Hospital Access Management – December 1, 2004
December 1, 2004
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Hospital outsourcing ED financial counseling to reduce bad debt
When the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian in Philadelphia turned its attention to addressing the facilitys bad debt, it quickly became clear that self-pay accounts coming out of the emergency department (ED) were the root of the problem. -
Vendor outlines steps to providing ED service
When PATHS LLC took on the job of providing financial counseling to self-pay emergency department patients at Philadelphias University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian, the vendors first order of business was to distinguish the new program from work it already was doing for the hospital. -
No stone unturned in self-pay initiative
Responding to a rising number of self-pay patients particularly those coming through the emergency department Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta pulled out all the stops to expand and improve its financial counseling program. -
Scripting popular with ED and customer service
Are you as aware as you could be of how your access employees speak to the customers? Hospitals are increasingly taking note of not only what is said, but the dramatic impact it can have on patients perception of the care they receive, as well as on the organizations bottom line. -
Adventist manual aids registrar, manager
A new best practice registration manual, jointly written by an eight-member team at Adventist Health, has been very useful for both new registration hires and admitting managers throughout the hospital system, says Ken Mitchell, MM, CHFP, director of patient financial services at Adventist Medical Center in Portland, OR. -
HIPAA privacy requirements considered ‘burdensome’
Providers and health plan representatives say two provisions of the HIPAA privacy rule the requirement to account for certain information disclosures and the requirement to develop agreements with business associates that extend privacy protections downstream are unnecessarily burdensome, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. -
EMTALA specialist expounds upon transfers
An Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirement regarding the responsibilities of hospitals when a patient is transferred to another facility was clarified recently by Stephen Frew, JD, a risk management consultant and EMTALA expert. -
Immigration status report not required, CMS says
Hospitals will not be required to report a patients immigration status to receive funding for uncompensated emergency care provided to undocumented immigrants, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has said in a letter to the American Hospital Association. -
Prepare your hospital for a very unusual flu season
In response to the national shortage of vaccine, Thomson American Health Consultants has developed an influenza sourcebook to ensure you and your hospital are prepared for what you may face this flu season.