Frequently Asked Questions about VIIAD
The following are some common questions about VIIAD's innovative healthcare platform. If you have a question that is not listed below, contact us for more information.
About VIIAD
What is VIIAD?
How does VIIAD benefit the Payor market?
Who are the founders of VIIAD?
When was VIIAD started?
How can I get an interview with the founders of VIIAD?
Where is VIIAD located?
How can I contact VIIAD customer service?
Will VIIAD work with my current insurance plan?
What is the technology behind VIIAD?
How secure is the technology used by VIIAD?
VIIAD and the Healthcare Industry
How does VIIAD bring a new level of compliance to the Payor market?
What are the major issues threatening today's Workers' Compensation market?
How does VIIAD provide safeguards against fraud for Traditional Health Plans and CDHPs?
What is a Silent PPO?
What does Cherry Picking mean?
How does VIIAD enable Payors to achieve increased discounts of 15% or more?
What is the potential impact of VIIAD on the health insurance industry?
How does VIIAD remove billions of dollars of waste from the healthcare industry by eliminating the traditional insurance card?
How does VIIAD work seamlessly with existing Payor technology?
How does VIIAD directly benefit physicians?
How does VIIAD directly benefit consumers?
Does VIIAD have the capacity to service the largest companies in the health insurance industry?
The vNetworkSM
What is the vNetwork?
Who is part of the vNetwork?
What is the benefit of accessing the vNetwork?
What type of physicians and specialists are in the vNetwork?
If I'm traveling, does the vNetwork cover doctors visits in other states?
What if my physician is not in the vNetwork?
How much does the vNetwork save Payors?
If a Payor wishes to use the vNetwork, must a Health Ticket be used?
The Health TicketSM
What is the Health Ticket?
Must I eliminate all other ID cards to use the Health Ticket?
How does the Health Ticket work?
What is the immediate cost benefit of the Health Ticket?
Do I need my old static ID card?
How much money will the Health Ticket save Members?
How do I access the Health Ticket?
When should I print out my Health Ticket?
Where do I obtain my Username and Password for the Health Ticket?
Do I need to print out a different Health Ticket for each family member?
I've lost my Health Ticket. What should I do?
How long is the Health Ticket good for?
What information is on the Health Ticket?
Does the Health Ticket contain Social Security or Driver's License information?
Does the Health Ticket increase the risk of identity theft?
If I don't have a printer, can I still obtain the Health Ticket?
About VIIAD
What is VIIAD?
VIIAD™, short for Virtual Interactive Identification and Direction, is a patent-pending healthcare management platform that is streamlining the way Payors, Providers, and Members use insurance. VIIAD's patent-pending Health TicketSM business methodology and vNetworkSM provide customizable PPO coverage featuring superior managed care discounts, reduced administrative costs, and fewer out-of-network claims. VIIAD ensures 100% compliance for the Payor market, potentially saving the healthcare industry billions of dollars.
In addition to the Health Ticket and vNetwork, VIIAD also provides traditional services such as repricing, benefits consulting, data conversion, cleansing, and warehousing, while working with clients to provide customized consumer-on-demand solutions.
How does VIIAD benefit the Payor market?
VIIAD enables Payors, especially Traditional Health Plans, Consumer-Driven Health Plans, and Workers' Compensation companies, to customize their networks to achieve optimal coverage and superior discounts. VIIAD helps Payors channel plan members along the most cost-effective reimbursement path while assuring regulatory compliance.
Who are the founders of VIIAD?
VIIAD was founded by 3 health industry insiders with the shared vision of simplifying the healthcare process for Payors, Providers, and Insureds. With over 5 decades of collective experience in healthcare, John Zubak, Harvey Mitgang, and April Stiles were inspired to launch VIIAD to address the massive inefficiencies and noncompliant behavior that is commonplace in the largely unregulated healthcare industry. Over time, John, Harvey, and April became convinced there was an excellent business opportunity to reduce waste by addressing the major compliance and cost issues threatening today's health insurance market.
When was VIIAD started?
Three leading experts in the healthcare industry first launched VIIAD in 2006. In this brief time, VIIAD has processed 2.6 million claims.
