PARSIPANNY, N.J., July 29 /EMWNews/ -- MD On-Line, a leading

healthcare technology company that specializes in facilitating electronic

commerce between providers and payers, announced today that it has received

a CAQH Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE(TM))

Clearinghouse Certification Seal. The CORE Seal was awarded after MD

On-Line successfully completed Phase I certification testing -- a process

ensuring that healthcare organizations can electronically exchange or

access patient insurance information according to CORE Phase I rules.



    



    CORE certification ensures that MD On-Line's products and services can

securely process electronic eligibility queries within 20 seconds and that

providers will receive consistent eligibility and benefits information

required to verify patient health insurance coverage. The ability to verify

a patient's insurance coverage in real time shortens the registration

process and speeds claims processing.



    "Achieving CORE certification is yet another example of MD On-Line's

commitment to providing quality products and services that meet and exceed

the needs of today's busy medical practice. The benefits of being a CORE

certified entity will be most evident to our customers as they utilize MD

On-Line to Transact the Business of Healthcare," said Bill Bartzak,

President and CEO of MD On-Line. "We are committed to assisting our

providers improve their revenue cycle management by providing them with

products and services that operate as effectively and efficiently as

possible."



    MD On-Line provides products and services aimed at facilitating

electronic commerce between providers and payers. Its CORE certified

product offering is web-based, enabling providers to interface with payers

to check patient eligibility in real time. The information collected

provides co-pay and benefit information allowing the provider to collect

co-pay amounts at the point of service.



    The CORE rules, which build upon national standards, including HIPAA's

eligibility (X12 270/271) transaction, make electronic administrative data

communications seamless, streamlined and predictable, regardless of the

technology. In many cases, the CORE rules eliminate the need for

time-consuming phone calls and paperwork.



    According to a recent CAQH study, providers may reduce labor costs

associated with verifying insurance coverage as much as 50 percent by

moving from labor-intensive verification methods (Web, fax and phone) to

automated HIPAA transactions. Health plans also could achieve significant

labor savings, as the study showed that average labor costs per phone call

are $1.38 vs. $0.00 for an automated transaction.



    CAQH, a nonprofit alliance of health plans, trade associations and

networks, launched CORE to promote health plan-provider interoperability

and improve provider access to administrative information. To date, the

voluntary industry-wide initiative has brought together more than 100

healthcare industry stakeholders -- health plans, providers, vendors, CMS

and other government agencies, associations, regional entities,

standard-setting organizations and banking industry experts -- to develop

the operating rules. These stakeholders cover more than 130 million lives,

or more than 75 percent of the commercially insured plus Medicare and

state-based Medicaid beneficiaries.



    "The CORE rules represent a cutting-edge approach to improve provider

access to consistent eligibility and benefits data," said Robin J.

Thomashauer, CAQH executive director. "By adopting the rules and completing

CORE certification, MD On-Line is reducing unnecessary healthcare

administrative burden, and helping U.S. healthcare become more efficient

and responsive to patient concerns."



    For more information on MD On-Line, call (888) 499-5465 or visit to

http://www.mdon-line.com.

    About CAQH



    CAQH is a catalyst for industry collaboration on initiatives that

simplify healthcare administration for health plans and providers,

resulting in a better care experience for patients and caregivers. CAQH and

its members are working to achieve a healthcare system in which

administrative processes are efficient, predictable, and easily understood

by patients, caregivers and providers. In this system, administrative and

clinical data are integrated to effectively support the delivery of care.



    Visit http://www.caqh.org for more information.



    About MD On-Line, Inc.



    Founded in 1995, MD On-Line, Inc. is a healthcare technology company

focused on "Transacting the Business of Healthcare". The company provides

solutions fostering connectivity between healthcare payers and providers to

facilitate transactions and reduce related costs. Privately-held, the

company processes in excess of two million electronic transactions per

month, and is the preferred solution provider for some of the largest

medical insurance companies in the country. With offices in New Jersey and

California, MD On-Line has been named to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest

growing companies in America, and has twice been included on the Deloitte &

Touche Fast 500 and New Jersey Technology Fast 50 list of companies.



    More information is available at http://www.mdon-line.com.