Showing papers on "Service provider published in 1982"

Medical insurance verification and processing system

Abstract: A medical claim verification and processing system reads a medical information card (MEDICARD) to determine a patient's background medical and insurance information. The validity of the card is rapidly determined by accessing a central brokerage computer. A local service provider enters into a local terminal the medical and MEDICARD information services provided or to be provided to the patient by using a patient service code and transmits this information to a central brokerage computer. The central brokerage computer converts the patient service code input by the service provider or MEDICARD into a particular service code for the patient's insurance carrier. This service code is then utilized to determine the insurance claim payment for that particular patient service. The claim payment amount for the medical service is then transmitted back to the local entry terminal for use by the service provider and patient. The service provider and patient can then determine the amount of payment which will be made for the particular insurance claim. The provider can then prepare an electronic claim form and, together with the patient's and/or the provider's determination whether or not the assignment provision of the insurance claim will be invoked, the electronic claim form is then transmitted to a central brokerage computer which in turn transmits the claim form to the appropriate insurance carrier. The patient's insurance carrier processes the claim form, and, based upon the assignment decision, transfers the payment check to the patient or makes an electronic funds transfer to an account for the service provider, the patient or a central brokerage computer.

Psychological Distress and Patient Satisfaction

Abstract: Psychologically distressed patients and clients of health care and social service organizations are found to report somewhat more dissatisfaction with services than do the nondistressed. Four explanations for this relationship are examined: 1) the psychologically distressed are generally dissatisfied; 2) service providers react negatively to the psychologically distressed; 3) psychologically distressed patients are dissatisfied when service providers do not respond to their psychological needs; and 4) patients who deny their psychological distress tend to be dissatisfied. The results show that the psychologically distressed report more dissatisfaction because of the very high levels of dissatisfaction found among patients who deny having personal problems.

Case Management for the Chronic Mentally III: Models and Dimensions

Abstract: Community-based care of the chronic mentally ill requires the integrative efforts that generally fall under the rubric of case management. The authors describe models of case management according to three dimensions: the manager's degree of involvement in direct service, the type of caseload, and the source and extent of the manager's control over services and resources. The last dimension can be affected by such factors as contracts with private service providers and the case manager's rapport with clinical service providers. Various systemic problems, such as insufflcient funds and duplication of services, may impede case management. Effective case management depends on adequate resources and clear communication among the components of the system.

Cultures of drinking: a workplace perspective

Abstract: Michelle Fine, Ph.D., was, at the time Social workers have recognized that of writing, Research Director, Sheila a significant portion of the popula H. Akabas, Ph.D., was Director, tion that seeks help at social agencies and Susan Bellinger, MS, was Associand mentai health and medical care ate Director, Industrial Social Welfare facilities suffer from drinking prob Center, School of Social Work, Colum, , ^ , , » • jj v \t viai vi lems.1 For a long time, social workers bia University, New York, New York. . . , .. ... Dr. Fine is currently Assistant Profeshave regarded such clients with frus sor of Psychology and Education, Unit ration or, frequently, have neglected versify of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, themClients' denial of their problems and Ms. Bellinger is Program Consulwith alcohol often interfere with the tant, Human Services Management Inpotential for a positive outcome from stitute, New York, New York. A version the social work intervention. Recently, of this article was presented at a joint service providers have developed a meeting of the National Association of more hopeful outlook toward such Social Workers and the Association of die in as a resu,t of rience / /I n/ll* /I M/T/>/1 /» M I A si fcVl IMIkIi'mIaVI' * Labor-Management Administrators .iL , , ^ * m i r h// with occupational service programs. and Consultants on Alcoholism, Wash. . ington, D.C., October 1980. The While service Providers in occupational work for this article was funded in part settings have reconfirmed the wide ly Grant No. 5-T21-MH-l4462-05from spread existence of problem drinkers, the National Institute for Mental they have also identified a new and Health. The authors would like to acgenerally effective mechanism for knowledge the contributions of ameliorating the situation.2 Problem Meredith Hanson and James Bergin. drinkers who are seen by industrial so cial workers are often in jeopardy of losing their jobs, a situation that consti tutes a clear and present danger for the client.3 Professionals have been able to convert this "job jeopardy" into a strategy for helping many workers with this problem. This "constructive con frontation" model, which grows out of the work setting, has proved to be a useful first step in the treatment pro cess. Helping clients understand their drinking problems in terms of the jeop ardy they entail (loss of work, income, and peers) has also proved applicable to other practice settings. The important attributes of a service program in an occupational setting— access to clients in need of service and

Trade-Off Analysis of Preferences for Public Services

Abstract: This article develops an approach to identifying preferences of residents for alternative strategies of service provision, given a limited budget for the supply of services. Using a game format, the approach requires residents to indicate the services they would improve and the services they would trade off given the available financial resources. The method is demonstrated for a rural municipality in sourthern Ontario, Canada. The results provide an indication of the way in which the residents would like to see their taxes apportioned for service provision and are analyzed for differences in constrained preferences within the community.

