Medical Automated Information
Line Upgraded for Faster Service

New options on Humana’s Medical Automated Information Line (Med-AIL) make it faster and more convenient for physicians to check insurance claims histories or find information about insurance benefits and eligibility for Humana members and associates.

The Med-AIL telephone number listed on the back of each HumanaAccessSM card links users to current information about their accounts via an automated telephone information line available 24 hours a day.

A recent upgrade allows providers to use Med-AIL to easily obtain a Humana member’s copayment amounts, deductible status and other coverage information by speaking into the telephone or using the telephone keypad. Physicians can bypass an operator and directly access the system by saying their provider tax identification number into the telephone or dialing it into their telephone keypad. A major enhancement to the system allows physicians to choose the specific information they need to learn about a patient’s insurance coverage and whether to hear that information over the telephone or receive it via fax.

“In the past, the system played back all of the patient’s insurance information and it could take up to 90 seconds to listen to it all, or you’d get a fax with that information,” said Mark Webb, who supervises Humana’s Med-AIL. “Now, you can select just the information you want to hear or receive by fax, which makes interaction with the system go much faster.”

Many physicians use Med-AIL to check whether Humana members visiting their practices are still eligible for medical coverage. They can also check the amount of copayment a patient will owe for services or the portion of a patient’s insurance deductible that has been met.

Med-AIL can also be used to check the status of one or more medical claims handled by practice providers on a specific date. For example, a medical practice may choose to retrieve a status report of all Humana claims that its physicians handled on a specific day or on several dates and to get the results — up to 44 entries per page — faxed back within minutes. Previously, the medical claim status reports included only one patient’s information on a page and users had to re-enter the practice’s tax identification (ID) number for each additional patient or date requested.

“With this upgrade, you just speak or enter your practice’s tax ID number into the system once and then you can get status reports on the Humana claims your physicians handled on the dates you name,” Webb said.

“Another option is that you can more quickly find out if someone is still eligible for Humana coverage and what copayment he or she will owe for the visit that day by entering the member’s ID number and the patient’s date of birth,” Webb said.

Some medical offices are placing Humana’s Med-AIL access number on speed dial so that office staff can quickly confirm coverage and other details when patients arrive for appointments.

In addition to providing claims status updates and member eligibility and benefit information, the automated system can be used for referral inquiries and to check pre-admission status when required.

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