Health professionals knowledge of medical billing standards in an Emergency Department

• Main Authors: Sarah Munhoz, Miriam Rodrigues de Medeiros, Milka de Almeida, Renata Donato Janeri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein 2008-09-01
• Series: Einstein (São Paulo)
• Subjects: Health services administration; Cost management; Professional competence; Materials management
• Online Access: http://www.einstein.br/revista/arquivos/PDF/863-Einsteinv6n2p182-7.pdf

Objectives: To gain knowledge on the demographic and professional profile of workers at the Emergency Department and to assess their knowledge about the price of medicines, materials, procedures and other issues of medical care included in the Integrated Care Rate (ICR). Methods: This is a descriptive, exploratory and prospective study using a quantitative approach. The sample was composed of 123 subjects: 32 (26%) physicians, 30 (24.4%) registered nurses, and 61 (49.6%) Nursing technicians working at the Emergency Department during the study period. Rresults: A total of 102 subjects (85%) were aged less than 40 years. Most physicians (24) were male (75%) and registered nurses (28) were predominantly female (93%); among Nursing technicians (61) there was a balance: 50% of each sex. Many staff members (49, 40%) had been working for two years or less at the ED. Distribution of correct and wrong answers regarding the unit price of materials, medicines and procedures was similar, irrespective of profession. The correct answers by registered nurses corresponded to 82.2, 92.7 and 64.9%; by physicians, to 47.9, 78.5 and 46.2%; and by Nursing technicians, to 80.8, 92 and 58% regarding materials, medicines and procedures, respectively. Cconclusions: The activity follow-up enables an assessment and interpretation of present data to introduce corrective actions aiming at continuous improvement.