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Patient access departments are increasingly focused on upfront collections. Yet staff thrust in this new role often are somewhat uncomfortable with asking patients for money.
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Due to the economic downturn, patient access departments are being asked to maintain programs with fewer resources and do more with less. Technology investments are being put off, and staff in some cases are being cut.
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This is a two-part series on use of performance indicators in patient access. This month, we cover their benefits and how to develop the most effective scorecards.
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Patient care and business priorities can co-exist as equal partners, says Jodie Martin, director of hospital admitting at University of Kentucky (UK) HealthCare in Lexington, but "it's up to the patient access manager to facilitate that partnership."
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Fewer resources, service discounts, high deductibles, transparency, increased market competition, and increases in the uninsured population. These factors make it "ever so critical to collect during the upfront processes."
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Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, MI, is using the slogan were an emergency room, not a waiting room and backing up its claim with an offer of free theater tickets to patients who wait more than 30 minutes.
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While proposed changes to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) would give hospitals more leeway in certain areas, its important to remember that those changes arent yet in effect, cautions Stephen Frew, JD, a longtime specialist in EMTALA compliance.
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The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently approved a plan that calls for smallpox immunization of 510,000 health care workers.
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News Briefs: New JCAHO process will debut in 2004; Feds offer database for record disclosures; Web site answers FAQs about HIPAA; Patient records linked as part of warning system; Hospital web sites gain in popularity.
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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.
