Hospital Access Management – December 1, 2007
December 1, 2007
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Managing physician orders no longer an issue at St. Louis health system
Challenges with handling physician orders abound at most hospitals: Patients may show up without the order, leading to frustration all around and a wasted appointment time. -
Customer service drives new radiology call center
A beautifully designed, state-of-the art facility for imaging services is the centerpiece of a group of previously independent sites now being served by a new radiology call center. -
Uninsured patients benefit from ED referral program
About 110 uninsured patients a month are being referred from a Tucson, AZ, hospital emergency department to a nearby primary care and specialty center, the result of a collaborative aimed at finding the individuals an ongoing medical home. -
Specialist: Reimbursement opportunity being missed
Something that puzzles Patti Thrailkill, who spent more than 20 years working with the federal disability program, is why there isn't more energy at hospitals spent trying to get disability benefits for patients. -
Admission screening for MRSA gains award
One U.S. health care system is ahead of the curve when it comes to dealing with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a difficult-to-treat strain of bacteria that is a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections. -
Placement decisions tricky for at-risk seniors
Discharge planning for the high-risk "frail senior" population is difficult at best, says Barbara Leach, RNC, MS, CNA, ACM, director of case management, Sacramento/Solo, with the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region. -
Call centers could help with public health crises
Leveraging the resources of established call centers to serve the public in the event of a health emergency is one of the strategies proposed in a recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). -
News Briefs
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will require hospitals and other health care providers to use a National Provider Identifier when they bill Medicare fiscal intermediaries and Medicare administrative contractors, the agency said in a recent notice.