Medical Billing Changes at Blues

Medical Billing Changes at Blues

In an effort to reduce medical billing expenditures, Blue Cross Blue Shield is implementing a couple programs. Each one of these programs improves the healthcare and well being of its members. They also reduce medical billing reimbursement costs to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Your practice does everything to raise medical billing reimbursement, Blue Cross Blue Shield does everything in its power to lower reimbursement.

One of the ways Blue Cross Blue Shield is lowering medical billing expenditures is in Kansas City. There is a pilot program where members/patients can use the Internet to contact Physicians and asked medical questions. This is not intended for emergency situations, but rather for simple questions. Many times patients visit Physicians when the answer could have been found on the phone or online. The new pilot program in Kansas City will reduce these needless medical billing costs. Blue Cross Blue Shield intends to sign up 500 medical providers by the end of 2006.

Another change in the medical billing world for the Blues programs is in North Carolina. In order to lower prescription costs, Blue Cross Blue Shield will donate electronic software and wireless devices to in-network providers. It is the hope that this will lower drugs and drug costs.

Florida Is another state implementing medical billing changes for Blue Cross Blue Shield. As we all know, there is a huge nursing shortage in America. It is very costly for patients, hospitals, and insurance providers to have a nursing shortage. Hospital stay is much longer without the needed amount of nurses. Therefore in order to correct this problem, Blue Cross Blue Shield has donated $1.2 million to Florida nursing schools. It is the hope that in the future medical billing costs will be lower with more graduated nurses.

The most successful programs are those that are forward thinking. Blue Cross Blue Shield is thinking about the future of their business. As Healthcare improves, medical billing costs should decrease.

View all Articles by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P