Patient Access Reps
Published March 15, 2010 | 
Are you a doctor’s office or hospital patient access rep? Maybe you are called something else by your employer such as a Medical Office Clerk or Insurance Clerk or maybe even an Admission Clerk or Registrar. Whatever the title we all do about the same thing. We collect demographic and insurance information about patients and input them into some kind of software program. Some of us do more than that such as post charges, collect co-pays and coinsurance amounts from patients and some of us even bill insurance companies or follow-up with the patient’s insurance to get them to pay the claims that have been billed to them. A few will even have to call the insurance companies to get pre-certification for a procedure. Whatever your duties are you need to know that you are “The Face of a Medical Practice” . And by that I mean you will generally be the first and possibly the last person that patient sees when getting medical services. You will set the tone of the visit for the patient and you could actually get a patient to return for future services or end up losing that patient for the clinic or hospital if you do not do your job correctly.
Most of us do not have specific training in our field. There is no college courses for our particular specialty. There are so vocational courses that can be taken and we will post another article on that soon enough. You can even take a certification exam as discussed in the CHAA Exam posting previously. Mostly, we are taught how to do our jobs by someone already doing the job. On-the-job training is the best way to learn how to do a new job, if you have the right trainer. So much depends on the trainer actually have the done the job, done it well and be willing to impart that knowledge to the trainee. But you must also be willing to learn some stuff on your own as well. To that end I would like to suggest, again, that you find and bookmark websites that give you updated information on insurances, medical regulations that affect patient access reps and possibly find a local source such as a state agency that keeps up on the current trends in our area of expertise. To start click on some of our links and bookmark them. Read through the materials on each and check back on them about once a month or so to see if anything new has been posted. We would even suggest that if they offer a newsletter or updating email service that you sign up for that as well.
Remember, learning some new everyday should be your motto or mantra!
Summer Break & College Students
Published July 5, 2009 | For those of us who work in the Emergency Rooms in hospitals we have all experience the same thing. Kids in college and those who go on spring break in our area for some reason don’t know anything about their parents or the insurance that they are covered under. I mean you go off to college and are still covered under your parent’s insurance until you graduate. Great for you as you don’t have to pay for it. Young kids going on a school trip have a form that is filled out for them with their parents information and the insurance stuff. Please, please, please before you go off to college get the same information and keep it in your wallets! Most of you are over 18 and are supposed to be adults and should know the basics. For instance, you should know your parents full name, date of birth and where they work. If your parents don’t want to give you an insurance card then just make a copy of it front and back and write your parents information on the copy. That way when you have to be seen in an emergency room or urgent care center you can give them the copy, sign your forms and your bills will be paid. MAKE sure you get your copy back or better yet make several copies. (Keep those copies safe!…you don’t want your parents information floating around the commons.) You can download a copy by clicking here sample form .
Well, that was my rant for today. Be safe and come back again.
Posted in Emergency Room Registrations, General Info for Medical Office Clerks, Hospital Registrations, Medical Forms, Medical Insurance Coverage, Patient Registrations | 
college students need parents information, know your parents insurance information, students be prepared for medical visits | 
Leave a commentPatients Rights & Responsibilities
Published May 16, 2009 | Has your patients asked for a copy of the Patient Rights and Responsibilities? Have you read them? All states should have some version of these available on your state’s Health Department website. In Florida, we can get a free copy of them at the Florida Department of Health website and they are part of our Florida Statutes. Some of those rights include: The individual dignity of a patient must be respected at all times and upon all occasions; A patient in a health care facility has the right to know what patient support services are available in the facility; A patient has the right to receive a copy of an itemized bill upon request. A patient has a right to be given an explanation of charges upon request; andA patient has the right to treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide such treatment. Some of the responsibilities include: A patient is responsible for reporting unexpected changes in his or her condition to the health care provider; A patient is responsible for reporting to the health care provider whether he or she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him or her; A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the health care provider; and A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.
So, take a look at this brochure, if it is available at your medical facility. If you do not have them already printed up you probably should have them displayed as most if not all states have regulations about such things. If nothing else you can copy and print them from your state’s Health Department and have them available.
Patients Don’t Want to Give You Their Information
Published April 3, 2009 | There are a variety of different questions that are asked of the patient, especially by hospital registrars, that the patient’s may be unwilling to answer. We need that information for a variety of different reasons and not just to be nosey. We ask the religious preference because when our patients are treated and possibly get admitted to the hospital most facilities would like to know in advance if that patient has specific dietary concerns, are unwilling to accept blood, or would like to see a particular priest or pastor. The patient can always say, “NO Preference”. So, if they ask why tell them that we need to know if they need “Kosher” food, are Jehovah Witness and will not accept blood, or would like to have a priest instead of a pastor should that service be offered the patients in your facility.
As to the NEXT-OF-KIN or emergency contact information that is extremely important from a treatment standpoint and a collections one. First, we need to know name and phone number to contact in case that patient is unable to make medical decisions for themselves. Such as when the patient is unable to respond and the doctor would like to discuss treatment with the patient’s representative. In most cases the person will be the spouse or parent. Even though during this episode of care the patient does not need to have the spouse or parent or health care surrogate contacted you need to explain that if they come in in the future we will already have the information available.
Second, we need an alternate contact for the patient from a collections standpoint as well. This you will probably not tell the patient. As a last resort if we unable to contact the patient about the remaining balance on their account then we can leave a message or send a letter in care of the secondary contact.
Good luck!