Hospital Access Management – June 1, 2012
June 1, 2012
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Collections soar to $2.9 million: Cash incentives are the reason
At Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, TX, offering incentives "has impacted our collections tremendously," reports Berdia Thompson, admissions supervisor. -
Stop hard feelings about incentives
Giving incentives to individual registrars who met collection goals at Martin Health System in Stuart, FL, seemed like a good idea at first, but it didn't work out too well, according to Carol Plato Nicosia, CHFP, CPAM, MBA, administrative director of corporate business services. -
Denial initiative nets $2.5 million
I'm going to teach you some of the basics of billing and claims management." When Mary Calloe, director of patient access services at Cambridge (MA) Health Alliance, said this statement to members of her staff, they weren't too happy about it. -
System gets out more 'clean' claims
A new claims management system implemented at Cambridge (MA) Health Alliance in 2010 has allowed patient access staff to help get many more "clean" claims out the door, says Mary Calloe, director of patient access services. -
2 new tools combat denials
Until recently, patient access managers at University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City performed all quality assessments manually, says Susan Newton, who is the revenue cycle manager for patient access management and patient financial services. -
'Wow' patients with unforgettable service
Before a patient even approaches your registration area, he or she might "expect the worst," according to Keith Weatherman, CAM, MHA, associate director of service excellence for the corporate revenue cycle at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC. -
'Unfair' complaints? Handle them anyway
A patient's complaint that the TV didn't work in her room obviously had nothing to do with your patient access department. If a patient mentioned this to you, would you do anything about it? -
Do you know how well you are doing?
Even though a hospitalwide satisfaction survey given to patients at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC, was customized with wording such as "the person who asked you for your insurance information," patients still sometimes confuse their registration experience with other areas, says Keith Weatherman, CAM, MHA, associate director of service excellence for the corporate revenue cycle. -
Try this to test listening skills
Below is a training exercise used by Nicole Marsoobian, supervisor of preregistration at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, to test the listening skills of her patient access staff: -
Save $4,500 yearly on paper costs
Before a new electronic medical record system was implemented at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, registrars made a minimum of five copies of the patient's order, the face sheet, the appointment record, and patient label sheets. They sent all of these to clinical departments. -
Make your clinics allies to get auths
Until recently, an urgent care clinic continually sent patients to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, WI, for radiology tests that weren't authorized, reports patient access manager Robyn Rogers. -
Patient may refuse to sign insurance waiver
If a patient is scheduled for a high-dollar imaging procedure on short notice, this situation presents some additional challenges with obtaining authorizations, according to Robyn Rogers, a patient access manager at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, WI. -
Correct status of patient's admission
An incorrect admission status on a patient can cause a delay in obtaining a required authorization, warns Marsha Kedigh, RN, BS, MSM, director of admitting, ED registration, discharge station, and insurance management at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. -
Show new hires you expect much of them
When Roxana Newton, CHAA, patient access supervisor at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, was interviewing a potential central scheduler, the applicant seemed taken aback by how many questions she was being asked. -
Be clear: You expect accuracy
A registrar's position is very detail-oriented, and his or her ability to obtain accurate information is crucial for good patient care, says Roxana Newton, CHAA, patient access supervisor at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver. -
Determine if applicants are well-fitted for job
When interviewing applicants for patient access positions at Children's National Medical Center in Silver Spring, MD, Keisha Byam, MPH, training manager and safety coach, asks detailed questions about the person's ability to adapt to change. -
New employees need aid to succeed
Loretta Buisson, director of patient access satellite facilities at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, LA, looks for applicants who have great customer service skills, are highly motivated and dependable, and adapt well to change. -
Ask applicants these questions
When Keisha Byam, MPH, training manager and safety coach at Children's National Medical Center in Silver Spring, MD, interviews applicants, she asks these questions: