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Health informatics Europe
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Electronic Insurance Medical Reports - UK
Automated reports could 'free the GP', says life insurance industry group A secure system allowing automated General Practitioner's Reports (GPRs) to be exchanged electronically could maximise the benefits of GP's electronic patient records (EPRs) and significantly reduce the turnaround time of the reports for life insurance applications, believes a group of some of the UK's leading insurers. The e-GPR Group, including representatives from eight of the UK's major life insurance companies, has agreed with GP Software User Groups a single structured GPR format suitable for production from EPRs which will eventually enable secure electronic transmission. The Group has commissioned consultants from health industry IT experts BDS Solutions to advise the industry on the exchange of reports from GP records for life insurance applications and claims. BDS will also consider how the industry can link into the Government's NHS Net, across which all patient records will ultimately be transferred. The Group comprises NatWest Life, Abbey National, Allied Dunbar, Barclays Life, Guardian Financial Services, Halifax Life, HSBC Life (UK) Ltd and Legal & General. Currently, it is estimated that over a million reports a year are requested by life insurers in order to assess applications, with each taking GPs up to half an hour to complete. This means that each surgery can typically spend around half a day per week responding to forms. The current method of completing insurers' requests has existed for around 20 years and can often prove a bottleneck for processing applications and payment of claims. The manual system, which relies on an exchange of postal documents, can be time-consuming and have high administration costs for all parties involved. It is hoped that by sending the information encrypted over a secure computer network, it can also provide an enhanced level of security. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has already been developing an industry-standard printed questionnaire to simplify the process for GPs. The formation of the e-GPR Group is recognition of this drive and also that the Health Service is quickly moving towards electronic methods of communication under NHS Net. "We believe that electronic communication of General Practitioner Reports will be a significant contribution towards the paperless surgery- the vision of both the medical profession and the Government", said Nicky Bray, underwriting and claims manager, NatWest Life. "Such a system will not only be of direct benefit to GPs and life insurers, but patients and customers as well." "The internet and its methods of security have developed rapidly in recent years", said Mark Treleaven, BDS Solutions. "We are now at the stage where the automatic request for and completion of forms, together with electronic invoicing and payment, is not only possible but desirable for everyone involved." The study is due to be completed by June 2000, with a fully functional pilot study scheduled to be in place by the end of the year.
Association
of British Insurers
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