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The availability of genetic testing is expanding rapidly so rapidly that information is available before there are safeguards in place concerning how it can be used. In recent months, home test kits, with which users are told they can determine genetic predisposition to bipolar disorders or determine paternity, have come on the market.
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A behavioral health call center has an important role to play in the treatment of a psychiatric patient who presents at the ED, says Sue Altman, president of the Phoenix-based Call Center Consulting Network.
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Health care leaders at Shoal Creek Hospital in Austin, TX, and in the city as a whole are taking steps aimed to make it easier for psychiatric patients to get access to care.
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Patients at the Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) in Macon "are responding very well" to the use of check-in kiosks, which have led to dramatic reductions in the amount of time they spend being registered and waiting for service, says Jane Gray, CPA, FACHE, FABC, assistant vice president for patient business services.
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When a need is expressed within Saint Barnabas Health System, based in Livingston, NJ, there's a pretty good chance its off-site call center, known informally as "the Link," will be able to help in some way, says Belynda Delgado, MSN, BSN, RN, director of Saint Barnabas Health Care Link.
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At Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, NC, where telecommuting is a growing trend, one department in the revenue cycle arena is made up entirely of employees who work from home, says Chris Johnson, FHFMA, vice president for patient financial services.
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In addition to employment qualifications for registrar/patient account representative, staff assigned to telecommuting positions at Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) in Charlotte, NC, must meet the following qualifications before working from home:
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Interest appears to be growing for the "medical home" model of care, which provides patients with a coordinated, comprehensive approach to primary care.
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A new requirement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) affecting critical access hospitals and others that do not have physicians on duty 24-7 has prompted questions regarding EMTALA, says Stephen Frew, JD, a web site publisher (www.medlaw.com) and risk management specialist.
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There are signs that states may become more aggressive in their regulation of provider referrals, suggests Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq., a Burtonsville, MD-based attorney specializing in health care issues.
