collections is not as easy as it sounds. One way to facilitate this is by giving staff incentives. -
Novel approach gets constant improvement
Imagine you're a patient calling to make an appointment. You may wait an extended period of time before the call is answered. Or, someone may answer the call and then put you on hold or route you to another person who cannot help you. Either way, you're not getting that appointment as quickly as you could be, and you're likely to be dissatisfied.