Healthcare Roundup: Anthem Claims Delays, United's Online Doctor Plan, Allscripts' Hookup With Henry Schein, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Claims Delays at Anthem - WellPoint has admitted to problems in processing physician claims at its Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield subsidiary. The Indiana and Ohio medical associations complained to their state insurance departments about the delays, which have lasted several months in some cases. An Anthem spokesperson attributed the problems to the adoption of a new claims processing system by the BlueCard network. That network allows members of Blues plans in multiple states to use the physician network of Blues plans in other states. [Source: American Medical News]

United Joins Online Doctor Brigade - UnitedHealth Group is working with American Well Corp. to develop a service that will let people consult with a doctor on the phone or online 24/7. This program will be available to the 60 million people served by United's OptumHealth subsidiary, which sends patients' claims-based health information to doctors. United will recruit local physicians who want to earn some extra income. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is piloting a similar program with its employees. Similarly, the Hawaii Blues offer members a "virtual clinic," in which doctors are paid $25 for a 10-minute session with patients. This trend should be a wakeup call for physicians to go online with their own patients. [Sources: Associated Press, BNET Healthcare]

Allscripts Bonds With Henry Schein - Henry Schein, one of the largest distributors of medical supplies to physician practices, has agreed to market Allscripts' Professional EHR to its accounts, using its 625 sales representatives. A month ago, Allscripts inked a deal with Cardinal Health, another distributor, to market its MyWay EHR to small practices. McKesson, another big wholesaler, markets its own EHRs to physicians, and Henry Schein also sells its own EHR and practice management system through its wholesale channel. Strangely, however, there is no mention of the distributor's own EHR--which holds a 2008 certificate from CCHIT--in the press release from Allscripts and Henry Schein. [Sources: Health IT News, Business Wire]

Consumers Want Health Advice - That's according to a survey sponsored by Microsoft, which created its HealthVault site as a platform for personal health records and other health-related apps. The survey, conducted in March, shows that 66 percent of respondents want to receive "health-related encouragement or reminder e-mails" from their health plan, and 52 percent would be open to receiving e-mails that "provide them with feedback on their health progress." In addition, 62 percent of respondents said they believed PHRs are valuable. [Source: Health IT News]

Health Wonk Review - The latest thrill-packed Health Wonk Review, ably stewarded by Joe Paduda, can be found on his Managed Care Matters site.