The American Medical Association (AMA) wants to help physicians use electronic health care transactions to reduce hassles, cut costs, and speed payments. November marks "Heal that Claim" month, and to kick-off the annual campaign, the AMA is offering new resources to help physicians automate administrative tasks for checking insurance eligibility, submitting and tracking claims, and obtaining payments.

This year’s campaign features free toolkits and webinars that offer step-by-step instructions for using electronic health care transactions. The campaign is supported by a new online community from the AMA’s Practice Management Center. Designed to encourage an informative dialogue between physician practices, health insurers, and intermediaries, the AMA’s Paperless Practice Group is a one-stop, online forum for asking questions, offering tips and accessing resources about automating a medical practice, and using electronic health care transactions.

"Resolving questions of insurance eligibility, submitting claims to insurers, and keeping track of the process can be costly and time-consuming," says AMA President Peter W. Carmel, MD. "The AMA can help physicians streamline each step of the claims process and keep it running smoothly."