Eugene C Yates
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Blue Shield offers to pick up the tab, bill later under the local pilot program
“It’s similar to a credit card statement,” said Jeff Semen, Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Shield. “That’s what we think the health bill will look like. It isn’t broken.”
The statement will certainly show out-of-pocket expenses and co-payments, and pay companies and hospitals closer to “real-time” than current billing systems, Semen said. The pilot is also designed to get rid of paperwork utilizing an all-digital system.
At the same time, the pilot aims to help doctors save time by collecting and processing payments from patients.
Blue Shield launched a pilot project at the end of September, which is being screened at several Hill Physicians-affiliated offices and two Dignity Health Hospitals: Methodist General Hospital of Sacramento and Mercy Hospital of Folsom.
The pilot is expected to run for 12 weeks, and Blue Shield eventually hopes to extend the system across California by 2023, Semen said. Sacramento is the first area for the California Blue Shield to test a new system.
Blue Shield refused to provide an estimation of how many patients and facilities will participate in the pilot. Semen incorrectly estimated that about a dozen Hill Physicians doctors might be involved.
Ooda Health Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, is the third partner in the pilot and offers services for the project.
Semen said that he was not worried about billing irregularities or conflicts and that he assumed that the move would provide a quicker way to resolve disputes.
“This has long been a pain point for our members and our providers,” said Semen, smiling. While Blue Shield is headquartered in Oakland, Sacramento has recently been seen as a “pilot geography,” said Semen, smiling, for her access to other health care organizations to partner with and a large membership.
Blue Shield also has offices in El Dorado Hills, Sacramento and Rancho Cordova.
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