But it is not a perfect system, say field experts

Forget convoluted Medicare rules and backtracking a patient admission that has the wrong Social Security.

Most patient access and billing managers agree the biggest challenge for them is keeping staff members happy-and keeping them on board.

"Patient access departments have a difficult challenge," Gilda C. Chinnici, CHAM, CCP, former president of the National Association of Healthcare Access Management says in HCPro, Inc.'s book Staff Competency in Patient Access, Tools, Tests, and Tips for Building a Successful Team.