New initiative may lessen confusion associated with health insurance paperwork

posted by Lawrence Shipman

Soon people may find it a bit easier to deal with health insurance claims in Ohio.

According to a recent report from the Associated Press, a collaboration between doctors, hospitals and health insurance providers will result in a web portal designed to reduce the confusion associated with health insurance paper work. The goal of the effort is to reduce amount of duplication and miscommunication between doctors and insurance companies.

"It's a collaboration to begin next month, one the eight major health insurers representing 91 percent called an example for the nation," the AP report noted. "A host of doctor groups, including the state medical association, have endorsed the initiative."

State insurance director Mary Jo Hudson told the AP that the campaign to streamline paperwork through the system is the result of months of negotiations. Those negotiations involved taskforces made up of consumers, doctors and health insurance providers.

Recently the New York Times reported that President Barack Obama played host to a number of doctors at the White House, where he encouraged the passage of healthcare reform that would include streamlining paperwork so physicians could spend more time caring for patients.