
HealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsDeliver custom or industry designed product training directly to patient and resident care environments to reinforce proper use.
View All ProductsTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream's solutions allow your healthcare workforce to be confident and competent with the knowledge they are upholding the highest of standards.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreThis blog post is based on a recent webinar featuring Susan Gurzynski-Wells, Senior Product Manager, who specializes in coding and revenue cycle management at HealthStream.
When you think about optimizing reimbursement, you’ll notice that many problems are outside of your direct control. Experts at the American College of Healthcare Executives say the three top problems are timeliness of Medicaid reimbursements, bad debt, and Medicare reimbursement. Unfortunately, hospitals and physicians don't have much control over these issues. So where can you find the low-hanging fruit, the areas within your control?
The $8 Billion Question
Do you have patient matching errors? The RAND Corporation says 14 to 20% of medical records have identity errors, racking up an annual estimated cost of eight billion dollars nationally. Mismatched patient identifiers result in costly denials and unpaid cost of care. These also link to catastrophic adverse medical deaths, medication errors, and unnecessary procedures. Successful enterprise integrity management helps to identify and avoid these errors.
Overlaps, Overlays, and Duplicate or Incorrect Patient Identifiers
The Journal of AHIMA says one in ten patients have multiple medical record numbers. Overlays occur when two or more patients’ data is combined into a single record. Approximately 2% of master patient index (MPI) errors are overlays. Overlaps occur when a patient is seen at two or more facilities within a health system and his records are maintained separately by each facility. In multi-entity systems, the occurrence of these overlaps can be as high as 40%.
Duplicate and incorrect patient identifiers also lead to reimbursement losses, compromised data integrity, increased administrative waste, staff ineffectiveness, and increased liability. Most important, they can lead to poor quality of care and diminished patient safety.
Addressing Patient Matching and Identification Issues
AHIMA recommends creating an enterprise identity management strategy to address these issues. This requires governance policies and procedures across the organization. As you push for data integrity, you must provide regular staff training to ensure they understand the importance of compliance.
From registration to billing, it's estimated that upwards of 250 people in an organization process and treat each patient. Most errors related to mismatched patient identifiers and duplicate medical record numbers happen within the Patient Access department. Problems sometimes occur when registration is decentralized and registrars report to different individuals within the same organization. The people registering patients in a lab or physical therapy department have other responsibilities besides registration. They may not understand the consequences of mismatched patient identifiers due to the fact that they may not receive regular training. These staff members, like others in the organization, must be trained to understand that their activities and actions can affect the revenue cycle through its entirety.
The usual causes of errors are entry errors, unfamiliar name structures, adding or deleting a middle initial, unfamiliar foreign names, and ID and insurance cards shared by multiple people. We depend on technology to solve the problem, but we still need to educate healthcare professionals about critical thinking, best practices, and how to avoid and recognize identity mistakes.
“Every patient deserves the best trained workforce.” We accomplish this by hiring well, onboarding well, and continuing to professionally develop our teams, resulting in reduced turnover, increased employee satisfaction, and increased patient satisfaction.
Watch the full Webinar. Learn more about our revenue cycle solutions.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsImprove the preparedness of your staff, increase survival rates, and cut costs with the advanced resuscitation training services from HealthStream.
View All ResuscitationNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream's solutions allow your healthcare workforce to be confident and competent with the knowledge they are upholding the highest of standards.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsDelivers everything you need to request, gather, and validate information about a provider to create a single source of truth for downstream processes.
View All CredentialingMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All Scheduling & Capacity ManagementHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All Products