E-billing at all-time high in private healthcare

Electronic billing (e-billing) in the private healthcare sector continues to grow due to demand from non-hospital providers, Healthcode has revealed. 

 

The volume of PMI bills submitted through Healthcode’s online billing service has been higher than average in the first quarter of 2019.

 

The private healthcare provider expects to process 6.9 million electronic bills this year, compared with 6.3 million in 2018. 

 

Since Healthcode launched its e-billing service in 2002, volumes have grown year on year. In 2018, the company processed bills worth more than £3bn on behalf of private providers, an increase of 15% in 2015 (£2.67bn). 

 

Over the last five years, Healthcode has experienced a surge in electronic billing by non-hospital providers, including 22,000 independent practitioners who are registered to use the billing service. 

 

The non-hospital segment submitted 3.4 million bills in 2018, overtaking hospital providers (2.9 million) for the first time. 

 

‘The adoption of e-billing across the private healthcare sector shows how technology can help us accomplish administrative tasks more efficiently and generate valuable data about trends in the sector,’ said Peter Connor, managing director at Healthcode. ‘I believe we should take this further in other areas, such as payment transactions, appointment booking and secure information sharing.’

 

‘However,’ Connor continued, ‘this will only be possible if different private healthcare stakeholders are prepared to collaborate and adopt common standards. Healthcode already has the interoperable technology to connect different private healthcare stakeholders on a single platform and if everyone in the sector commits to a common approach, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.’