Task force makes fiscal suggestions for hospital
The Hospital System Strategic Task Force, assembled by Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, has presented draft recommendations to improve Connecticut’s hospital financial health and ensure access to necessary and quality healthcare services. Also, a Financial Structure Subcommittee addressed reform for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement and suggested that the poor financial performance by many hospitals will require investment in necessary physical plant improvements, equipment and advanced technology, all lagging by more than $1 billion.
AAPC uses CodeRyte to assist students and coders
The American Academy of Professional Coders, the largest U.S. association for medical coders, has signed a deal to bring computer-assisted coding technology to its membership. AAPC will join with CodeRyte, Inc., a provider of computer-assisted coding technology, to create a platform for computer-assisted coding for Professional Medical Coding Curriculum instructors, students and coders. The alliance will first provide instructors with the ability to use real-world computer-assisted coding technology to teach coding principles.
Survey: hospitals could improve patient tracking
Hospitals could do a better job of tracking patients, according to a new study released in November by StatCom. Fifty-eight percent of the healthcare executives surveyed for StatCom’s 2007 National Survey of Patient Throughput and Capacity Challenges reported that their facilities do not have the ability to track patient flow continuously. Additionally, 53 percent of the executives surveyed rated their hospital’s efficiency at the bed-turn process as poor or fair, the study found.
Patient charge estimator software now available
Craneware, Inc. has announced the public release of Patient Charge Estimator, a software solution that provides charge estimates for inpatient and outpatient procedures based on a hospital’s historical claims data, chargemaster files and negotiated third-party contracts. It enables healthcare organizations to meet the increasing demand for pricing information among this growing demographic, so those patients can make more informed healthcare purchasing decisions. By providing accurate, on-demand estimates prior to the time of service, healthcare organizations can improve patient satisfaction, increase time of service collections, reduce patient bad debt, and enhance compliance.