National Capital Association of Healthcare Access Management
NACAHAM President’s Message on the 2010 PAS Week
“Blast off! Into the Magical World of Patient Access.” I must admit when I first learned of the theme of this year’s annual NAHAM conference I was a bit puzzled and disenchanted. After all, I thought NAHAM’s major concern is to promote professional growth and recognition of healthcare access managers and provide educational resources for the patient access service field. I get the connection of the theme with this year’s location in Orlando, Florida. However, the connotation that it has anything whatsoever to do with magic just did not impress me at all.
At Prince William Hospital, the Patient Access Leadership team had been anxiously awaiting this year’s theme to begin planning Access Week activities. We generally build some of the activities around the annual theme. We also carry the themes from year-to-year. We still refer to ourselves as “Pace Setters” (“Setting the Pace” theme from a few years ago.) Our whole team was not thrilled with the reference to magic, but as we began to discuss some of the implications, we were able to put it into better perspective.
When our customers, both external and internal, see our staff perform registration, scheduling, financial counseling and other functions, it seems pretty straightforward and simple from their point of view. After all, we just politely ask them some questions, gather insurance information, enter the information into our computer system, collect their co-pay and direct them to their next stop in a friendly manner. Simple, right? Right…
Of course, what customers don’t see or know is all the work behind the scenes. They do not realize that we have provided weeks of staff training on how to and the importance of gathering accurate demographic and insurance data, as well as how to provide excellent customer service. We have trained the staff on the need for professionalism in appearance and behavior. We have provided them with precepting and evaluations, quality reviews and performance success plans; not to mention all of the software programs we have integrated into our Registration and Scheduling systems to assist the staff to perform their jobs accurately. We have the ability to verify their insurance eligibility and benefits at the click of a mouse. We obtain pre-authorizations and pre-certifications without the patient ever having to get involved. We check Medicare medical necessity and communicate with physicians on incomplete orders on the patient’s behalf. All this we do so that the process is seamless for the patient. We have taught the staff that once they enter their department and begin receiving patients they are “on stage.” They must always ensure patients and other customers know that it is our pleasure to serve them, and that we are willing to go the extra mile to ensure a remarkable patient experience.
Although I still don’t agree that all this happens by magic, when I look at all we do for our patients without them ever knowing the volume of effort behind their visit, I would say it does seem to be an illusion or “magic” to the outside world. I believe one can say the ability to turn such complex processes into seamless ones, thus creating an illusion of ease and simplicity for our patients, speaks to our ability to succeed and promotes our profession.
As Access Week is right around the corner, I hope you have a full week of exciting activities planned to celebrate and show appreciation for all those individuals who make up Patient Access Services at your hospital. In the spirit of being “on stage,” we, at Prince William Hospital, will be presenting our annual Patient Access Oscar Awards to those who excel in defined categories. We will be rolling out the red carpet to the winners at the awards ceremony.
