Hospital Access Management – January 1, 2012
January 1, 2012
View Issues
-
Access rises from data entry clerk to major player in revenue cycle
Typewriters were the only way to record a patient's information when Vicki Sanseverino began working as an "admit representative" at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff, CA, in 1983, as there was no computer system in place at the time. -
These challenges in access' future
Doing "more with less" is a major challenge for patient access leaders, both now and in the coming years. Lauree M. Miller, director of patient access at Catholic Health Initiatives in Lincoln, NE, expects this challenge to grow when healthcare reform initiatives are implemented in 2014, due to decreased hospital revenue. -
Access must have financial know-how
In many organizations, financial counseling processes have moved upfront and are now the responsibility of patient access. -
Access staff members tap skills of the future
Decades ago, a registrar needed a thorough understanding of medical terminology to do his or her job -
Clinical conflicts due to new access role
Can you do this for us?" It's a common question fielded by patient access managers from clinical areas. -
New access technology? A golden opportunity
If your hospital is switching to an electronic medical record (EMR), this change is an excellent opportunity to start a much-needed dialogue with clinical areas. -
Stop misconceptions on patient access role
When a trauma patient arrives via ambulance, access services staff must obtain information quickly, before the patient is taken for diagnostic tests or given medications, which make them drowsy. -
Access staff are not "expendable"
Some medical staff members might view access services staff as "expendable" and unimportant to the flow of patient care outside of entering information into the computer, according to Kimberly Ablog-Shapiro, access representative supervisor for the night shift in the emergency department (ED) at University of California Davis Medical Center. -
Provide education on new access role
Many hospital associates believe that registration staff simply sit at their desk and greet patients, reports Barbara Blum, director of access, admitting, and registration at MedStar Health in Columbia, MD. "They have no idea what the registration staff's responsibilities include," Blum says. -
Remind clinicians about satisfaction
Members of your patient access staff probably are reminded often that the clinical side of patient care is more important than gathering the proper information. -
Cross-train staff for 'good turnover'
Well-trained registrars moving to a different area of the hospital might be something you'd never wish for, but this process is encouraged by Colette Lasack, MBA, executive director of revenue cycle at Gundersen Lutheran Health System in La Crosse, WI. -
Telecommuting: A new option in access?
Traditionally, a registrar had to be physically present to enter data as patients arrived, but expanded roles have opened up the possibility of telecommuting for some departments. -
From typewriters to high technology
The "technology" utilized by registrars 30 years ago at Tufts Medical Center in Boston consisted of a typewriter, multi-part forms, a copy machine, and a manual embossing machine to print patient identification cards. -
Technology tools you must have
Thirty years ago, the Master Patient Index (MPI) used by a hospital's registration and admitting department typically was maintained by medical records.