Federal Transportation Policy for the Elderly and Handicapped: Responsive to Real Needs?

Abstract: One of the biggest controversies regarding urban mass transportation over the past five years has revolved around the issue of federal policy for the elderly and handicapped (E&H). The general intent, to assure the provision of equal public transportation services for the E&H, is certainly appropriate as an objective of public policy and is consistent with the trend in federal legislation aimed at eliminating discrimination on the basis of handicap as well as the general philosophy underlying the mass transit assistance programs. The major issue concerns implementation and service delivery, and the main alternatives are making regular urban transit systems fully accessible to handicapped persons versus providing supplementary demand responsive services for individuals who cannot use regular transit. This issue has been clouded, however, by disagreement over goals and objectives, which in turn stems from a lack of consensus about the real domain of the issue, e.g., transportation policy or civil rights policy. This article traces the evolution of federal policy concerning transportation for the E&H and attempts to determine what that policy is supposed to achieve and what its impact actually will be. The primary argument to be advanced is that as the policy currently stands it will not tangibly benefit the majority of the target population. The article contends that the "Section 504 Regulations" which embody present policy, and in particular the requirement that regular fixed route transit vehicles be made wheelchair accessible, are neither cost-effective nor responsive to clients' needs. Conversely, they are likely to have an adverse effect on the total amount of service available to the E&H. The analysis presented here reflects the difficulties inherent in developing sound policy in an area characterized by basic disagreements between service providers and intended consumers, and a scarcity of information regarding costs as well as the nature and prevalence of needs. Furthermore, the article illustrates the complexity of policy analysis when multiple and crosscutting issues are involved. On a higher plane, for example, the choice between accessible transit and specialized paratransit services is a question of whether the real objective is equal rights in the form of accessibility to service or mobility in the form of actual tripmaking. Similarly, although mainstreaming-facilitating interaction with nonhandicapped persons-is generally considered to be desirable in terms of helping the E&H to pursue a normal lifestyle, it is not clear whether immediate physical integration on board transit vehicles as opposed to * This article analyzes the development of federal policy toward urban transportation for the elderly and handicapped, focusing on the alternatives of "mainstreaming" through making regular transit accessible versus the provision of separate specialized service. This case illustrates the difficulty of policy making in an area characterized by widely divergent views between service providers and consumers and the complexity of policy analysis when the real domain of the issue is unclear, e.g., transportation policy or civil rights policy. The article concludes that the policy finally arrived at by the U.S. Department of Transportation, requiring all regular fixed route transit systems to be made fully accessible, is neither effective nor efficient, and that a return to local prerogative on service delivery would benefit the intended clientele more in terms of not only transportation and mobility, but in the long run the broader mainstreaming of individuals in society.

Data communications via cable television networks: technical and policy considerations

Abstract: Cable television networks offer peak communication data rates that are orders of magnitude greater than the telephone local loop. Although one-way television signal distribution continues to be the primary application of cable television systems, the cable television network can be used for two-way data communications. Data communication places severe engineering demands on the performance of cable television network. Therefore, to ensure that data communications capabilities are not precluded by poor engineering, local cable authorities and the cable industry must identify and overcome the technical barriers to the application of cable television networks to data communications. We identify the following as the primary technical requirements that remain to be addressed by the cable industry: -Methods for controlling the accumulation of insertion noise and ingress on upstream channels. -Reliability and security mechanisms to provide adequate levels of system availability, overall quality of service, and privacy of communications. -System engineering that supports data communications among many nodes, other than on a point-to-point basis. If the cable industry applies the resources necessary to satisfy these requirements, cable television networks can gain a lucrative share of the growing residential and institutional, data communications and information services markets, in competition with telephone company and cellular microwave services. In order to make this important, and unique, municipal resource widely available to a diversity of users and service providers, local cable authorities, in addition to the cable industry, should establish structural mechanisms to eliminate the cable operator''s potential conflict of interest between its carriage and content functions, which might otherwise inhibit this diversity. The nature of appropriate regulatory mechanisms has been a source of conflict and confusion because of the unclear status of the cable operator as broadcaster or common carrier. Lease channel access requirements, which enforce limited separations on a channel by channel basis, can allow the operator to serve in both capacities, thereby both encouraging investment in facilities and limiting the opportunities for anti-competitive practices. The rate structures and levels adopted by the operator will determine the extent to which leased channel access successfully achieves this end. More than in the past, cable authorities will find themselves monitoring and specifying details of the network infrastructures, both technical and operational, to ensure that suitable facilities are constructed and that a diversity of service sources are granted access to the medium. This thesis is intended as a resource for cable authorities, as well as cable operators, as they establish the role of cable television networks in the data communications market. In particular, chapter 6 serves as a guide for city and state cable authorities to incorporate the te

