Patient-centered. Patient-advocacy. Patient-oriented.
There's a lot of talk about making healthcare centered more on the needs of patients. And at this year's Healthcare Financial Management Association's Annual National Institute or ANI in Orlando, Florida, CFOs will find there is more focus on the patient experience compared to past events.
Altogether, there are 16 sessions at this year's conference under the category "revenue cycle and the patient experience."
This makes some sense, given that the vast majority of patients have experienced cost-shifting from their insurers, and many millions of Americans are underinsured, meaning they often owe their providers some sum of money--a delicate issue for hospitals attempting to boost their collections. Patient experience ratings also play a role in reimbursements from the Medicare program. Organizations such as Planetree assist hospitals in improving the aesthestics of patient care, according to the Record-Bee.
Neel Shah, M.D., founder and executive director of the Costs of Care Ariadne Labs for Health System Innovation, will discuss "The Physicians' Role In Protecting Patients' Financial Well-Being," which will delve into the connections between cost management and clinical care in order to better benefit patients while maintaining quality.
Yvonne Chase, unit manager of patient access at the Mayo Clinic, will focus on improving the patient experience from admission to discharge. Chase will spend time on explaining how to improve scheduling, registration, financial counseling and case management.
Jerry Thompson, director of admissions services at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, will present on the topic of "best practices for an effective patient advocacy program." Advocacy initiatives aim to help patients understand their plans of treatment as well as their financial obligations.
To learn more:
- visit the HFMA ANI website
- check out the Record-Bee article