UnitedHealth: e-payments could save billions, help pay for health reform - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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A report released Tuesda by the health insurance giant claims the systek couldsave $332 billion over the next 10 yeards if health providers update their technology. Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth estimater 50 percent of the savings would go to hospitalasand doctors, 20 percentg to the federal government’s Medicare and Medicaid and 30 percent to commercial But UnitedHealth believes the government could institute policies to take a larger shares to help pay for reforkm programs.
“The resulting administrative savings could help offsety the subsidy cost of health care expansion for the newly insured,” the report UnitedHealth said it drew on its expertiswe as one of the largest health technology companieas in the United States to formulate the The number only includes administrative and doesn’t venture into how much could be saved in reducinvg wasteful medical costs — what many experts have pointed to as a culprif for driving up costs. Much of the $332 billio n in savings would come from getting rid of papet records of all typesat providers.
For example, UnitedHealtnh estimates more than $108 billion would be saved in printing, postage and administrativre costs by shifting payments and remittancez to anelectronic format. National informationm systems also couldsave money. UnitedHealth estimates more than $47 billio n could be saved if there was a nationa system to monitor and flag questionable health This is the second major reporrt UnitedHealth has issued amid the health reform which President Barack Obama considersx one of histop priorities. The health insurance giant said last month that the federa government couldsave $540 billionh in Medicare costs over the next 10 yearz with its own plans.