Time Management Training for Providers of Special Services

Abstract: A result of the enactment of Public Law 94–142 has been that special service providers in public schools (e.g., psychologists, social workers) must increase the amount of professional time spent in planning and evaluating Individualized Education Programs (IEP's). The need to expand the range of professional functioning to include areas other than assessment and direct service has created difficulties for service providers in managing the productive use of their professional time. In this paper, a time management training program is described that can be used by public school special service providers when the task is seen as one of allocation of adequate amounts of time to IEP planning and evaluation. Also, information is presented from a formative evaluation of the application of the approach in a public school district.

Libraries as Information Service Agencies

Abstract: It seems to me that the time is ripe for IFLA also to become involved in the question of libraries as information service agencies in the modern sense. If I am correct, this has not occurred until now; at least not before a large forum. In several countries, the role of libraries in this area has been the subject of considerable study and discussion. But an exchange of experiences seems to be still lacking. In 1977 in the USA for example, a conference with over 700 participants took place under the auspices of the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences of the University of Pittsburgh. This bore the title &dquo;The On-Line Revolution in Libraries&dquo;.’ The title of the conference was a bit far-fetched. One cannot speak of a &dquo;revolution&dquo;

Making Community Service into Service for the Community

Abstract: Community service can be relevant both to the offender and the community. Here the authors describe the operation of a CS scheme which underlines the importance of positive thinking and related practice.

Service Outlets in Shopping Centres, Problems and Policies Service Industries Review, 2, 1982, pp.22-37

Abstract: Service Industries Review, 2, 1982, pp.22-37. The disappearance of the small, independent local shop has been a characteristic feature of the distributive systems of most western-style economies in recent decades and several studies have examined the factors responsible for this decline.(1) Among the more important influences has been the encroachment of quasi retail uses into traditional shopping areas as small retailers have been outbid for vacant premises. These uses Fernie and Carrick define as those &dquo;often considered complementary to shopping but classified as ’office’ or ’unspecified’ in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order, 1971&dquo;. While previous research on this topiC(2) has revealed that the main pressure for prime retailing sites during the 1970s was from building society branches, it would seem that the rate of expansion of such services may have peaked, already. In the 1980s, the greatest probable, growth is expected to come from leisure services, such as amusement centres, health clubs and fast-food retailing. However, relatively little is known about the planning implications of such a trend and the responses of Britain’s planning authorities have been developed largely on an ad hoc basis without the effects of such policies being fully understood. Accordingly, it is argued that, as the pressures continue and increase, there is a need for more information and clearer government guidelines.

Written regulations and policies governing the educational placements and services provided for handicapped american indian children.

Abstract: Since the enactment of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975, the Office of Special Education (OSE) within the United States Department of Education (USDE) has channeled funds directly into services for handicapped American Indian children. Despite the multiple service providers and the funds avail~ble, services provided for handicapped Indian children do not seem to be adequate. Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) studies show that Indian children have a higher than average incidence of handicaps but are not afforded the services necessary to deal with these handicaps. A paucity of information exists about services for Indian youth, and research on the adequacy of services provided by the multiple service agencies appears to be limited. Various service components such as identification, evaluation, placement, and service continuum may be administered by different agencies and complicates systematic accountability in the care of handicapped children. Reservations generally have five main service providers: (1) state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs); (2) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); (3) Health and Human Services (HHS); (4) Indian Health Service (IHS); and (5) Tribal agencies. This study analyzed policies of the five agencies and the legal provisions under which they operate. The study also offers some solutions to the chronic problems in education that are confronted by handicapped Indian children on Arizona Indian Reservations.

From Service Provider to Administrator.

Abstract: This article sheds some light on the difficulties and delights of the transition from being a service provider to being an administrator. The author points out the different responsibilities, tasks...

Drug information service to community pharmacists: a survey of providers.

Abstract: As SUNCYS continue to demonstrate the weakness of community pharmacists'in-house information resources, the issue of external information support has emerged.' 3 Although research to date has been scant, some studies have indicated that the major institutions to which the community pharmacist turns for information support are libraries, drug information centers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with only the first two providing a broad range of general drug information services.2 4 7 A major issue which has yet to be investigated and resolved is the optimal institutional basis for such drug information support to community pharmacists. Drug information centers have the potential advantage of being staffed by pharmacists trained to advise as well as inform. Libraries (academic and hospital-based) have the potential advan-