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Latest Trends and Practices for Payers to Prepare for the Future

A previous post detailed the latest trends in healthcare payments impacting how providers do business and best practices for providers to meet those challenges.  However, the latest trends in healthcare payments present unique challenges for payers, which they must adequately prepare for – or risk consumer dissatisfaction and lost revenue.

Data from the 2013 Trends in Healthcare Payments Annual Report demonstrates that healthcare payments industry is evolving and outlines how payers can manage these changes. In particular, healthcare consumerism and provider

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ERA/EFT Mandate: Impacts to Providers

In 2014, all payers will be federally mandated to support electronic funds transfer (EFT) and electronic remittance advice (ERA) in accordance with the requirements specified in the CAQH CORE Operating Rules.  Providers may be wondering how this mandate will affect payer payments and what you must do to be compliant.

Under the mandate, providers have no obligation to accept ERA/EFT from payers. However, the mandate enables providers to improve efficiency and reduce administrative costs. Read on to learn more about how

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Key Considerations for Achieving ERA/EFT

On January 1, 2014, all payers will be required to support electronic funds transfer (EFT) and electronic remittance advice (ERA).  When evaluating how to achieve ERA/EFT, one of the first decisions a payer will need to make is to “build or buy” – whether to use internal resources to build ERA/EFT capability or to work with a third-party vendor.

Regardless of which model a payer follows to achieve ERA/EFT, there are several key considerations that need to be included in the

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What the New EFT Regulations Mean for You

Guest Blogger: Bill Marvin, President & CEO, InstaMed

In an earlier post, I commented on the HHS interim final rule adopting electronic funds transfer (EFT) standards, which was released in January 2012.  In the post, I outlined the following changes needed in order for the new EFT regulations to truly improve efficiency and deliver cost savings for healthcare payers and their provider networks:

1. Add a Trace Number Requirement

The rule should require that the EFT and the electronic remittance advice (ERA) have

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Electronic Payments: 4 Requirements to Integrate EFT with ERA

Healthcare reform is a major factor driving change in payer-to-provider payments, including the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirement in PPACA. To reduce administrative costs and meet the MLR mandate, payers are implementing more efficient payment delivery methods. One such method is the offering of ERA/EFT, which combines both the payment and the healthcare payment information to enable provider funding, posting and reconciliation. While many payers have been sending providers ERAs (electronic remittance advice) for years, it’s time for payers to

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