MGMA Endorses Standard ID Cards

HDM Breaking News, January 12, 2009

The Medical Group Management Association has launched a campaign calling for the widespread use of machine-readable patient identification cards by Jan. 1, 2010.

The Englewood, Colo.-based trade association, which represents physician group practice administrators, says the adoption of standard ID cards could save $1 billion a year by eliminating unnecessary administrative efforts and denied claims.

MGMA calls for following the card implementation guide that the Workgroup on Electronic Data Interchange prepared in November 2007. That guide endorsed the widespread use of cards with either a magnetic stripe or bar code to store data.

MGMA says such cards would cost about 50 cents each. The association claims that would be “just a fraction more” than the cost of the paper or plastic cards, lacking a magnetic stripe or bar code, that most insurers now use. “The savings that insurers will see from reduced provider inquiries, claims reprocessing and labor will far exceed this expense,” the MGMA said in a statement.

The association also called on the vendor community to offer affordable card-reader interfaces to work with standardized ID cards.

For more information on the initiative, visit swipeit.org.

--Howard Anderson

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:

• Consumer Health
• Data Security
• Electronic Data Interchange
• Policies/Regulation
• Hospitals
• Group Practices
• Payers