A Place at the National Podium

Emdeon’s Senior V.P. Miriam Paramore Addressed Delegates, Officials & Notable Guests, Shared in National Dialogue at a DNC Healthcare Reform Forum

Amidst the feverish excitement of the recent Democratic National Convention in Denver, Emdeon Business Services participated in an event—in a national dialogue, really—that soberly transcended party lines or affiliations to address a topic relevant to all Americans: healthcare reform.

The public Health Policy Forum, of which Emdeon was a corporate sponsor for an opening VIP reception, brought together a host of influential figures to discuss the present and future of our nation’s healthcare system. Emdeon’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Miriam Paramore, herself a recognized thought leader in the industry, offered opening remarks for the reception, representing Emdeon in welcoming the likes of Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, author of the E-MEDS Bill which requires e-prescribing for Medicare, columnist Arianna Huffington, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

“Emdeon is in the conversation,” Paramore says, recapping her experience at the event. “I’m thrilled to represent a company that’s doing the right thing...participating in the dialogue on the healthcare crisis that affects us all...to help in real, material way.”

Paramore came away energized not only by Emdeon’s role in the national discussion, but in how the company plays a substantive role in “moving the needle” by digitizing the industry and using information technology to turn raw data into usable information. Effective information exchange is essential to the functioning of the entire healthcare system, especially as that system is in a constant state of evolution.

“Our mission is to simplify the business of healthcare,” Paramore explains. “That’s why we are part of discussions on public policy and regulation, to stay on the forefront and influence direction changes that impact the electronic exchange of healthcare information. We are often the connecting point that keeps our customers prepared and ready. ”

Now more than ever, Emdeon is the “glue for the industry when changes occur that impact health information exchange.” By staying close to the regulatory machination, Emdeon is consistently ahead of the game, investing to accommodate altering governmental and industry standards/requirements long before business partners will be affected.

From pay-for-performance issues to handling unfunded mandates and quality initiatives, Emdeon aggressively seeks ways to use technology to make data accurate, expedient and readily accessible for payers, providers, and pharmacies. By improving eligibility transactions and applying business intelligence to EDI, Emdeon is helping reduce the $150 billion of inefficiencies related to insurance and billing activities that burden the healthcare system each year.

“Of course, this is our business, and our customers are our priority. Yet as we better serve our customers, we are improving the system as a whole. We’re motivated to step up our corporate responsibility to make a difference. We are not on the sidelines, in the quest for true reforms” Paramore summarizes. “We encourage our business partners to do the same.”

What does all this mean to you? Here are a few key ‘take aways’ Paramore shares with you from her DNC Health Reform Forum experience.

• Join the conversation. What individuals in your organization are committed to knowing issues, defining goals and finding solutions? Whether you begin simply by staying more informed or you choose to participate more prominently, you must be in the mix; your voice is vital to reform.

• Start your own conversation. Create ways to communicate with constituencies within your organization about key issues, to gain perspective from all angles. Start dialogue, and ensure communication is two-way so that questions, ideas and information can be shared effectively.

• You can count on Emdeon to help connect the dots. As you join in discussion and generate conversation from within, you can count on Emdeon to help filter and share information from throughout the industry. Connect with your Emdeon account manager and we will always do our best to accurately represent your ideas, questions and concerns to the associations and industry and governmental groups in which we participate.

From the Podium to Practical Application
Emdeon's new patient responsibility estimator is a real step in the right direction
Because we’re as committed to taking action as we are to being part of the discussion, we’re launching the new Patient Responsibility Estimator. This exciting new tool enhances transparency of cost for patients who are increasingly responsible for paying for healthcare services. Learn more about the Patient Responsibility Estimator in the Beyond Price Transparency article of this newsletter.

It's almost payment time...do your providers know where their claims are?

Providers get a better look at claims' status with Emdeon Vision^SM for Claim Management
Determining the status of healthcare claims once they have been submitted has always been a painful and time consuming process, but with Emdeon Vision^SM for Claim Management providers can track any claim on the largest network in healthcare, all from one place. This is a powerful, web-based application designed to give providers the same simplified, end-to-end visibility into the claim cycle that is already available to our channel partner and payer customers.

