| Recently the state of Minnesota mandated that all | | | | thousands of dollars by not tracking claims to |
| medical claims are sent electronically by July 15, | | | | make sure they are paid. |
| 2009. If you are not from Minnesota, you may | | | | The Trade Association of State HMO's (The |
| not feel that this affects you, but it does. It | | | | Minnesota Council of Health Plans) has contracted |
| affects us all. | | | | with an independent company who is building the |
| Costs are definitely cut down with electronic billing. | | | | software that will be available to medical offices |
| Both insurance companies and the government | | | | and billing services in the state of Mn. to submit |
| would like to see all claims sent electronically. If | | | | the claims online. The biller will go to the site and |
| Minnesota is effective with instituting the | | | | enter the claim information and send it to the |
| electronic mandate, you can be sure that other | | | | insurance company. The only problem with this is |
| states will follow. It is just a matter of time. | | | | that the information will have to be entered again |
| A very small percentage of medical offices or | | | | for tracking purposes. If the office has a practice |
| billing services are capable of sending all their | | | | management system, any claims that had to be |
| claims electronically. Many small insurance carriers | | | | sent through this new system will also have to be |
| are not yet capable of accepting claims | | | | entered into the practice management system. |
| electronically. So how will we accomplish this | | | | We don't know how this affects the smaller |
| major undertaking? The real question is how will | | | | insurance companies in Minnesota who were not |
| this affect the individual providers and billing | | | | yet capable of receiving electronic claims |
| services. | | | | submissions. I presume they are scrambling to get |
| The providers in the state of Minnesota will have | | | | ready. Not only has Minnesota mandated that |
| to at the very least have a computer with | | | | medical insurance claims be submitted |
| internet access in the office or they will have to | | | | electronically, but they have also mandated that all |
| hire someone who can submit the claims on their | | | | insurance carriers use ERAs or electronic |
| behalf. Don't laugh! We still find offices that don't | | | | remittance advices (electronic eobs). This is huge |
| have a computer. They won't have to purchase | | | | too. Electronic remittances make posting |
| an expensive practice management system if | | | | payments much quicker and easier if you have |
| they don't want to. They may have a good way | | | | the means to post them automatically. |
| of tracking their claims on paper but hopefully | | | | At any rate, it will be very interesting to see how |
| they are tracking claims. Anyone who has been in | | | | this all works out. All eyes are on Minnesota. We |
| this business for any length of time knows of the | | | | would be interested in hearing from anyone in |
| office that looses thousands of dollars or tens of | | | | Minnesota and how it is affecting them. |