Press Releases
DataPath and RelayHealth Announce Strategic Relationship
Relationship to Streamline Payment Reimbursements from Employee Healthcare Accounts
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. (May 8, 2008) —─ DataPath, based in Little Rock, Ark., and Atlanta-based RelayHealth today announced a strategic relationship to establish a new connectivity service designed to streamline the payment cycle and data exchange needed to expedite consumer payments for health services. Targeted services range from consumer-driven healthcare (CDH) accounts such as flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). The announcement was made at DataPath’s annual user conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Building upon RelayHealth’s extensive connectivity with providers and payors, the new service will also allow health plan service providers to connect with CDH accounts. The new service is projected for delivery later this year. Providers will be able to obtain real-time eligibility verification of an employee’s healthcare account and then use the account as a secondary benefit payment method. This automatic healthcare provider payment solution reduces out-of-pocket expenses from the patient at the time of service and decreases the number of self-pay statements generated later by the healthcare provider.
“One of the stakeholders in the CDH movement often neglected is the healthcare provider,” said John Robbins Jr., vice president and director of health care payment solutions, DataPath. “As employee responsibility increases, provider receivables also increase. The new services we’ll be offering using RelayHealth's connectivity to healthcare providers and retail pharmacies eliminates this concern and best of all, it doesn’t require the provider to change their existing practice management system, point of sale device or any other system. Now they will automatically receive payment.”
DataPath is the first benefit software solution provider to pioneer this connectivity with RelayHealth, with others expected to follow. “Complete and total open access is the key to universal acceptance of all the stakeholders in the CDHC continuum in order to support true portability, transparency and choice,” Robbins said.
“The common scenario in healthcare services is to collect payment now and adjust later, or worse yet, to not collect now and end up with uncompensated care,” said Jeff Hancock, director of product management, RelayHealth. “With this solution, providers get paid on self-pay balances from funds the consumer has saved for this very purpose. It’s no longer necessary to create another bill that might not get paid for weeks, if at all.”
About DataPath
DataPath, founded in 1984, is a management-owned, privately held company based in Little Rock, Ark., that produces software solutions for administering employee benefit plans. Clients include employers, TPA outsourcing benefit consultants, and plan service providers, including banks, CPAs, insurance companies and insurance agencies. DataPath specializes in systems for employee benefit plans operating under federal regulations, such as cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts, dependent care plans, health reimbursement accounts, health savings accounts, COBRA, healthcare debit cards and more. For more information, visit our website at www.dpath.com
About RelayHealth
RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity services and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. RelayHealth securely processes more than 10 billion financial and clinical transactions annually. For more information, call (800) 778-6711, or visit our Web site at www.relayhealth.com.
Media Contacts
Brittany Grace
DataPath
(501) 296-9990, ext. 283
brittanyg@dpath.com
Janeen Cook
RelayHealth
(770) 237-7918
Janeen.Cook@relayhealth.com
