Emdeon Convenes Industry Forum to Monitor Business Efficiency in ...( NASHVILLE Tenn. Dec. 2 /- Emdeon a le...),Health

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Emdeon, a leading provider of revenue and payment cycle management solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today the launch of an important effort to monitor business efficiency in healthcare. Emdeon unveiled the U.S. Healthcare Efficiency Index(TM) (www.ushealthcareindex.com) to establish a national reference for tracking and measuring the transition from a paper-based and phone-based system to an electronic one.

"Through the Index, we are bringing together industry leaders from all aspects of healthcare to raise awareness of potential savings and create a national measure of business efficiency in the industry," said George Lazenby, Chief Executive Officer of Emdeon.

Among the leaders joining the effort is Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Founder of the Center for Health Transformation. "We at the Center for Health Transformation are proud to collaborate with Emdeon on the U.S. Healthcare Efficiency Index," Gingrich said. "Replacing the waste and inefficiency of paper-based administration is critical to transforming health. Health information technology can and will fundamentally change the way we deliver -- and administer -- care for all Americans."

Billions in Potential Savings Every Year

"Too many healthcare billing-related activities are still conducted on paper or by phone, and too many healthcare payments are still made by paper check and sent by mail," said Lazenby. "Other industries, like banking and travel, have long since addressed this problem. It's time for healthcare to catch up."

Phase 1 of the Index estimates the total annual savings potential to be nearly $30 billion for medical claims-related transactions. Medical payment transactions alone could bring an estimated $11 billion in annual savings through direct deposit, according to the Index.<
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