New team system speeds billing time.
OBJECTIVE
Fragmented, departmental approach to billing at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles had bills bogged down in a bureaucratic maze.


METHODS
Patient administrative service teams based in nursing units combine functions of admissions, registration, utilization review, medical records, and patient accounting to cut billing cycle from 30 days to 12.
D000289:Admitting Department, Hospital; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000191:economics*; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D015274:Interdepartmental Relations; D015141:Los Angeles; D008500:Medical Records Department, Hospital; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014600:Utilization Review