Solving the managed care paperwork dilemma
Attempt at automated documentation process
The Arizona Medical Association is attempting to tackle a problem facing many medical practices with a strong managed care component: the long hours of staff time spent complying with managed care documentation requirements.The Medical Association this fall plans to introduce its MDRecord software program, a standard application and record-keeping system developed by the Association in cooperation with the Arizona chapter of the Medical Group Management Association. The software automates the information practices need to submit to managed care organizations. It allows practices to keep on-line the kind of information they are required to supply again and again to various managed care organizations every year — for example, board certifications, medical education, medical licenses, and hospital privileges of physicians in the practice.
Software intended to save time
It’s the kind of information Chuck Redwing, executive director of The Orthopaedic Clinic, a Phoenix physician practice, characterizes as "an endless flow of repetitive nonchanging information" that the practice has to supply to each MCO it does business with. In Redwing’s case, the practice has two employees on staff solely devoted to submitting this kind of information to MCOs.The idea of the MDRecord program is to reduce the amount of time practices spend meeting these kinds of paperwork requirements, says Tom Marks, the Medical Association’s vice president of operations and membership. Ideally, the practice could simply print out the computer file on each physician in the practice who participates in an MCO’s network, rather than filling out the forms by hand for each participating physician.
The Medical Association pre-tested the program with about 200 physician practices, and is in the process of meeting with payers to identify a format that as many people as possible will find acceptable. The initial reception from MCOs has been positive, Marks says.
For more information, contact Marks at (602) 246-8901.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content