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Cross-training is important not only for staffing coverage, but it also gives staff a better understanding of the revenue cycle as a whole, according to Roxana Newton, patient access supervisor at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver.
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A message left by a patient on the voicemail of Brian Sauders, manager of patient access services at Indiana University Health North Hospital in Carmel, stated that although the service was quick and effective, she perceived the registration experience to be "cold."
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When a patient answered "very satisfied" to a survey question about how many times a call was transferred, patient access leaders at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston had no way to know if the patient had called the inpatient admissions unit or the hospital gift shop.
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Hundreds of revenue cycle metrics were shared with the Cleveland (OH) Clinic's 22 clinical institutes each month, but much of the information wasn't relevant to them, according to Susan M. Milheim, senior director of revenue cycle management.
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To collaborate with clinical areas on quality improvement, Stacy Calvaruso, CHAM, assistant vice president of patient management at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, assigns her staff members to projects involving both areas.
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Members of your patient access staff might act as customer service clerks, financial counselors, and patient advocates all within an hour, and they also are tasked with providing accurate directions within the medical center, according to Chris Hatcher, registration manager for Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, CA.
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Registrars at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis field five or six calls every day from patients asking detailed questions about what services will cost them, says Laura Florine, manager of patient financial care services. "Patients may postpone care if they are not sure about the cost of the service," she adds.
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Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a major area of concern for patient registration areas, according to Nancy Dean, vice president of compliance, privacy and internal audit at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
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If a self-pay or underinsured patient presents to you for services, how quickly can you determine if he or she is eligible for Medicaid or another public program?
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Many hospital associates believe that registration staff simply sit at their desk and greet patients, reports Barbara Blum, director of access, admitting, and registration at MedStar Health in Columbia, MD. "They have no idea what the registration staff's responsibilities include," Blum says.