How can I get an interview with the founders of VIIAD?
To schedule an interview with the founders of VIIAD, visit our press section, or contact us for more information.
Where is VIIAD located?
VIIAD Systems, LLC is located at 1170 Wheeler Way, Suite 200, Langhorne, PA, 19047.
How can I contact VIIAD customer service?
You can contact a VIIAD customer service representative by calling 1-866-49-VIIAD.
Will VIIAD work with my current insurance plan?
VIIAD is a user-friendly technology that wraps around the Payor's legacy system, so there is little or no change to your current health insurance system.
What is the technology behind VIIAD?
VIIAD is state-of-the-art Internet-based technology designed to interface seamlessly with existing legacy systems in such a manner as to require little if any changes to those systems or the need for any new equipment.
How secure is the technology used by VIIAD?
VIIAD uses state-of-the-art encryption and security technology, and VIIAD works with their clients to assure the highest level of security is implemented.
VIIAD and the Healthcare Industry
How does VIIAD bring a new level of compliance to the Payor Market?
Payors, especially the Workers' Compensation market, could be facing major fee reversals and significant lawsuits from years of operating in a noncompliant environment. The real-time accessibility of VIIAD's managed healthcare platform brings a new level of compliance to the healthcare and Workers' Compensation markets by eliminating the potential for fee reversals and noncompliance penalties.
What are the major issues threatening today's Workers' Compensation market?
Since no ID cards currently exist for this market, Workers' Compensation companies are experiencing lawsuits filed against them regarding PPO network agreements that require identification cards and steerage requirements in order to receive the benefit of the PPO discounts. In addition to the PPO network agreements, there are states that have developed legislation mandating an identification card be developed for the Workers' Compensation patient, so that the Payor can benefit from PPO discounts. Those companies that do not comply with these requirements are at a serious risk for costly noncompliance litigation. Learn more about the PPO state mandates for Workers' Compensation.
How does VIIAD provide safeguards against fraud for Traditional Health Plans and CDHPs?
VIIAD safeguards against Provider discount abuse practices like Silent PPOs and cherry picking, two major unethical practices threatening the integrity of the healthcare industry today.
What is a Silent PPO?
Silent PPOs occur when a Provider's claim is re-priced through a different PPO Network than what is identified on the patient's ID card. This practice can hurt Providers and puts Payors at risk
What does Cherry Picking mean?
Cherry Picking occurs when a Provider belongs to more than one PPO and a claim is shopped around for the lowest reimbursement rate accepted by a Provider, regardless of the PPO identified on the patient's
ID card.
How does VIIAD enable Payors to achieve increased discounts of 15 % or more?
VIIAD vNetwork consists of contractual relationships with more than 70 PPOs across the country, enabling Payors to create a customized network of County, Regional, and Provider-owned networks, resulting in national coverage with superior discounts. VIIAD enables plans to channel Members along the most cost-effective path while assuring contractual and regulatory compliance to help lower administrative costs and reduce out-of-network claims. Clients have reported an average savings of 15% or more on their medical claims, with some saving up to 60%.
What is the potential impact of VIIAD on the health insurance industry?
Based on estimates of annual claims in the U.S. of $1 trillion and the percent minimum savings reported by clients, the VIIAD platform represents potential savings of $150 billion if applied across the industry.
According to the Self Insurance Institute of America (SIIA), and the Dept. of Health and Human Services, $1.9 trillion is spent annually in the U.S. on healthcare. 25% ($475 billion) is strictly administrative costs. VIIAD has the potential to remove billions of dollars in administrative costs.
How does VIIAD remove billions of dollars of waste from the healthcare industry by eliminating the traditional insurance card?
VIIAD's innovative delivery platform and related products, such as the Health TicketSM, increase communication among the various parties to a healthcare transaction, including Insureds, Providers, and Payors. This provides transparency to increasingly complex healthcare transactions, resulting in reduced waste through administrative inefficiencies. In addition to reduced administrative costs, VIIAD eliminates the need for static insurance cards, potentially resulting in billions of dollars of savings within the healthcare industry. The Health Ticket uses patent-pending technology to provide Insurers with access to the most up-to-date plan information, printed right from their computer, or at the Provider's office.
