NHIS Moves To Cut Delay In Payments

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is networking the 875 accredited government and private health service providers to hasten the payment of their claims.

The programme began March in last year and already 600 sites have been connected to the network.

The rest is expected to be completed by April, this year.

The public affairs manager of the NHIA, Ibrahim Wiredu, who disclosed this to the times last Tuesday, said the move will eliminate by 70 per cent, the delays occasioned by manual processing of claims.

He said the networking will also harmonise operations of the scheme towards a uniform treatment procedure for clients as well as limit abuse of the system and impersonation.

Mr Wiredu explained that service providers have two months to file their claims while scheme operators have a month to vet those claims before payment is effected.

He said the introduction of the NHIS has led to increase hospital attendance, thus putting pressure on the service providers some of whom lack the requisite staff to handle the volume of work confronting them.