Humana Support Gives Big Boost to Standardized Patient ID Cards

Standardized patient health insurance identification cards got a nod of approval from one of the nation's largest health insurance companies recently. Humana Inc. is the first company in the industry to publicly pledge its support to the Medical Group Management Association's, or MGMA's, Project SwipeIT.

Project SwipeIT, which launched in late January, is an industry-wide initiative to advance the adoption of standardized patient health insurance ID cards containing machine-readable information. As part of the project, MGMA has asked health insurers, vendors and health care providers to work toward supporting the standardized cards by Jan. 1, 2010.

The new ID cards are designed to provide real-time patient information at the point of care. The cards comply with standards developed by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange, which should ensure uniformity of information, appearance and technology.

This is not Humana's first experience with card-swipe technology. Two years ago, the Louisville, Ky.-based insurer, which claims more than 11 million medical members, launched a card-based pilot program that resulted in a 50 percent reduction in denied transactions with health care providers.

In a Feb. 3 press release announcing Humana's adoption of the ID cards, MGMA President and CEO William Jessee, M.D., called on Humana's hospitals and physician partners to implement the necessary technology to enable them to read Humana's new magnetic-strip patient cards. According to MGMA, a card reader will cost physician practices about $200.

MGMA estimates that machine-readable patient ID cards could save physician offices and hospitals as much as $1 billion a year by reducing unnecessary administrative efforts and denied claims.

The Academy -- which has long supported efforts to reduce the burden of administrative paperwork -- and a host of other medical associations, organizations and providers have endorsed Project SwipeIT.