Save time with Web portals

Q: One of the insurance companies I work with keeps telling me I should have my staff use its Web portal to do a lot of administrative work. What sort of administrative work can you typically do on these types of sites?

A: The payer Web sites may offer eligibility verification, benefit information, pre-authorization submission, and claims status. It certainly can be faster than using the telephone to get an answer, but you may want to investigate similar services via a clearinghouse because the clearinghouse gives you access to many payers. That could save your staff the time and effort associated with accessing multiple payers' Web sites.