Clear and concise monitoring
With Emdeon Vision^SM for Claim Management, once the claim has been submitted providers will be able to monitor its progress through centralized and easy-to-read claim summaries. This will replace their need to call multiple payers, visit multiple websites to get updated claim statuses and also reduces the number of calls to your call center by empowering your providers to with a tool to research their own claims. These summaries allow providers to quickly scan all claims and focus staff attention on ones that require further work, then sort and search claims according to a variety of different elements. Having the ability to quickly rework the claim also helps reduce or eliminate painful delays in their cash flow. Since all searches are done electronically, providers will no longer need to worry about patients in their office overhearing the sensitive information that is sometimes exchanged over the phone.

Reduce rejections and delays
Every provider has to deal with some level of claim rejections, but with Emdeon Vision^SM for Claim Management they will be able to view and take corrective action on incorrect codes that can save weeks over manual processes. Your provider partners can also expect to get accurate and detailed monitoring thanks to intuitive reports. The reports can quickly reveal important trends like where your claims are being delayed, and they'll get them in consistent formats to eliminate the labor-intensive task of monitoring paper claims. Spotting trends in rejections can also lead to higher first-pass acceptance rates and save even more time and money.

Emdeon Vision^SM for Claim Management combines all of these valuable features into one easy-to-use and centralized solution that greatly increases your ability to offer a clear view of what's happening with claims almost as it happens. Your provider partners will have the same great insight and monitoring capabilities as the nation's leading payer groups, which improves their ability to predict and manage cash flow while focusing more on the cornerstone of any healthcare business: patients.

To find out more about how we can improve your claim management offerings, contact us today at 877.EMDEON.6, Option 6 or contact us online.

Easing the Pain of Workers' Compensation Bills

Electronic transactions will save time, money and headaches

Throw away those paperclips, because soon Workers’ Compensation Bill and Bill Attachments will finally be able to be sent electronically!

On August 5th, 2008, Emdeon announced the launch of a new electronic solution for the filing of Workers’ Compensation, Auto Medical bills and simultaneous electronic submission of required documentation.

Once our new solution launches in Q4 2008, this new transmission solution will allow payers and providers to streamline submission and bill processing for jurisdictional ASC X 12N 837 Workers’ Compensation and Auto Medical bills. By enabling medical reports and documentation to be submitted electronically along with billing, our solution ensures compliance with new state eBill mandates. This solution will also eliminate the barriers that had previously complicated the acceptance of eBill traffic from healthcare claim subscribers, thereby helping deliver clean bills to carriers.

The Emdeon process for eBills will follow current providers and payer workflow for sending/receiving any other electronic claim, Group Health or Government claim. Using the State of Texas guidelines, the eBill submission is more in line with the Group Health HIPAA 837. The only significant differences are data content placement and the attachment process.

This Emdeon solution will be integrated into the Emdeon Vision Suite. Providers will be able send attachments by two methods: either upload an electronic attachment, or print a barcoded fax cover sheet. The bill and attachment will be processed and linked, then sent to the Workers’ Compensation payer. Providers will also receive claim status reports and ERAs.

We are excited about this new product because it will simplify your Workers’ Compensation bill and attachment processing. To learn more ways we’re Simplifying the Business of Healthcare contact us today 877.EMDEON.6, or visit us online at emdeon.com .

Beyond Price Transparency

Price Transparency. These two health industry buzzwords convey the need to empower patients with simple and precise information about the cost of healthcare. Boiling down the complex healthcare pricing systems into patient-understandable terms prior to care is a critical step to enabling the patient to understand how much money they will owe after treatment and determining how they will pay their portion of financial responsibility. Furthermore, providing the costs of treatment prior to care gives the consumer an opportunity to shop for alternative care and figure out how their financial responsibility will be paid. While today’s patient financial responsibility estimation technology achieves price transparency by emulating the claim adjudication process, future enhancements will provide even more actionable information. Building on a foundation of treatment cost estimates, transparency also needs to incorporate facets of quality based on physician credentialing, patient safety, and healthcare outcomes. As these two components come together they will represent a fundamental driver to a successful consumer based market for healthcare.

In this evolved market, before seeing a primary care provider or a specialist, patients will be able to compare the credentials and quality metrics of providers in their area and across the country in conjunction with the price of their services. Credentials offer subjective evidence to understand the physician’s specialized training and to impart confidence in their ability to provide high-quality treatment by acknowledging where they were trained. Similarly, credentials will include board certification when a physician attains a higher degree of education and disciplinary actions when the physician is censured by an affiliated hospital, various medical boards, or indicted for criminal convictions. Information such as how many procedures of a given type the physician has performed will build on this theme of experience and add perspective to healthcare decision making. How much do you know about the physicians you see? Exposing physician credentials opens the door to information that will enable patients to compare quality.

