Although lately I’ve been posting about insurance inefficiency, I may have failed to mention that hiring “paper chasing” third-parties is making matters worse. It occured to me that many of the letter interactions I’ve had from claims handlers in the last week involves chasing down Authorizations. Therefore, it appears that claims handlers are actually doing most of the “paper chasing” anyway.
It does absolutely no good for insurers to hire Release Point, PMSI, EMSI, or any other third-party to chase medical documents when in the end information is not received and claims handlers need to send out letter after letter requesting Authorizations and the medical records themselves. I received at least two threatening letters from Unum is past week asking assistance to obtain medical records presumably because Release Point failed to obtain them.
Release Point in particular seems to have problems with Authorizations. The entire process extends the time to receive medical records. And, it isn’t the insureds’ fault either. DCS is now suggesting that claimants and insureds make a real effort to obtain their own patient notes and submit them. If insurers can no longer count on the efficiency of their own “paper chasers”, then insureds need to take matters into their own hands and submit their own records.
Currently compounding documentation problems is the inefficiency of “communication centers” and processes that can “scan in” information to relay documentation to claims handlers’ desktops. In many ways, technology such as CDs and travel drives have been set back at least five years because of the current inefficiency and lack of processes that permit CDs to be uploaded, scanned and sent electronically to remote claims handlers. It’s not happening folks!
It’s now anyone’s guess if information submitted on electronic media can be processed by insurers at all. These and other problems involving getting documentation received to the right person’s desktop is nearly impossible. You may or may not receive a “confirmation of information received”, therefore, iinsoreds have no idea what is received or not until the next angry letter.
I know my messages haven’t been positive lately, but it is important for insureds to know why they are receiving so many letters about Authorizations and medical update information not received. You should make sure you obtain your own medical notes and submit, signature confirmation.
