To help reduce the administrative burden of ensuring accurate insurance payments, the American Medical Association (AMA) on June 16 launched the Cure for Claims campaign, and unveiled its National Health Insurer Report Card on claims processing. Inefficiencies in the current system of processing medical claims add unnecessary cost to the healthcare system, estimated as much as $210 billion annually, said the AMA in a statement.
The health insurer report card is intended to provide physicians and the public with information on the timeliness, transparency, and accuracy of claims processing by health insurance companies. Based on a random sample pulled from more than 5 million electronically billed services, the report card provides an in-depth look at the claims processing performance of Medicare and seven national commercial health insurers: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, CIGNA, Coventry Health Care, Health Net, Humana, and United Healthcare.
The report card demonstrates the inconsistency and confusion that results from each health insurer using different rules for processing and paying medical claims. It also suggests that both physicians and health insurers can help reduce unnecessary administrative costs if electronic transactions and full transparency are widely adopted. Read the press release.
