The Hartford Launches E-Bill For Workers' Comp Medical Providers
The Hartford says that billing for workers' compensation services just got faster and easier for medical providers with the carrier's introduction of a new system. The system offers Internet-based processing and payments of bills and supporting medical documentation in a single electronic file.
The Hartford's new platform lets electronic processing of workers' comp invoices to be done without manual processing of the bill and supporting documentation needed to make payment decisions. Now, the materials can be electronically attached to the bill on a secure Internet site. The company says this reduces the need for time-consuming manual input of billing data, requests for information and manual transfer of backup documentation needed for a payment to be processed.
Concentra Health Services is the first provider group to go live with The Hartford, starting with providers in Southern California. Future plans include extending the bill processing system over the next year to all workers' compensation medical providers working with The Hartford.
"This technology will reduce the processing time of a workers' comp bill," said Jim Henderson, vice president in The Hartford's Commercial Claim organization. "Internet-based medical bill processing enables all stakeholders involved in a claim -- the physician, the employer, and the payer -- to be integrated on one platform. The new process will create an opportunity for two way communication through the Internet portal with providers."
In addition to getting bills into The Hartford's medical bill processing system in real-time, the technology is designed to give medical providers immediate access to The Hartford to inquire about bills or to correspond with the company's case managers. Medical providers need only a computer and Internet access to connect to The Hartford.
Once bills and attachments are downloaded into the billing system, the software automatically scans the invoice to ensure that information, such as diagnosis and procedure codes, is entered before it is submitted. The completed invoice is then viewed online by The Hartford's medical bill examiner processed for payment.
Electronic billing should also make record keeping for providers easier and more accurate by reducing duplicate billing and data input errors, the company believes.
The processing system, eBillPro, was developed by Corporate Systems, Inc., a technology company that provides automation and reporting solutions to insurance and other industries, and is powered by the eStellarNet portal developed by StellarNet, Inc., a provider of connectivity and processing services for the workers' compensation industry.