Hospital Access Management
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Record high turnover: Senior registrar role ‘slows the flow’ out of patient access
In 2014, the patient access department at William Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak (MI) had a record high turnover rate.
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Create ‘culture of privacy’ in patient access areas
To prevent potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, “we need to, first, cultivate a culture of privacy within the patient access staff,” says Julie Johnson, CHAM, FHAM, director of patient access and Health Information Management and HIPAA privacy officer at Mount Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford, AZ.
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Common registration practices cause big problems with HIPAA
“Mr. Bob Jones? Your colonoscopy will take place in 15 minutes.”
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Prevent denials in the first place — Training is ‘paramount’
Errors or typos made by registrars during the collection of information or during the data entry process are “extremely prevalent” in claims denials, according to Brinn Leach-Wilson, a Merritt Island, FL-based consultant with BHM Healthcare Solutions.
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Payers claim procedures weren’t medically necessary
With medical necessity denials, “prior authorization is ‘job-one,’” says John Holyoak, director of product management at RelayHealth Financial, which is based in Alpharetta, GA.
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Did payer deny claim? Look closely to see if contract allows it
Many patient access leaders are seeing a sharp increase in claims denials, primarily due to more numerous and stringent payer requirements.
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HHS offers guidance to patients on accessing their protected health information
Responding to complaints that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act sometimes makes it difficult for patients to obtain their own medical records, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights recently issued guidance to help people better exercise their existing rights for accessing that information.
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Data analysis reveals most common HIPAA violators
Several large pharmacy chains and health systems are among the most frequent violators of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, according to a recent report from ProPublica.
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Careful: HIPAA mental health change is limited, and not a free-for-all
President Obama’s recent announcement that he is changing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to allow reporting of patients with mental health issues drew acclaim from gun control advocates, but the effect on healthcare providers was not clear. -
Patient attributes examined in provider electronic systems
More than a year ago, the National Association of Healthcare Access Management offered recommendations recorded in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s 2014 Patient Identification and Matching Final Report.