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In the aftermath of reports that some surgical hospitals called 911 when patients developed complications, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a Survey & Certification letter clarifying that all hospitals are required to appraise medical emergencies, provide initial treatment, and provide referral when appropriate, regardless of whether the hospital has an emergency department.
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No one likes to undergo surgery, and children are especially vulnerable to anxiety prior to surgery. A recent study demonstrates that pre-surgical intervention designed to reduce the fears of children and parents does have a positive impact on the child's surgical experience and recovery.
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Save $100,000 in one year? It takes time and effort, but the key to achieving this cost-saving milestone for Calumet Surgery Center in Munster, IN, was careful attention to contracts that automatically renewed themselves.
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Are you ready for the biggest change for ambulatory surgery centers in 20 years? The impact of other changes, such as preparing for Y2K, are dwarfed in comparison to the new payment system coming for ambulatory surgery centers, says Judith L. English, vice president of business operations at Surgery Consultants of America and Surgery Center Billing in Fort Myers, FL.
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Health care providers and other covered entities that acted in "good faith" to become compliant with the requirement for a National Provider Identifier can continue to accept legacy numbers through May 23, 2008, one year after the NPI rule takes effect.
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New, professional-style uniforms for access staff at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills have apparently had a dramatic -- and very positive -- effect on the facility's upfront collections, says patient access supervisor Mike Vanderbilt, CHAM.
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When Elizabeth Reason, MBA, CHAM, agreed a couple of years ago to fill a vacancy on the board of the Michigan Alliance of Healthcare Access Professionals (MAHAP), it was the beginning of a personal crusade for better education and credentialing of access professionals.
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The Hospital Conditions of Participation (COP) require nearly all hospitals, including limited-service providers and others without emergency departments, to provide emergency services, according to guidance recently released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Looking for a way to retain staff and enhance training, the patient access leadership at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, IL, turned their focus to the professional certifications offered by the Washington, DC-based National Association of Healthcare Management (NAHAM).
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A three-rung access career ladder in place since 2004 at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, NY, has drawn a positive response from staff.
