The Wall Street Journal looks at swipe-card readers, a technology that could change medical billing practices in the future. The paper examines units made by Companion Technologies, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. In theory, the readers will allow patients to learn how much they owe for a visit or a procedure while still at the counter. That might simplify life tremendously for doctors and other providers who spend much of their time chasing down insurers for information and patients for payment.
- see this story from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)