CHAA Future Development & Medicare Knowledge

In the FOCUS PDCA performance improvement method, what does the 'P' stand for?

Studies show satisfied patients are less likely to adhere to medical advice and that emotional distress during a health care experience can actually improve a patient’s ability to heal.

What type of training would be most appropriate for a new employee to practice methodology for collecting co-pays?

In more recent years, which piece of demographic information do some facilities no longer require in order to protect it?

"How likely are you to choose our facility in the future?" "How likely are you to recommend our facility to your friends?" are examples of _________ survey questions.

What ways can you measure productivity in Patient Access?
I. Number of scheduling calls
II. Accuracy of registrations completed
III. Number of insurance verifications
IV. Number of financial counseling interviews

Benchmarking is an improvement tool whereby a company measures its performance or processes against other companies' best practices, determines how those companies achieved their performance levels, and uses the information to improve its own performance.

What are the different types of benchmarking a facility can use?
I. Functional Benchmarking
II. Financial Benchmarking
III. Internal Benchmarking
IV. External Benchmarking

Six Sigma and Lean are complementary performance improvement methods that interact and reinforce one another.

___I__ focuses on eliminating non-value added steps and activities in a process, ___II____ focuses on reducing variation from the remaining value-added steps. ___I___ makes sure we are working on the right activities and ____II____ makes sure we are doing the right things right the very first time we do them.

_______ is the continuous study and adaptation of a health care organizations functions and processes to increase the probability of achieving desire outcomes.

Adaptability, decisiveness, integrity, ability to deal with pressure, other skills learned through life experiences are examples of __________ competencies.

Wait times during scheduling and arrival, accuracy rates, unbilled dollars, employee satisfaction, upfront/POS collections are KPIs generally monitored by ___________.

What quality improvement term is being described?
Features of health services that do not directly relate to clinical effectiveness but may enhance the client's satisfaction and willingness to return to the facility for further healthcare needs. Includes physical appearance and cleanliness of the health facility.

Who might utilize customer satisfaction surveys in a healthcare setting:
I. Individual healthcare organization
II. Health care consumers
III. Health insurance companies

What might be the purpose for implementing a quality improvement program?
I. Collect data
II. Analyze data
III. Evaluate actions
IV. Initiate education or remedial actions

What is the second largest expense item in the Patient Access budget?

_______ is an approach to the continuous study and improvement of providing health care services to meet the needs of individuals and others.

Every day, it becomes more obvious that excellent clinical outcomes alone do not increase the likelihood of a patient or their family to return or recommend a hospital's services to friends and family.

What is the largest expense item in the Patient Access budget?

What type of training might be appropriate for a new candidate to prepare for assessments and competencies?

Registering, verifying, calculating deposits, other skills learned in an educational environment/on the job are an example of __________ competencies.

_______ is the performance processes through which actual performance is measured and compared with goals and the difference is acted on.

What quality improvement term is being described below?
A way or method of accomplishing a business function of process that is considered to be superior to all other known methods.

What type of quality improvement chart is being described?
A graphical representation of the sequence of activities, steps, and decision points that occur in a particular, discrete process, such as registering a client in a clinic.

What type of quality improvement chart is being described?
A type of bar chart used in process or project planning and control to display planned work targets for completion of work in relation to time. Typically, it shows the week, month, or quarter that each activity will be completed and the person or persons responsible for carrying out each activity.

Although not considered a clinical dept, Patient Access is responsible for capture of specific clinical information necessary for the encounter. What might this include?

I. Physician Order
II. Reason for Encounter
III. Admitting Diagnosis
IV. History & Physical of Present Illness

Loyalty and word of mouth referrals from previous patients are important to healthcare facilities.

The main repository used in patient access is the ______ system. In this system, staff will either link the patient to an existing medical record by verifying data captured during registration interview with the data housed in the Master Patient Index or create a new medical record.

What behavioral competencies are necessary for the Patient Access role?
I. Adaptability
II. Troubleshooting
III. Initiative
IV. Building collaborative relationships
V. Thoroughness

Hospitals have shifted their focus on the ______ of the patient-flow process to help ensure problems with billing and collections do not arise in the first place.

Customer surveys, customer comment cards, customer callback programs are an example of _________ soliciting customer feedback.

"Did the staff keep you informed?" "Did the staff address your emotional needs?" "Was the staff friendly and courteous?" "Was the speed of admission acceptable?" are examples of _________ survey questions.

What kind of quality improvement chart is being described?
A visual display of data that enables monitoring of a process to determine whether there is a systematic change in that process over time.

Total cash collections, denial percentage, cost to collect ratio, charity expense, rejected claims/clean claim percentage are KPIs generally monitored by ______________.

Letters from patients and families as well as conversations with patients and families are an example of ___________ soliciting customer feedback.

What quality improvement term is being described below?
A patient care management tool that organizes, sequences, and times the major interventions of nursing staff, physicians, and other departments for a particular case type (e.g., normal delivery), subset (e.g., hysterectomy), or condition (e.g., failure to breastfeed).

What are benefits of automated QA processes vs. manual processes:
I. Less time by management performing audits
II. Catching errors earlier in Rev Cycle/before the bill drops
III. 100% of Registrations are audited
IV. Able to recognize excellent performance/build high morale
V. Employees are able to self correct their errors

Service recovery and staff recognition opportunities are maximized as a result of tracking _________ satisfaction.
I. Patient
II. Employee
III. Physician

_________ help an organization define and measure progress toward organizational goals. These are quantifiable measurements, agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organization or department.

When calculating productivity for Patient Access staff, looking at the total registrations, number of errors, and accuracy percentage is an example of a _______ approach.

When calculating productivity for Patient Access staff, looking at the total registrations, hours worked, and registrations per hour is an example of a _______ approach.

Who is considered a customer in Patient Access services?
I. Patient
II. Physicians/their office staff
III. Internal Depts within facility
IV. Visitors
V. Third Party Payors and Suppliers

What technical competencies are necessary for the Patient Access role?
I. Written communication
II. Goal orientation
III. Computer proficiency
IV. Knowledge of the Revenue Cycle
V. Regulatory standards

What type of training would be most appropriate for a new employee learning registration software (ie - STAR) ?

Which of the following data types fall under the Administrative category:
I. Socioeconomic data
II. Financial data
III. Clinical data
IV. Demographic data

Positive and negative feedback have a purpose in healthcare surveys and provide an opportunity to facilities.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and private insurers— are continuing to adopt quality metrics, including __________, as measures of performance and value. This can in turn effect the amount of reimbursement a facility receives.

"How satisfied were you with your overall hospital stay?" and "How satisfied were you with your overall ER visit?" are examples of ______ survey questions

What type of training would be most appropriate for a new employee learning healthcare regulations such as HIPAA or EMTALA?

Administrative data elements have a direct relationship to patient care but not the financial integrity of the facility.

What type of quality improvement chart is being described?
A graphic representation of the frequency with which certain events occur. It is a rank-order bar chart that displays the relative importance of variables in a data set and may be used to set priorities regarding opportunities for improvement.