Web portal speeds up claims payment, exec says

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. - Authentidate has a new scaled-down version of its electronic document management program that company execs believe is just the ticket for small HME providers. "We are looking to extend this to part of the marketplace that says, 'That is all well and good, but we don't have the money for that kind of thing," said Paul Skinner, vice president of sales. Among other things, the Inscrybe Healthcare Small Business Portal does not integrate with a provider's business software. But with smaller providers who typically process far fewer claims than do larger nationals and regionals, that capability is not crucial, Skinner said. Authentidate unveiled Inscrybe last year and has a number of very large HME customers, including American HomePatient and Pacific Pulmonary Services. The service allows providers to digitally track, manage and exchange equipment order information with doctors, hospitals, payers and other customers. On the provider's side of the exchange, the process is completely electronic, but if a physician, for example, still prefers a fax, he can receive and return information that way. Inscrybe then converts the fax into an electronic document for the provider. "We just think it makes the operation more efficient," Skinner said. "When they are under reimbursement pressures and a number of other business pressures, we think this is an application of its time." A faxed exchange costs $1; a completely electronic exchange costs $3. That's about one-third to one-quarter the cost of managing the documentation manually, Skinner said. According to the VP: By using Inscrybe to speed up the exchange of order information, providers get paid faster. Inscrybe also helps eliminate a lot of the errors that creep into patient documentation when handled manually. Physicians like Inscrybe because it is predictable, efficient and operationally smart. It makes the provider "come across as a well-drilled shop."