Patient safety is another facet of quality transparency. Exposing comparable patient safety measurements will enable patients to understand the relative safety of one healthcare provider versus another. Imagine being able to compare the medication administration safety and infection rates of regional hospitals. Is the provider using Computerized Physician Order Entry to reduce the likelihood of prescribing errors? Does the nursing staff have access to systems that prevent medication administration errors? How many infections were caused in the last year within the hospital? Contrasting patient safety trends with those of similar providers provides information to the patient that has never been available before. Evaluating quality factors such as these increases transparency and helps patients assess where to get treatment.

New transparency tools will also enable patients to understand the outcomes expected with certain types of treatments and procedures. Outcomes will likely be demonstrated through standardized, evidence-based measurements and allow you to recognize the relative effectiveness of the types of treatments used by a particular physician. Instead of blindly accepting that a single clinical course of action exists for a given diagnosis, outcome comparison will demonstrate the comparative benefits of a treatment or procedure provided by one doctor versus the others available. The healthcare industry is dynamic and always striving for better quality, and making outcomes more transparent will spur competition leading the industry to even more breakthrough improvements.

Even after these quality transparency tools are readily available, price will very likely still play one of the largest factors. One hallmark of our society is that quality often costs more. A provider that develops strong credentials, keeps an excellent safety record, and achieves effective outcomes for patients will likely cost more than an average quality provider or one with a few blemishes on record. The ability to accurately estimate healthcare costs will be viewed in light of provider quality, and healthcare decisions will be able to undergo scrutiny with factual, comparative information. Providing transparent price and quality information prior to care will foster competition and lead to higher quality services at ever-competitive prices. As the healthcare industry continues to develop capabilities that enable more pre-care transparency, our aim should be far beyond displaying patient cost estimates and consider the quality aspect of the providers we pay.

Is ePrescribing Ready to Deliver?

After years of hype and hard work, is ePrescribing finally mature enough for your provider partner’s practice?
For years ePrescribing has been hailed as a watershed development in the delivery and business of healthcare. Article upon article and study upon study have heralded it as faster, safer and more patient friendly than the traditional written prescription.

Yet, ePrescribing adoption has been slow and difficult until now. Numerous systems have been deployed with varying levels of success, but there is still resistance to the set-up costs, training and technology transition that comes along with ePrescribing. Many channel partners and their providers have seen the problems as too great, but is that tide starting to turn?

Increased Adoption
As vendors who offer ePrescribing modules have tailored their approach to fit the complex landscape of modern healthcare, provider adoption has seen a rapid rise. SureScripts®, a major transmitter of electronic prescriptions, reported that their system transmitted 22 million more prescriptions in 2007 than it did in 2006 due to increased provider adoption. On May 25, 2008, The New Orleans Times-Picayune recently reported experts predict the number of providers nationwide using ePrescribing to jump from 40,000 in 2007 to 85,000 by the end of 2008.

Future Mandates are Here Today
“This movement is only going to gain steam as government support for the financial and safety benefits grows: in 2007 U.S. Senators from both parties, with an endorsement from the President, united to introduce a bill which would penalize providers who did not adopt ePrescribing by 2011 by reducing their Medicare reimbursements. Several states, including Minnesota and Florida, have already passed legislation that requires providers to adopt ePrescribing by similar timeframes, or face financial penalties.

Many of these programs include financial incentives that help offset the initial investment for providers, so be sure to investigate whether your providerpartner may be eligible for reimbursements or tax breaks for implementing ePrescribing. As legislative support turns into demands, a flexible ePrescribing solution can help you stay ahead of the regulatory curve.

Reduced Up-front Investment
The price of many ePrescribing systems has recently become far more realistic for most provider budgets. When ePrescribing first arrived on the healthcare scene it was most commonly packaged with large practice management systems seeking to create an Electronic Medical Record. While these systems delivered great functionality, they were also a huge investment for any provider or provider group to make. To overcome this barrier, several highly reputable companies have created more affordable standalone modules. These ePrescribing modules can interface with nearly any Practice Management System to deliver results that are valuable for a much more affordable initial investment.

