-
-
Point-of-service collections are becoming increasingly important for patient access areas for many reasons, but this revenue doesn't come easily.
-
Registration accuracy is always a foremost concern for patient access leaders, as problems in this area can lead to needless claims denials; ineffective quality assurance audits, however, won't get results, says Diane E. Mastalski, CHAA, CHAM, Virtua's corporate director of patient access.
-
More than ever, patient access staff are being challenged to step into a new role that of financial counselor. Patients have more complex questions and needs, and are turning to front-line staff for answers.
-
The below proposal was submitted by John E. Kivimaki, director of patient accounts at Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine, OH, to identify areas in the revenue cycle where losses could be reduced by focusing on upfront efforts. It was accepted by the hospital's administration, and implementation is underway.
-
A true test of the success of a process improvement initiative is whether the results can be sustained, and the ED at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor, NY, has just celebrated the fifth anniversary of its "no wait" process. Most patients skip the waiting room entirely and go right to registration, and then to triage.
-
Childbirth at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland, WA, is viewed as a family experience, rather than a medical event.
-
Recognizing that chronically ill patients benefit from care management beyond the walls of the hospital or their physician's office, Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, CT, has created The Center for Chronic Care Management, which offers four National Committee for Quality Assurance- (NCQA) accredited disease management programs to help patients manage their conditions.
-
By conducing real-time concurrent denials management, Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system in Louisville, KY, keeps its average denials rate below 1%, consistently exceeding the hospital's goal of a denials rate of under 2% for commercial patient days, including Medicare managed care patients.
-
As reimbursement shrinks and health care providers tighten their belts, hospitals need to take a proactive approach to denials to make sure they get paid appropriately for the care they provide, experts say.