Low-Tech Tool Helps Chicago Docs Cut Insurance Confusion
Who says an innovation has to be high-tech to have a big impact on medicine?
A modest 8½ x 11 sheet of paper is helping physicians in the Chicago area reduce the amount of time they spend keeping track of complicated insurance rules and paperwork requirements so they can devote more time to caring for thousands of patients.
The staff at Vista Family Medicine created the one-page Insurance Grid as a handy, quick reference guide to help their physicians check the different insurance preauthorization requirements for common procedures like diagnostic imaging, specialist referrals, and lab tests — appointments routinely required by cancer patients.
While Vista already used computerized practice management software and an electronic medical records system, they remained frustrated by the amount of time they spent looking up rules on different health insurance plans. They discovered if they compiled and regularly updated an easy-to-read chart of major insurance companies and their basic coverage requirements, then hung it in the practice’s six exam rooms and front office, confusion and conflict concerning insurance coverage was reduced for both doctors and patients.
And, more importantly, valuable office time was spent discussing the patient’s health rather than their insurance.
James P. Valek, MD, the physician who founded Vista Family Medicine, admits Vista’s Insurance Grid doesn’t make dealing with health plans painless, but it has reduced the time he and his office staff spend dealing with insurance questions.
If you’d like more ideas on how to improve patient care, you can visit the Quality Tools web site published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Source: American Medical Association News
Related Links: Congoo; CBS News
Technorati Tags: family practice; oncologists; Illinois; Advocate Christ Medical Center; Little Company of Mary Medical Center
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