MANAGED CARE June 2007. ©MediMedia USA
Prompt and accurate payment by insurers is important to physicians, and the new 2007 PayerView Rankings provided by Athenahealth, a company that provides services to medical groups, attempts to show which insurers are the best and the worst at paying.
Of national payers, Cigna, which ranked only fifth in 2006, is best this year. Last year it was Humana, which dropped to fourth in 2007. The comparison uses data from claims from more than 8,500 providers that accounted for more than 28 million medical charges in 2006.
"This year's results indicate that some payers are making strides toward operational improvements on behalf of physicians, which we believe will translate into larger cost savings to the industry at large, but there is still significant work to be done," said Jonathan Bush, chairman and CEO of Athenahealth.
Payment trends
PayerView data, billed in 33 states and submitted to payers in 46 states, comes from Athenahealth's practice management database. It ranks health insurers according to specific measures of financial and administrative performance and medical policy complexity.
Cigna tops the list, with the lowest denial rate nationally. This was accomplished by shortening the revenue cycle.
Source: Athenahealth PayerView Rankings
Graphic By Julie Ridge