The MMA is striving to reduce the administrative burden on physicians and their clinic staff to free them to spend more time with patients and to reduce health care costs. In regular meetings with third-party payers, the MMA raises problems that physicians are experiencing and works to find solutions.
In addition, the MMA is a member of the Administrative Uniformity Committee (AUC) a broad-based Minnesota group that strives to develop agreement among Minnesota payers and providers on standardized processes that will reduce administrative costs. The MMA is working with AUC to help physicians meet the requirements of new legislation that all providers and payers electronically file and manage claims, eligibility, and payment by 2009.
Streamlining the credentialing process is another MMA initiative. In the first half of 2008, the MMA, working with the Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Council of Health Plans and Minnesota Medical Group Management Association plans to introduce a “smart,” web-based credentialing application to the Minnesota health care community. This web-based credentialing application, modeled on the information contained in the Minnesota Uniform Credentialing Application, will be accepted by Minnesota health plans and hospitals. Verification of the information on the credentialing application and the credentialing decisions made the health plans and hospitals are outside the scope of this project.