SPECIAL FEATURE
EVALUATING F
INSURER ACCURACY
THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'S (AMA) NATIONAL HEALTH INSURER REPORT CARD (NHIRC) ANNUALLY EXPOSES THE PROGRESS AND SHORTCOMINGS OF THE NATION'S TOP INSURANCE COMPANIES.
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IRST INTRODUCED IN 2008 as part of the Heal the Claims Process campaign, the NHIRC has become a crucial tool for evaluating inaccurate claim payments. By comparing claim response time, physician authorization require-
ments, payment accuracy and more, the NHIRC gauges annual claim cost and time constraints. While the 2010 AMA report card revealed less-than-favorable
statistics for health insurers nationwide, the 2011 annual report card was even more disappointing. Up 2% from 2010, the claims- processing error rate is now a staggering 19.3%. The health care industry wastes billions of dollars annually to settle mishandled claims, and as a result, insurance companies increasingly delve deep into the reasons for detrimental claim mistakes.
Pinpointing Claim Inaccuracies As patients and physicians investigate and sort through
inaccurate claims, medical practices lose valuable time and funding. Whenever a practice must call an insurance company
