DataPath Provider Payments Simplifies Reimbursements for Workers' Comp

For those in the claims processing industry, especially those who deal with workers’ compensation ones, there is little doubt that managing provider payments can be challenging and costly.  And, just like the application of automation technology is transforming all aspects of insurance business processes the payment of workers’ comp is no exception. An illustration of this is the announcement from Little Rock, AR-based DataPath (News - Alert), who has launched an electronic provider payment solution precisely for workers' compensation payers.

"We discovered that a significant percentage of payers issue hundreds of checks to a single provider each week to ensure EOB/EOR information is retained, an expensive and cumbersome process," said Dave Stair, director of insurance payment solutions for DataPath. "Alleviating this challenge by creating an electronic adjudication process was the impetus for creating DataPath Provider Payments."

A comprehensive payment solution for workers’ comp

The new DataPath solution is comprised of the following elements:

• Electronic Payment Adjudication: Payers submit reimbursements for multiple claims to a single provider at once through an electronic portal. This eliminates the need to write expensive checks and automates manual processes for both payers and providers.
• Centralized Provider Payment Management: EOB/EOR is retained and an audit trail created to track when payments are processed, distributed and applied for each claim. Providers can also access real-time information on payment status. Because everything is centrally managed securely online, both duplication and missed payments are significantly reduced.  
• Absence of Banking Restrictions: As a bank-neutral solution, DataPath Provider Payments creates no conflicts of interest for payers and there is no need to collect bank account information.

For payers, what DataPath has done is enable management of the entire payment process, including provider registration. Once registered, providers are reimbursed for services by entering a secure account number on their merchant terminal. Through a customized portal, payers can view claim reimbursement activity, EOBs/EORs and payment history. The results will be according to DataPath not only a reduction in costs and error but also protection against internal and external fraud.

2015 is going to be a year that continues to highlight the investment by insurers of all types in capabilities that automate manual and costly processes not just to make insurers more efficient but also to improve the customer experience. 

Edited by Maurice Nagle