REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 23, 2024
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Patient Accounts Policy and Procedure Manual
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Accept and approve the revisions of the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Patient Accounts Department Policy and Procedure Manual, included and summarized in Attachments A to C.
(Presenter: William L. Gilbert, Director, 580-6150)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Revisions of Policy and Procedure Manual of the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) Patient Accounts Department are non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The ARMC Operations, Policy, and Procedure Manuals are prepared in compliance with County policies, California Code of Regulations Title 22, Chapters 1 and 5, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission, and other appropriate regulations and guidelines. Per CMS and The Joint Commission, all ARMC Operations, Policy, and Procedure Manuals are reviewed and revised, as necessary a minimum of every one, two, or three years, depending on the type of manual, and require Board of Supervisors (Board) acceptance and approval.
The manuals and policies are necessary to maintain compliance with policy and regulatory bodies. Adherence to the standards set forth in these manuals will improve County government operations and provide for the safety, health and social service needs of county residents by ensuring policies and procedures are in place for hospital operations and quality patient care.
The Patient Accounts Department Policy and Procedures Manual (Manual) contains policies and procedures regarding department organization and function. The Manual contains 22 policies, of which one is new, and there are minor revisions to the Index and Follow-up Policy and Procedures. The 20 remaining policies have been reviewed and require no changes. ARMC recommends the revisions to the Manual as summarized in Attachment A.
The new policy, Policy No. 902.00 V1, Independent Dispute Resolution Policy and Process, is included in Attachment B. This policy is necessary as a result of the creation of a mandatory Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process under the Federal No Surprises Act (NSA) and provides the procedures for how ARMC patient accounts staff pursue underpaid accounts subject to the IDR process under the NSA.
The index to the Manual was revised to include the new policy.
The minor revision to the Follow-up Policy and Procedures (Policy No. 900.00 V6) consisted of updating the process and making changes to reflect new follow-up process as a result of the NSA.
On December 19, 2023 (Item No. 16), the Board accepted and approved the report of review and certification of ARMC Operations, Policy, and Procedure Manuals listed in Attachment C.
PROCUREMENT
Not Applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Charles Phan, Deputy County Counsel, 387- 5455) on December 19, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on December 22, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on December 28, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387- 5423) on December 28, 2023.