DEERFIELD, Ill., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- More than an estimated one million
days and $225 million are spent annually by physicians on credentialing.
However, a new Internet-based solution called appSTAT(SM) cuts these costs by
almost 50 percent, according to Healthcare Credentials Management Services,
Inc. (HCMS), which launched the new product today. HCMS is the nation's
largest provider of credentials verification services and has built its
business on automating the process of collecting and verifying data on
physician credentials.
appSTAT (http:\\www.hcms-mmi.com) is the first online service offering
physicians the opportunity to complete only one credentials application no
matter how many health plan or hospital affiliations they have, reducing
paperwork and eliminating a once redundant and time-consuming process.
"What we have done is automate the process of filling out multiple
applications with the same information, so physicians only need to complete
one master form, reducing the time it takes to complete them from an average
of two to three hours to only five minutes," says Mark Kulik, president of
HCMS. Approximately 75 different pieces of information are regularly
requested by health plans and other healthcare organizations on each
application. Information includes demographic, license, board certification,
degrees, and insurance policy information.
Kulik explains that on average physicians or someone on their staff
complete credentials applications for about five healthcare organizations each
year for new contractual relationships and recredentialing, which is required
every two years. Physicians working in markets where there is greater managed
care penetration may complete even more applications. In total, approximately
3 million applications are completed each year at an average cost of about $75
each in staff time.
With appSTAT, the physician or a designated staff person completes a
comprehensive online universal data set only once. The information from this
data set is then used to pre-populate multiple hospital and health plan
applications that have been scanned into the appSTAT library. The required
application can then be selected, printed, signed and sent to the healthcare
organization for verification.
The information transmitted through appSTAT is encrypted using Secured
Socket Layer or SSL technology, the same technology used to secure the more
than $8 billion credit card transactions that occurred last year. Firewalls
are also used to isolate and protect information.
appSTAT's universal data set was designed in accordance with Joint
Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and
National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) standards to ensure that
information meets the requirements of both accrediting bodies.
While streamlining the application process for physicians, appSTAT also
improves efficiency for healthcare organizations, which often spend up to
90 days obtaining application information and up to an additional 90 days
verifying the information provided by physicians.
"For hospitals and health plans, verification of a physician's credentials
to practice medicine is not only critical to providing quality care to
patients, it is also a necessary part of any good risk management strategy,"
explains Kulik. "Lengthy delays in obtaining and verifying application
information could also decrease patient satisfaction, as many consumers are
not willing or able to wait up to six months to see a fully credentialed and
approved provider."
Kulik adds that by flagging incorrectly entered information and other
inadvertent errors, appSTAT ensures that each application is complete and
accurate the first time, reducing information collection time from up to
three months to less than a week.
"We believe that physicians and their staff should spend their time
providing quality patient care rather than dealing with paperwork. appSTAT
helps them to do that, while benefiting the healthcare organizations and
consumers with which they have relationships," said Kulik.
Healthcare Credentials Management Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of MMI
Companies, Inc. MMI is an international healthcare services company with more
than 20 years experience providing a wide range of products and services that
help the healthcare industry enhance its performance and manage risks
associated with the delivery of care. Through its operating subsidiaries, MMI
provides strategic consulting services, clinical risk management and
operational consulting services, and insurance and reinsurance products for
the healthcare industry. In addition to its Deerfield headquarters, MMI has a
network of offices throughout the United States and overseas.
SOURCE Healthcare Credentials Management Services, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http: \\www.hcms-mmi.com
CONTACT:
Deanna Putz of MMI Companies, 847/374-2380
|
