UnitedHealth: e-payments could save billions, help pay for health reform - San Francisco Business Times:

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A report released Tuesday by the healtu insurance giant claims the system couldsave $332 billion over the next 10 years if health providers update theif technology. The Minnetonka, Minn.-based parent of estimatedf 50 percent of the savings would go to hospitals and 20 percent to thefederao government’s Medicare and Medicai d programs, and 30 percent to commercia payers. But UnitedHealth believes the governmenty could institute policies to take a largetr share to help pay forreform programs. “Thre resulting administrative savings could help offset the subsidy cost of healtuh care expansion for thenewly insured,” the reporty said.
UnitedHealth said it drew on its expertise as one of the largest healty technology companies in the United Statea to formulatethe estimate. The number only includes administrative savings, and doesn’t venture into how much could be saved in reducing wasteful medicalcosts — what many experts have pointed to as a culprif for driving up costs.Much of the $332 billiob in savings would come from getting rid of pape r records of all types at For example, UnitedHealth estimates more than $108 billion wouldr be saved in printing, postager and administrative costs by shifting payments and remittances to an electronic format. National information systemas also couldsave money.
UnitedHealth estimates more than $47 billion could be saveds if their was a national system to monitor and flag questionabldehealth claims. This is the seconds major report UnitedHealth has issued amid the healtnhreform debate, which President Barack Obama consideras one of his top The health insurance giant said last montu that the federal government could save $540 billion in Medicare costds over the next 10 years if it implementedd some of the programs UnitedHealthh uses with its own plans.