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An irate customer called the access center at Virtua in Marlton, NJ, complaining that she could not take her child on a maternity tour because of the new visitor restrictions enforced due to the H1N1 outbreak. "She was so upset when she first called that she threatened not to have her new baby at Virtua," says Ninfa Saunders, RN, MSN, MBA, PhD, executive vice president for health services.
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A patient comes in with a mass of misinformation about coverage and benefits, completely unaware of hospital procedures and federal requirements. In situations like this, information is the patient access employee's best friend.
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Although prior privacy requirements called for home health agencies to notify patients when a breach of privacy was discovered, the Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) specifically identifies time frames and content of notifications.
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According to a survey released in January by Falls Church, VA-based CSC, only two-thirds of hospitals have identified gaps in their current systems to meet the requirements for meaningful use, as set forth by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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At Wuesthoff Health Systems in Rockledge, FL, outcomes of the patient access department are measured by various reports and spreadsheets. Of these, two particularly important metrics rise to the top of the list.
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A patient access supervisor, however supportive, probably isn't the first person an employee would ask for help if struggling to remember a certain payer requirement. That employee is more likely to turn to a colleague
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If a patient gives a different Social Security number from the last time he or she presented, this could mean that that patient is confusing the number with his or her spouse or child's. However, it could also mean the patient is assuming a false identity.
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On Feb. 17, 2009, the Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) was enacted.
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Will funding from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), propel state Medicaid programs forward with the use of electronic health records (EHRs)? Or will state fiscal crises or other unforeseen problems prevent the hoped-for progress?
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It is more important than ever for patient access/registration departments to monitor outcomes, as this can "make or break" the success of the department. However, data can be missing, misleading, or just plain bad. Any of these scenarios means trouble for patient access
