Patient Access

Emergency physicians use an order in the electronic health record system to request financial counseling for patients who express concern about the cost of emergency care.

The 17 winners of HFMA’s 2017 MAP Award for High Performance in Revenue Cycle offer tips on revenue cycle excellence that can benefit other providers.

Henry County Health Center has simplified patient billing and added a patient estimator tool to enhance the patient experience and improve collections.

Krislyn M. Boggs and Carlos A. Camargo, Jr. describe how the Massachusetts General Hospital-based Emergency Medicine Network helps people find the nearest emergency department.

Finance leaders provide critical information and expertise in healthcare organizations that are looking to improve patient access.

New patient statements and a web portal helped Cone Health increase patient cash collection by nearly $13 million during a two-year period.

A revenue cycle leader describes an award-winning patient financial communications program that includes processes for scheduled, unscheduled, emergency, and self-pay patients.

Yale New Haven Hospital asks specific housing-related questions to determine whether patients are homeless.

Health systems are recognizing that homelessness is a root cause of high healthcare utilization, but most systems do not screen and code for homelessness. Revenue cycle, patient access, and coding staff can play a role to improve homeless patient outcomes and reduce avoidable utilization by screening for and documenting homelessness.

Substance abuse treatment providers can maximize payments through contract negotiations and eligibility verification and precertification processes.