Ready to Deliver
The benefits ePrescribing will bring to the entire healthcare industry, are well known to us all. Everyone involved will benefit from the real-time checks for drug interactions, updated formulary compliance checking and reducing the chances of human error, but it is important to make sure the solutions are ready for the demands that will be placed on them. It is critical for providers to be completely comfortable in knowing that the ePrescribing module they choose is going to meet their needs and benefit both patients and the bottom line. With more and more providers finding solutions that fit the way they work, it is safe to say that ePrescribing is something every provider should be investigating now in order to be prepared for a bright future ahead.

New Payers on Board

New payers added this quarter

Emdeon Business Services is pleased to announce the following
payers as part of our constantly expanding network:


• ARAZ - Hospital Claims
• Arkansas Managed Care Organization Inc - Medical Claims
• Arkansas Managed Care Organization Inc - Hospital Claims
• Berkshire Lehigh Partners - Hospital Claims
• Berkshire Lehigh Partners - Medical Claims
• CM Administrators Inc - Medical Claims
• CM Administrators Inc - Hospital Claims
• Citrus Health - Medical Claims
• Kaiser PPO - Hospital Claims
• Lawndale Christian Health Center - Hospital Claims

For a complete list of the payers in our network, visit our website.

Emdeon ExpressBill Channel Partner Customer Features:

6th Annual ExpressBill Channel Partner Customer Seminar
This was our 6th year for our annual Channel Partner Seminar and as always, everyone had a great time! It was held in sunny Scottsdale at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino. Some of the discussion topics included the acquisition of IXT and all of the new services that accompany it, marketing, attrition and our customer outreach program. We ended the day with a Cowboy Cookout where there was singing by the campfire and took a horse drawn hayride to enjoy the beauty of the Arizona desert.


"The whole staff at Emdeon was very friendly and hospitable, ensuring that I felt welcome and encouraging participation in the group. The camaraderie amongst the Emdeon staff was refreshing! It was a great experience meeting individuals from competing companies and learning more about their businesses. Learning more about what Emdeon has to offer is resourceful."
—Deanna Liebert; PracticeWorks



"Your staff is wonderful! We try to come every year so we don't miss out on any new products that Emdeon has to offer. We are very proud to display the Emdeon logo and offer their great products to our clients. Emdeon is the one-stop shop for the future of medical provider services."
—Judith Reynolds & Liz Marlatt; American Med Billing

Marketing Tools that make a Difference

Are you benefiting from reoccurring revenue like so many other Emdeon Patient Billing & Payment Solutions Channel Partner customers? Are you using our partnership to your full potential? One way to do that is through marketing, and we are here to help. There are many ways to market our services as well as offer promotions to your users.
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User group meetings— let us present to your users
We have a fun presentation we can customize to your software that hits all of the features and benefits of our services. Take advantage of an Emdeon representative to speak to your users. Approximate time is 20 minutes.

Use specific promotions to sign users up for services like Patient Billing & Payment Solutions
• Statement discounts pay postage only
• Totally free for a month
• Inserts free for a month

Cost savings benefit worksheet or 1 pager
Provide them a cost analysis spreadsheet that automatically calculates their savings or show them an easy 1 page snap shot of savings. We can provide you with both!

Testimonials from current users
Large or small, all offices benefit from the Patient Billing & Payment Solutions

Training
• Sales: allow us to train your sales reps that sell your software to mention Patient Billing & Payment Solutions
• Trainers: have your trainers follow-up with the offices regarding Patient Billing & Payment Solutions—have them act as consultants
• Support Staff: have the support reps mention Patient Billing & Payment Solutions if applicable during a support call

Objections Worksheet
We’ve heard it all! Review the worksheet to help overcome the practices objections for doing electronic statements

Offer a referral program
If one office is using Patient Billing & Payment Solutions, offer them an incentive for referring another office to us as well.

Include an inserts with your invoices
Why not mention Patient Billing & Payment Solutions with your monthly invoice you send out to your users? We can help create this piece. This is particularly effective if Emdeon mails invoices for you!

Website opportunity
Mentioning Emdeon as a strategic partner shows you are connected with a leader in the industry

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Marketing Campaigns
• Target your users/ apply the 80/20 rule
• Create a marketing calendar segmenting your users
• Blast e-mail to your users a 1 page info sheet on Patient Billing & Payment Solutions
• Newsletters
• Telesales
• Direct Mail campaigns—We offer a variety of packages to choose from