Each year, insurance companies spend millions of dollars printing and mailing new static ID cards every time a plan is updated or personal information changes. It costs Payors anywhere from $2 to $10 every time they print and mail an updated card to a Member. Based on $5 being the average, if insurance cards were eliminated for the approximately 200 million Insureds in the United States, Payors would immediately save $1 billion just from the card issue alone. Since most Payors issue 2 or 3 replacement cards per year to Members, the savings are actually much larger.
How does VIIAD work seamlessly with existing Payor technology?
VIIAD's proprietary healthcare management platform works with a Payor's current legacy system to empower Traditional Health Plans, CDHPs and Workers' Compensation companies with the ability to channel healthcare transactions in a fully compliant environment.
How does VIIAD directly benefit physicians?
VIIAD's Health TicketSM has the correct PPO ID, and exact mailing address for claims, proper copays, current eligibility, and more. Now, doctors know exactly what to charge, where to send the bill, and the correct copay to collect. Also, Health Tickets remove the need for eligibility checking, saving hours of time and effort.
How does VIIAD directly benefit consumers?
VIIAD takes the guesswork out of healthcare plans. VIIAD provides transparency and improved communication in an increasingly complex healthcare system. Consumers know if they are in or out of network, their associated percentage of payment, what the plan requirements are, HSA balances and any other relevant information to help them make more informed decisions about how their healthcare dollars are spent. VIIAD also helps small Local and Regional PPOs become part of a much larger network to take advantage of operational efficiencies, and compete in smaller, or newer, markets. This fosters greater competition and reduced overhead among plans, eventually leading to more attractive premiums.
Does VIIAD have the capacity to service the largest companies in the health insurance industry?
Yes. The technology behind VIIAD is extremely scalable and capable of managing claims for the largest companies in the industry today.
The vNetwork
What is the vNetworkSM?
VIIAD has relationships with more than 70 PPOs around the country, ranging from National to Regional to Local entities. The vNetwork of PPOs allows clients to customize their PPO model in order to achieve customizable geographic coverage and access superior discounts.
Who is part of the vNetworkSM?
VIIAD's vNetwork of PPOs creates a national network of healthcare coverage, so Members are covered anywhere in the country. The benefits of the vNetwork can be modified or supplemented based on the client's relationships and needs.
What is the benefit of accessing the vNetworkSM?
Through the vNetwork, Members can access PPOs that are widely recognized and well respected in the medical community. The vNetwork includes a group of high quality PPOs, providing the benefit of national coverage with the superior service and discounts associated with Regional PPOs.
What type of physicians and specialists are in the vNetworkSM?
The vNetwork provides access to top physicians and specialists in every medical field. Members can access an easy-to-use Provider Lookup tool to locate a physician or specialist in their area, or anywhere in the country.
If I'm traveling, does the vNetworkSM cover doctors visits in other states?
Yes. The vNetwork is a National network of PPOs, so every Member with coverage can easily access a Provider covered in their plan, anywhere in the country.
What if my physician is not in the vNetworkSM?
If your physician is not in the vNetwork, you can talk to your health plan and ask them to include your physician in the network. VIIAD can accommodate any combination of network affiliations.
How much does the vNetworkSM save Payors?
VIIAD's clients reported a minimum of 15% cost reduction of annual claims. This represents a potential $150 billion in savings across the healthcare industry every year. Some clients report an average savings of 15% or more on their medical claims, with some saving up to 60%.
If a Payor wishes to use the vNetworkSM, must a Health TicketSM be used?
Yes. Members may be part of both the vNetwork and the Health Ticket, or the Health Ticket alone. The vNetwork cannot be accessed without the Health Ticket.
The Health TicketSM
What is the Health TicketSM?
Similar to an airline eTicket, VIIAD's Health Ticket uses patent-pending technology to provide real-time benefit information that eliminates the need for traditional ID cards, reduces administrative costs, and lets the Member, Provider, and Payor know exactly what services are covered, every time.
Each Health Ticket contains personalized Member-specific information, such as, copay instructions, HSA balances, remaining deductibles, preferred labs and pharmacies, directions to the medical office, physical therapy visits remaining, benefit plan information, visit instructions, and more.
