Hospital Payment & Information Management Archives – January 1, 2003
January 1, 2003
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Best practices will rest on improving coders’ clinical practices knowledge
For HIM departments to successfully navigate the new Medicare and health care territory of the 21st century, its important that directors look at managing time, resources, and intellectual capital a little differently than they have in the past. This can be done by establishing best practices for data management and coding quality.ASPs can expand the resources of HIM
Sooner or later, your HIM department probably will begin the process of moving documentation, communications, and transcription to an electronic process, and may decide to use an application service provider (ASP).Your ED could be losing $250,000 each year
Would it surprise you to know that your emergency department (ED) may be missing out on $250,000 per year of legitimate payments?Electronic technology improves operations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston first implemented its new electronic data system two years ago, solely to replace the existing hospital information system for business operations.Track supplies, save money by computerizing inventory
As reimbursement levels fall, hospital managers are faced with the task of improving profit levels. Because increasing volume can increase profits, managers often look toward increasing the number of cases that can be handled within the workday.Inventory system should include these features
When shopping for an inventory system, look for one that addresses the specific needs of your facility, suggests Terri Gatton, RN, CNOR, administrator of the Zanesville (OH) Surgery Center. Otherwise, youll invest too much time and money in a new system to try something that may not be designed for surgery, she adds.Preprinted forms gone; data flow is enhanced
Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital in Columbia, SC, has replaced its old embosser card technology with a Patient Link Up Enterprise (PLUE) system that has eliminated costly preprinted forms and increased the clarity and accuracy of the patient data flow, says Charlene Cathcart, director of admissions and registration.Registrars’ cash incentive raises hospital collections
Brown County General Hospital more than doubled its up-front cash collections over the past year by offering incentives to both registrars and their bosses, says Barb Dailey, patient access director at the Georgetown, OH, facility.News Brief
Final OPPS rule increases spendingDrug Coding Advisor: Knowledge leads to coding accuracy and better quality
If coders better understand hypertension diagnoses, they will be in a better position to ask doctors for more precise information and to code hypertension diagnoses more accurately, says a coding and medical expert.