Amerigroup Uses Biometrics For Claims

As part of its fraud prevention efforts, health insurer Amerigroup Community Care of Florida , a wholly owned subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., has selected Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based BioClaim, a biometric solution that is intended to help ensure that the services patients receive and those for which healthcare providers are billing match up.

[Read: Allstate Dives Into Mobile Claims Photos to learn more.]

"We actually transport proof of patient presence by creating a solution that shows a date and time of the alleged treatment," says Scott Kimmel, EVP and general counsel at BioClaim.

BioClaim's software solution works with its technology partners' hardware to enable fingerprint, palm and iris scanning. BioClaim stores the patients' biometric data in a protected repository.

Amerigroup is using the BioClaim system in selected physicial offices in Florida in conjunction with the SafeMatch iris scanner technology from Eye Controls, provider of an iris camera system currently available in many hospitals, to match patient claims data, Don Gilmore, COO of Amerigroup Florida, explained in an e-mail response to Insurance & Technology.

Gilmore adds, "Because BioClaim is integrated with the electronic medical record of the provider, the solution protects the integrity of the electronic health record. The BioClaim solution creates an auditable record at the point of service so we know the correct member was physically present at the point of service."

BioClaim is also administering educational training to the participating providers' medical staffs about how to use the biometric system.

Zarna Patel is a staff writer for InformationWeek's Financial Services brands, which include Bank Systems & Technology, Insurance & Technology and Wall Street & Technology. She received her B.A. in English and journalism from Rutgers University College of Arts and Sciences in ... View Full Bio