Insurance Company Settlements

AMA can help with insurance company settlements... Visit the AMA Web site at http://www.ama-assn.org/?A40.442.3780.28.458873 to access up-to-date Multi District Litigation settlement information that includes access to

• proof-of-claim forms


• compliance dispute processes


• recent updates for




• Aetna, Inc.


• CIGNA Corporation


• Health Net, Inc.


• Humana, Inc.


• WellPoint, Inc.


• Anthem along with a related settlement agreement with Excellus, Inc.

This site discusses how each specific settlement helps the physician practice. Because contracts provided by the settled health plan payers to physicians in their provider network must conform to the respective health plan payer settlement, physicians are encouraged to review their contracts to ensure they are receiving available protections from each settlement.

Identity Theft Prevention

Ten Ways to Protect Yourself From Identify Theft.....

1. Keep your Social Security card at home in a safe place. Never carry it in your wallet or pocketbook.


2. Do not allow your Social Security number to be printed on personal checks, driver's license, or identification card.


3. Review your credit report at least once a year. Immediately report inaccuracies to credit reporting agencies. For a list of agencies, call 1-800-597-5161.


4. Check over your bank account and credit card statements each month.


5. Do not throw away cash machine or credit card receipts in public. Shred the receipts at home.


6. Watch how your information is treated by businesses you frequent. Ask businessess to blacken all but the last four digits of your credit card number on their merchant copy.


7. When you are sending your bill payments, do not place envelopes with checks or account numbers in your mailbox or mail slot. Mail them at the post office.


8. Keep a detailed list of the contents of your wallet or purse, including photocopies of all cards.


9. Shred all credit card applications, especially those that include checks for transferring account balances.


10. To eliminate telemarketers, add your address and phone number to the national Opt Out Do Not Call lists by visiting the Direct Marketing Association Web site at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/ or by calling 1-888-567-8688.

VA Premier

We are in negotiations with VA Premier for a Medicaid HMO contract. In that context, VA Premier has made their Provider Manual and Utilization Management Program available for review. We have added a link to VA Premier’s website for easy access. Please assist us in reviewing these two documents and share with us your comments and feedback by October 31st, 2006.

Your assistance, as always, is deeply appreciated.

Please click the logo below and it will take you directly to the VA Premier website to view the Provider Manual.

From this link you can also click Medical Management and then click Utilization Management to view this report.

Pay-for-Performance

Making the Business Case for Physician Participation and Engagement in Pay-for-Performance Programs - Presented by The Healthcare Intelligence Network

The Healthcare Intelligence Network sponsored the "Making the Business Case for Physician Participation and Engagement in Pay-for-Performance Programs" on Wednesday, September 6, 2006.

Click here to view the agenda and speaker introduction.

The first speaker was Dr. Fred Hosler, MPA, FACP, FACPE who is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Alegent Health.

Click here to view Dr. Hosler's presentation.

The final speaker was Michael O'Neil who is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives of HealthSpring.

Click here to view Mr. O'Neil's presentation.

Audio CD's of this presentation are also available upon request.

Electronic Records Express

Electronic options for submitting health and school records

Social Security and state Disability Determination Services (DDS) are offering electronic options for submitting health and school records online or by fax for

• Patient/student disability decisions


• Convenience and security


• Cost reduction

Please visit their website at http://www.ssa.gov/ere/index.html for further information.