Must I eliminate all other ID cards to use the Health TicketSM?
No. VIIAD can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional ID cards. VIIAD has clients who utilize a combination to transition Members from the outdated and costly practices with eventual elimination of the cards altogether. It is not a requirement, and the majority of savings are still realized through this transitional approach.
How does the Health TicketSM work?
Generating a Health Ticket is similar to the process currently used to locate a Provider. Members either call an 800 number or go to their Insurer's Web site, input their user ID, password, and zip code, and select from a list of Providers. Once a Provider is selected, the Health Ticket is generated, displaying the vital elements necessary for the Member to receive the full benefits of his/her health plan.
If a Member chooses to go out of network, VIIAD's Health Ticket clearly states prior to printing whether a chosen Provider is in or out of network. Members must agree to a disclaimer before printing a Health Ticket for an out-of-network Provider. This disclaimer clearly states all financial responsibilities for the Member.
What is the immediate cost benefit of the Health TicketSM?
The Health Ticket provides real-time benefit information, assures compliance, and dramatically reduces administrative costs. Each year, insurance companies spend millions of dollars mailing Insurers new static ID cards every time a plan is updated or personal information changes. It costs approximately $2 to $10 each time a new card is issued, potentially saving Payors millions of dollars by switching to VIIAD's Health Ticket just from the reduction in card costs alone.
Do I need my old static ID card?
No. With the Health TicketSM, you have access to the most up-to-date insurance card available for your individual health plan, so there is no need to continue to carry old ID cards.
How much money will the Health TicketSM save Members?
By potentially saving billions of dollars in administrative costs and noncompliance litigation fees, VIIAD's healthcare management platform allows Payors to pass these savings on to Members by offering more competitive Member premiums.
How do I access the Health TicketSM?
Members can access VIIAD's Health Ticket directly from their insurance plan Web site, or by calling a toll free number.
When should I print out my Health TicketSM?
This varies by insurance company, but usually Members print out their Health Ticket before visiting their Provider, or at the time they make their appointment. Check with your insurance company for your plan's specific details.
Where do I obtain my Username and Password for the Health TicketSM?
VIIAD's technology seamlessly wraps around your current insurance company's plan information. Use the Username and Password provided by your insurance company to access plan details, provider lookups, etc to access the Health Ticket.
Do I need to print out a different Health TicketSM for each family member?
This is up to the plan sponsor and is based on the plan requirements independent of the VIIAD solution.
I've lost my Health TicketSM. What should I do?
Unlike traditional static ID cards, you can obtain a duplicate Health Ticket instantly, without the need to wait days or even weeks. Simply call a toll-free number or visit your health insurance Web site from any Internet-enabled computer. Providers can also access Health Ticket information directly from your doctor's office.
How long is the Health Ticket good for?
This is up to the plan sponsor. Since every VIIAD plan is customizable, the expiration date, if any, on the Health Ticket varies for each plan and Member. Check with your plan if you are unsure about the amount of time you have to use your Health Ticket.
What information is on the Health TicketSM?
This is up to the plan sponsor and varies from Payor to Payor. By design, the Health Ticket conveniently features a more comprehensive communications platform and benefit details versus a traditional ID card, including:
- Copay, deductible, coinsurance limits or balances
- Health Savings Account (HSA) balances
- Specific PPO IDs by Provider
- Preferred vendors, labs, pharmacies, mental health treatment centers
- Claims addresses
- Electronic clearinghouses
- Plan limitations or exclusions
- Out-of-network penalties
- Adjuster contact information
- Remaining physical therapy visits
- Visit instructions
- Office directions
Does the Health TicketSM contain Social Security or Driver's License information?
No! The Health Ticket does not feature any proprietary information like social security or driver's license numbers.
Does the Health TicketSM increase the risk of identity theft?
NO! The VIIAD technology does not increase an individual's exposure to identity theft. The Health Ticket does not feature proprietary information like social security or driver's license numbers.
If I don't have a printer, can I still obtain the Health TicketSM?
Yes. You can generate your Health Ticket by calling a toll-free number, and your Health Ticket will be mailed or faxed to you, or sent directly to your Provider.