Ask the Expert

What are some of the key differences between a centralized and decentralized approach to patient access staffing?

How can case managers ensure they are effectively capturing discharge details during rounds?

What factors should hospitals consider when staffing and budgeting for the patient access department?

This month's HIPAA Q&A answers readers' questions about sharing information, reporting errors in electronic systems, and minimum necessary.

Q: We are having trouble determining what qualifies a patient as having an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and what documentation would support the diagnosis. Can you help our coding team clarify?

If a patient is moved from one acute care facility to another acute care facility, would this be treated as a transfer or a discharge?

What methods can patient access use to screen patients for payment plan programs?

Q: I'm in charge of a coding audit for our department for the first time and trying to determine how many cases to use as a sample. What factors should I consider when choosing the sample?

Our experts answer questions about responding to PTP edits, charging for drug administration that crosses midnight, and more.

How many discharge plan options should case managers provide to patients during the discharge planning process?