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The Joint Commission (TJC)

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  • Unit-based classes a time-saving teaching strategy

    Do you work with a unit on education resources for a homogeneous patient population? Do you find that the bedside nurses on this unit struggle with time management because they are repeating the same patient instructions to almost every patient they care for? Is it possible for patients on this unit to leave their room and go to a centralized location for about 30 minutes or so?
  • Making sure all voices are heard

    Some health care facilities provide medical treatment to people throughout the United States, while others serve those who live in the surrounding neighborhood. Whatever the demographics, it is important for a family advisory council to represent the diversity of patients and families served, states Cezanne Garcia, MPH, senior program and resource specialist for the Institute of Family Centered Care in Bethesda, MD.
  • Patient and family advisory councils help usher in a culture of family-centered care

    Family-centered care is becoming a familiar concept. It is defined by the Institute of Family Centered Care in Bethesda, MD, as: "an innovative approach to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among health care patients, families, and providers."
  • Are complaints piling up? First find out the facts

    Vicki Lyons, patient access manager at Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, KY, says that she goes to "every extreme" not to have to terminate an employee. That means always taking the time to find out the facts, whether a complaint comes from a patient, family member, or another hospital employee.
  • With collections, all eyes are on patient access

    Patient access professionals report being under intense pressure to help the hospital's bottom line.
  • Is your hospital shortchanging its front end? Show them these figures

    Even though patient access has a major impact on the hospital financially, the department often is still shortchanged. This is especially true now, with hospitals looking to cut costs anywhere they can, implementing hiring freezes, and asking departments to do more with less.
  • If complaints are piling up, talk to staff directly

    Considering the amount of turnover in the average patient access department, the last thing you probably want is to lose a staff member. However, there are times when a staff person has to be terminated never a pleasant task, but at times, a necessary one.
  • Zero in on the registration errors being made by staff

    To increase collections, you need accurate information at registration.
  • A bigger salary in this economy?

    Fair or not, patient access managers have historically had lower salaries than patient account managers. But this is something that just might be ripe for change even in today's down economy.
  • Crowding from boarding can harm patients

    There is a significant amount of research that demonstrates ED crowding due to boarding is responsible for poor outcomes, says Tom Scaletta, MD, president of Emergency Excellence, a Chicago-based organization that improves patient care and efficiency in the ED while controlling costs. He also is medical director of a high-volume community hospital in a Chicago suburb.