RE: Hi All, and putting detailed info on EOBs

[Owens, Kris]

Daniel,   I (as an employee of a Payer organization) can understand your desire and your need to receive more detailed information on your EOPs and EOBs.  Point well taken.   However, your railing against the private payer system is, in my opinion, inappropriate in this forum.  One of the positive aspects of HIPAA has been that it has forced various participants in the healthcare system to begin to collaborate, and these listservs are a good example.  Let's not put additional bricks in the barriers by using a public forum to voice frustrations, rather let's have constructive dialog and find ways to make the system work for all the participants.   Kris Owens 923-8108 "There is no meaning in isolation"   -----Original Message----- From: Daniel E. McDonald [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:46 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Hi All, and putting detailed info on EOBs Dawn:   I have worked closely over the past two years with multiple payer organizations over the past two years and I can assure you that the payer believes that less is better.  Having worked on both sides of this issues I feel the providers and patients suffer.  Neither can communicate effectively with each other because the Provider Summary and the Patient's EOB have different verbiage and numbers on them.  A provider and patient can barely discuss the financial settlement anymore because the payers do their best to make it unclear.  I saw a program on TV last night discussing generic medications and how the big drug companies play the system to keep the generic drugs from market so they can make more profit for their shareholders.  The payers are doing their best to do the same with confusing the reimbursement process.  I for one would invite discussions on a national healthcare insurance system similar to Medicare that would be controlled by a single governmental entity.  Medicare pays most of our physicians better than most of the managed care plans with less hassle!  I am not one to ask for government involvement but there has to be a better way.  Who has the nice big beautiful glass skyscrapers?  The Insurance Companies.  Ask yourself how they afford it.  I no a large payer that built their own skyscraper to spend some of those dollars!!!!   Sorry for the long winded response but the payers do not want this reconciliation to be an easy process.   Daniel E. McDonald ProvidrServ, Inc. 4590 Lincoln Road Indianapolis, IN  46228 (317) 299- 6450 x 114 (317) 299- 6436 Fax -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 04:06 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Hi All, and putting detailed info on EOBs   Speaking from the Provider standpoint, physician practices are not at all pleased with the lack of depth of information on EOBs.  Major consultants are advising doctor's offices to request that patients share the EOBs that they receive so that the doctor's office can make heads or tails out of what the insurer is paying.  When a physician has to resort to that level to find out what they are being paid for,  that reflects pretty poorly on the insurer in both the patient's and the physician's eyes.  It only makes good business sense to provide accurate, detailed information on payments on EOBS, no matter to whom they are mailed.  The staff resource savings on answering questions alone would pay the additional cost, not to mention the increased ease of doing business. I'd be happy to talk to anyone on or off line about this issue....it is HUGE from a physician practice standpoint. Dawn Holcombe Executive Director Oncology Network of CT, LLC 435 Buckland Road - Rosewood Building South Windsor, CT 06074 860-644-7282 860-644-7475 fax 860-305-4510 cell [EMAIL PROTECTED] ********************************************************************** To be removed from this list, go to: http://snip.wedi.org/unsubscribe.cfm?list=privacy and enter your email address. ********************************************************************** To be removed from this list, go to: http://snip.wedi.org/unsubscribe.cfm?list=privacy and enter your email address. To be removed from this list, go to: http://snip.wedi.org/unsubscribe.cfm?list=business and enter your email address. The WEDI SNIP listserv to which you are subscribed is not moderated. 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