Electronic Solutions

In its effort to Standardize, Simplify and Streamline, the Washington Healthcare Forum encourages electronic solutions and information exchange. In addition to single sign on through OneHealthPort and electronic claims submission through Office Ally, other areas for electronic data sharing are being explored. OneHealthPort continues to be the access vehicle for these efforts; please check back often as products and services continue to be sought for enhanced offerings.

The Forum and its participants also strongly encourage adoption and implementation of the HIPAA Transactions and Code Sets. Electronic claims submission and remittance, the HIPAA 837/835 transactions, continue to be top priorities.

One Health Port
In 2002, the membership of the Washington Healthcare Forum recognized a need to provide access to secure information over the internet. Eligibility, Benefits, Claims Status and Claims Payment information could all be made available through the websites of participating health plans. However, secure exchange of data required secure access through use of user agreements, names, and passwords. If multiple health plans required multiple user and security agreements, and user names and passwords, appropriate access to data would be limited. As a result, members of the Forum formed a separate entity which is now called OneHealthPort. OneHealthPort opens the door to valuable business and clinical solutions with a single secure sign in process for access to secure information across multiple health plans.

» for more information please visit http://www.onehealthport.com/about/officeally_faq.php

Office Ally
One of the Forum's key initiatives is to increase the amount of processing that happens electronically. HIPAA mandates and technology advances provide the healthcare community with the opportunity to meet the tenants of Administrative Simplification, - Reduce Staff Costs, Decrease Turnaround Times, Improve the Patient Experience - through use of electronic data exchange. In working with the provider community, the Administrative Simplification Effort determined that a significant percentage of small providers continued to submit claims to health plans on paper. These paper claims, (previously HCFA 1500s - now CMS 1500s) take longer to enter into a plan's claims adjudication system and therefore take longer to process.

In order to help providers who previously submitted paper claims with a 'low tech' solution that allows for electronic claims submission, OneHealthPort, has partnered with Office Ally. Office Ally provides a "browser based" (only requires an internet connection), claims submission tool which enables providers to enter claims both through an "electronic claim form" or in batch, through the electronic submission of a claims "print file." Provider response has been extremely positive. Over half a million claims were submitted through Office Ally during the first year of this partnership. You don't have to continue submitting claims on paper- Simplify, Steamline, Standardize- electronic Office Ally claims can be submitted free of charge to the participating Forum health plans. Office Ally submits claims to over 500 different health plan entities.

» for more information please visit http://www.onehealthport.com/about/officeally_faq.php