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Find out how a B. E. Smith interim HIM director joined the team of an inefficient HIM department and in three months, this seasoned professional assessed the department’s challenges, designed strategies to improve performance, and helped implement new processes to achieve positive change.
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HIM Department Rebuilt to Maximize Efficiency and Performance
Find out how a B. E. Smith interim HIM director joined the team of an inefficient HIM department and in three months, this seasoned professional assessed the department’s challenges, designed strategies to improve performance, and helped implement new processes to achieve positive change.
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Find out how a B. E. Smith interim HIM director joined the team of an inefficient HIM department and in three months, this seasoned professional assessed the department’s challenges, designed strategies to improve performance, and helped implement new processes to achieve positive change.
Drepturi de autor:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formate disponibile
Descărcați ca PDF, TXT sau citiți online pe Scribd
HIM Department Rebuilt to Maximize Efficiency and Performance
With the speed and accuracy of health record processing below desired levels, this not-for-profit hospital hired 4 essential tips B. E. Smith to assess and restructure its health information B. E. Smith suggests the following tips to help healthcare leaders management (HIM) procedures. maximize performance in the HIM department: • Collaborate closely with staff. Take the time to truly understand Frequent turnover of HIM directors – three in less than four why deficiencies and inconsistencies occur. years – coupled with insufficient training on the hospital’s • Provide comprehensive training in a formal setting. Ensure electronic health record system had impeded the organization’s leadership discusses proper protocols in detail and complements efforts to operate an efficient, effective HIM department. training with well-documented supporting materials and guidelines. A B. E. Smith interim HIM director joined the team. In three • Build the staff up in their roles and empower them to understand their months, this seasoned professional assessed the department’s important contributions to the organization’s overall success. challenges, designed strategies to improve performance, and • Communicate successes – Collaboration between the HIM staff helped implement new processes to achieve positive change. and the medical staff helps to achieve shared goals.
Specific Protocols, Comprehensive Training
by the numbers Challenge: The hospital sought to improve its unbilled coding days, Productivity and Accountability: a metric that should stand at about two days but in fact stood at 15 days and climbing. A record-scanning backlog (exceeding two days) Reduced coded, Reduced A/R and imprecise chart reconciliation caused inconsistencies in document unbilled days 27 days from 85 days 13 from more than days to 58 days. naming that resulted in only some of the total discharged records days 15 days to two days. being handled by the HIM staff. Many accounts, inconsistently coded, required correction before they could be dropped. Solution: The interim HIM leader assessed chart processing procedures and helped implement concrete changes. These included initiating required timeframes for record processing, such as retrieving ER accounts first thing in the morning and of a tight cash situation with less than 10 days of cash on hand – routinely stipulating their processing by 9 a.m. Inpatient accounts did not actually contribute to resolution of HIM concerns. Instead, were now expected to be scanned into the system by noon, the leader emphasized the critical importance of comprehensive while daily records, including outpatient surgeries, must be training to enable the optimal number of staff to be effective in completed by 4 p.m. The interim leader also initiated a thorough their roles. A formal training and certification program unfolded in chart retrieval process for all chart types. The leader began to three sessions: chart reconciliation, scanning techniques and qual- require a daily monitoring and correction of coding items, such ity requirements, proper and consistent document naming and as missing registration information. The staff also began utilizing classification. This thorough and consistent understanding of the census sheets to reconcile charts. The increased rigor surround- system and procedures equipped the staff with skills for success. ing chart processing enabled the organization to reduce unbilled coding days from more than 15 to two, and to decrease A/R Challenge: A lack of confidence in the quality of record-keeping days from 85 to 58. caused concerns and morale issues. HIM staff did not feel suitably empowered to fully function in their roles and the medical staff expe- Challenge: Faced with chart processing deficiencies and delays, rienced doubts regarding the accuracy of medical record processing. the hospital had attempted resolution by hiring additional staff. Solution: With comprehensive process guidelines and detailed But without comprehensive training, this led to an overstaffed training opportunities now absorbed by the medical records department still insufficiently prepared to achieve the desired staff, the interim HIM leader initiated proactive communications quality measures. A HIM department of six FTEs would be expected with the medical staff. The leader shared HIM’s goals, changes to successfully support a 100-bed organization with about 22 and accomplishments and pledged to the medical staff that all ER inpatient discharges per day. Instead, 15 inconsistently trained records would now be complete and in the system by a set time FTEs continued to struggle to process charts. each morning. Once clinicians began seeing this metric realized, Solution: The B. E. Smith interim leader helped the hospital their confidence rose significantly, and their appreciation of the understand that the hiring of additional staff – especially in light HIM staff’s renewed efforts and commitment became evident.