Hospital Access Management – January 1, 2010
January 1, 2010
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Don't let negativity get a foothold in your patient access department
Imagine one person complaining nonstop about everything from rude patients to out-of-ink pens. Over time, that individual can manage to undo hours of hard work and morale-boosting initiatives, and send your customer service crumbling. -
Get the 'quiet ones' to speak their mind
Heidi Dunbar, manager of admitting/emergency department coordinator at Seattle Children's Hospital, says that although it's often very hard to find time for them, monthly staff meetings are always worth the time they take. "About 90% of staff come to meetings, which means they are getting something out of them," she says. "We have a very open environment, and people always have interesting things to say that you would never imagine." -
Turn a frustrated patient into a satisfied customer
More than ever, patient access staff are coping with angry and frustrated patients. -
Get other departments to sing the praises of access
Registration staff were too careless to get accurate insurance information. A patient access employee was mean to a patient. Wait times at registration were ridiculously long because staff are incompetent. The list goes on and on. Too often, patient access bears the brunt of negative feedback from other areas of the hospital. -
Gauge your next access candidate's service skills
Does an individual have flawless references and impressive skills? That doesn't matter much if his or her service skills are lacking. -
These strategies can pave the way to a clean claim
The Medicare Secondary Payer questionnaire is not complete. The Medicare number is missing from a replacement plan. The subscriber name or date of birth is a mismatch. An account has incorrect insurance coded for third-party liability. -
Be sure you're complying with patient rights regs
Is your patient access staff familiar with federal requirements for giving patients information on how to file complaints or grievances? -
2009 Salary Survey Results: Downturn, reform are the two big challenges for access
It's unlikely that many patient access professionals are seeing huge raises these days. "With the economy as it's been, I would imagine increases are minimal and folks are scrambling to hold on to their jobs," says Peter Kraus, CHAM, CPAR, a business analyst with patient financial services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.