20 June 2001
MITCHELL MEDICAL AND ALTERNATIVE LINK SYSTEMS AGREE TO ADD ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CODES TO DECISION POINT®
Codes Will Allow Insurance Companies to More Accurately Pay Alternative Medicine Costs of
Those Injured in an Automobile Accident.
SAN DIEGO (June 20, 2001) – Mitchell International today announced an agreement
between its Mitchell Medical division and Alternative Link Systems that will make it
easier for insurance companies to more accurately pay for alternative medical care
given to persons injured in automobile accidents.
Under terms of the agreement, Mitchell will incorporate Alternative Link’s patented
billing code system for alternative medical providers into Mitchell Medical’s Decision
Point software, the auto industry’s leading web-based medical bill review software.
Alternative Link ABC coding system will help insurers using Decision Point determine
which alternative medicine treatments fall within the scope of practice for a
particular state and what is reasonable to pay for such services. Decision Point
already provides CPT (common procedure technology) codes for use with physician
treatments and procedures.
"The partnership between Alternative Link Systems and Mitchell will mean auto
insurance companies can pay alternative medicine providers more accurately for the
services they provide to people injured in an automobile accident," said Tom McCarthy,
senior vice president and general manager of Mitchell Medical. "Up to 55 percent of
those injured in an automobile accident now use some form of complementary and
alternative medicine."
Alternative Link spent six years developing a national code set that pairs with their
claims editing system to identify allowable procedures on a state-by-state basis as
performed by 13 licensed alternative medicine providers, such as chiropractors,
acupuncturists, physical therapists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
"The rules that govern these practitioners are different in each state," said Melinna
Giannini, president and founder of Alternative Link. "Our data, combined with Decision
Point, will help providers and insurers process automobile injury claims more accurately.
We are very excited about partnering with Mitchell to reduce the paperwork burdens and
costs associated with processing alternative medicine and advanced nursing claims."
The codes enable insurance companies, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and
healthcare providers to process all electronic transactions that require codes for
paying for alternative medicine or independent nursing services.
McCarthy said the ABC coding system will be available as part of Mitchell's Decision
Point this fall.
About Alternative Link System
Alternative Link Systems, Inc. is a pioneering coding and software development company
based in Las Cruces, N.M. The company has worked with insurance companies, alternative
medicine providers, managed care organizations and other healthcare delivery companies
to develop a claims editing system to support the entrance of alternative medicine and
expanded nursing services into mainstream injury treatment, review and payment.
About Mitchell International
Mitchell International, founded in 1946 and headquartered in San Diego, California, is
The Source for information software and e-business solutions for the insurance and
automotive repair industries. Providing services that enhance productivity,
profitability and customer satisfaction, Mitchell facilitates several million
electronic transactions between more than 16,000 business partners each month.
Mitchell’s own parts and labor database, a critical connectivity point between shops
and insurers, is trusted for its accuracy and respected as the industry standard.
For more information on Mitchell International, Mitchell Medical or Decision Point,
call Chris Andrews, Director of Marketing, at 858-578-6550 ext. 8321. Visit our
websites at
www.emitchell.com
and
www.mitchell.com.
