Hospital Access Management
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Rural Hospitals Face Uphill Battle with Financial Viability
Lawmakers are plugging holes in a leaky boat while experts are calling for more comprehensive solutions.
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How to Ease Financial Anxiety
Educate patients about insurance coverage and provide options for financial assistance programs — and do it early.
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Patients Want Good Answers on Cost of Care
Price-shopping patients are not interested in gross charges that do not take their individual insurance into account. Read how one department created a tool that provides tailored, detailed estimates.
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Despite Many Challenges, Patient Access Manages to Retain Staff
A career ladder and a sense of purpose might convince registrars to stick around.
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Stop Surprise Bills by Identifying Out-of-Network Status Much Earlier
Identify any out-of-network providers as early as possible while there is time to do something about it. Hospitals should be sure payor networks are aligned, and that nobody who is out of network with the coverage is going to end up caring for the patient.
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Observation Status Is Issue in Claims Denials
Patient access should be documenting the true severity of a patient’s illness on day two or three of hospitalization. By that time, there is an actual diagnosis to support the need for admission.
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Physicians, Patients Rarely Discuss Cost: Registrars Can Help
A lack of knowledge and a discomfort discussing money leads everyone to steer conversations in other directions.
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Scripting Keeps Financial Message Consistent
Giving families a point of contact for each area of the revenue cycle is the best way to provide uniformity. For example, when patients call in for an explanation of their bills, connect them with customer relations. If they need to set up a payment plan, bring in financial counselors.
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Incomplete ED Registrations Disastrous for Copay Collections
Hospitals are trying to shorten door-to-provider times. Lower-acuity patients are treated as “fast-track,” and discharged quickly. Registration teams might struggle to keep up, to the point that some patients may miss the official registration process. Without proper contact information, collection becomes exponentially more difficult.
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Revenue Cycle Needs Prep Work for Tough Financial Conversations
The most challenging situation can be when patients ask why the cost is so high. Scripting can help registrars answer this difficult question. This training includes teaching patient access staff how to show the patient detailed benefits and explain the out-of-pocket expense is based on their insurance carrier.