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  • The Joint Commission is tired of fatigue-related events

    Almost everyone who has been in healthcare for long enough can tell a story about a tired physician or worn-out nurse who has either made a mistake or come this close to it due to fatigue.
  • Nine tips for choosing what to share

    The most important consideration is to figure out what story you are trying to tell, says Lisa Snyder, MD MD, MPH, senior vice president and chief quality officer at Select Medical of Mechanicsburg, PA.
  • 2011 Salary Survey Results: Quality improvement professionals are becoming more tech savvy

    As technology continues to evolve, so does its usage in the healthcare setting. Quality professionals are becoming more IT savvy as electronic health records become the new industry norm. Instead of flipping through paper charts and files, health information is searchable through electronic databases.
  • Is your health IT a danger to patients?

    The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report in December that was critical of efforts made thus far to ensure medical errors associated with the use of health IT are minimized.
  • Is self-pay patient eligible? Find out in real time, or close to it

    If a self-pay or underinsured patient presents to you for services, how quickly can you determine if he or she is eligible for Medicaid or another public program?
  • Prevent problems with privacy regs

    Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a major area of concern for patient registration areas, according to Nancy Dean, vice president of compliance, privacy and internal audit at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
  • Finance questions? You have the answers

    Registrars at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis field five or six calls every day from patients asking detailed questions about what services will cost them, says Laura Florine, manager of patient financial care services. "Patients may postpone care if they are not sure about the cost of the service," she adds.
  • Get staff competent in multiple areas

    Members of your patient access staff might act as customer service clerks, financial counselors, and patient advocates all within an hour, and they also are tasked with providing accurate directions within the medical center, according to Chris Hatcher, registration manager for Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, CA.
  • Improve jointly with clinical areas

    To collaborate with clinical areas on quality improvement, Stacy Calvaruso, CHAM, assistant vice president of patient management at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, assigns her staff members to projects involving both areas.
  • Share key metrics with clinical areas

    Hundreds of revenue cycle metrics were shared with the Cleveland (OH) Clinic's 22 clinical institutes each month, but much of the information wasn't relevant to them, according to Susan M. Milheim, senior director of revenue cycle management.