eBilling efficiencies in the Auto and Workers’ Compensation Markets [Survey]

The workers’ compensation industry has been moving towards eBilling technology, including alignment with the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 electronic standard healthcare standard transactions over the past several years. The recent upgrade on January 1, 2012 to the 5010 version of these transactions allows for the fields necessary to pass information required to process and pay workers’ compensation bills electronically, similar to commercial health insurer claims processed today.

The WEDI Property and Casualty eBilling Subcommittee sent a survey its membership to determine the readiness of the market for eBilling efficiencies in the auto and workers’ compensation markets. And these are the results:

1. eBilling for auto and workers’ compensation is successfully occurring today. Approximately 74% of provider respondents submit eBills and nearly 93% of payer and vendor respondents receive and process eBills.
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2. eBills are successfully being sent with attachments to payers today and 86% of payers and vendors offer the attachment functionality. There is significant administrative cost reduction available, as payers and vendors request additional documentation 40% through phone calls or 30% deny eBill resulting in manual follow up.
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3. Top three provider barriers to eBilling the sub-committee needs to address include: 1) inability to send an attachment with the eBill; 2) payer inability to accept eBills; and 3) increasing provider awareness of what payers accept eBills.
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4. Message benefits of eBilling to provider community that include: 1) increased payment turnaround; 2) decreased accounts receivable; 3) free up staff time for other activities; and 4) timely acknowledgement of bill status to reduce need for status phone calls.
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5. Message benefits of eBilling to payer and vendor community that include: 1) received information quicker, so could process quicker; 2) received complete information without extensive follow up; 3) eBills less expensive to process than paper; 4) clean data helps with meeting compliance timelines, improve accurate state data filing requirements; and 5) saved money/increased profitability.
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6. Increase all stakeholders’ ability to send/receive HIPAA transactions, specifically provide increased education concerning the ASC X12 275 attachment standard transaction.
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7. Increase messaging to all stakeholders that auto and workers’ compensation eBills can be submitted and received in the same manner as commercial claims as 40% of respondents were unawar