Digital billing for complementary medicine at last

The end of the PDF invoice form

The Complementary Medicine insurance team and CamSuisse announced in June 2019 that they would withdraw the PDF invoice form due to its vulnerability to errors. As early as next year, it will no longer be available. Tariff 590 invoices created using the invoice form will only be accepted until the end of 2021.

The introduction of eFaktura

SWICA, one of the big 4 in the Swiss insurance market, published a directory of around 25,000 complementary medical therapists in 2019. Insured individuals can now book treatment appointments online on a platform. The benefits are billed directly between the therapy practices and the insurer. Electronic with eFaktura! Patients will only be charged for the difference.

Digital transformation — here and now!

The two examples clearly show that the digital transformation does not stop at anyone in healthcare. It has now also reached experiential medicine, with far-reaching consequences.

Since the Tariff 590 is binding, with the omission of the PDF invoice form, all those who have so far evaded the topic will also be confronted with digitization. If you intend to continue to bill your benefits through supplementary insurance, it is imperative to switch to professional software.

Pressure will also increase from the patient's side. With the introduction of eFaktura, practices bill their services directly through insurers and patients only pay the difference. Many patients will request this direct billing scenario from their therapists.

Tariff 590 software - only which?

For all those experienced doctors who have not yet made the switch to professional software, the crucial question is: What distinguishes good practice software, and how should they make the right choice with over 80 providers?

In general, the range of functions of the various software solutions is very similar. This is because the therapeutic process shown in the solutions is always the same.

Tariff 590 software - this is important to consider...

To ensure that the next software change is not imminent in a few years, there are a few important points to consider when purchasing new practice software:

A modern 590 software tariff is designed for cloud operation: This results in significant advantages over installation solutions: a cloud software allows data access regardless of location and device, operation is possible with Windows or Mac computers and there are no maintenance expenses for server management, data backup and software updates.

A modern tariff 590 software has interfaces to other systems: Online appointment bookings, SMS appointment reminders, electronic service statements (eBilling) and payment reconciliation with e-banking are processed via these interfaces. If these interfaces are missing, proper practical operation is no longer guaranteed in a few years.

A modern tariff 590 software meets the highest data protection requirements: It enables encrypted storage of particularly sensitive patient data as well as from external documents, such as medical prescriptions, reports, etc.

A modern tariff 590 software meets the highest security standards: Users' access rights are regulated via a 2-FA identity certificate (2-factor authentication) and a login filter to use static IP addresses.

A modern 590 software tariff is defined by a balanced price-performance ratio: It is scalable and costs are automatically adjusted to the size of the practice.

Anyone who observes the above basic rules when purchasing new practice software should be immune from unpleasant surprises in the future and can face digital transformation with a clear conscience.

Complementary Medicine Insurance Team: Assura, Concordia, CSS, Groupe Mutuel, Helsana, Innova, ÖKK, Sanitas, Swica, Sympany and Visana

CamSuisse: OdA AM, ArteCura, KT, MM and SVO-FSO