Ore. Their thought is that getting dominance in a local area is preferable to Healtheon's strategy of signing deals all over the map. However, there's nothing that says that just because the Internet is a global medium, you have to go after a global market. Health plans will force physicians to get more Net-savvy. This will happen for two reasons. One is the greater interest in electronic claims filing.
Electronic claims can be cheaper and faster to send and process.
For example, Dallas-based Claimsnet says it can electronically process a claim for about half the cost of a paper claim and reduce the turnaround period to seven to 21 days instead of 60 to 90 days. Software also can catch errors in coding that lead to the extended dance that keeps physicians from getting paid. Health plans are among those that say electronic claims-filing will be easier for the doctor, but it's also easier for them, so they will push it. Also, health plans are interested in collecting and analyzing outcomes data. Getting physicians to use the Internet will become easier as a new generation of physicians takes root.