CHANDIGARH: In a significant move to ensure timely payments to empaneled hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana scheme as per the commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the State Health Agency (SHA) is all set to hire medical professionals to expedite claims processing, said Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh here on Wednesday.
The Health Minister was charing a review meeting of sub-committee of State Health Agency here to discuss policy related matters, shortage of manpower and various other ongoing issues of State Health Agency. Administrative Secretary Health Kumar Rahul, Member Punjab Development Commission Anurag Kundu and CEO State Health Agency (SHA) Punjab Ms Babita also attended the meeting.
He said that the recruitment of medical professionals is aimed at streamlining the claim process, reducing delays and improving overall efficiency, besides, alleviating the current workload and reduce delays in claims assessment.
“The recruitment drive will focus on qualified medical professionals who can effectively assess and process claims, thereby facilitating prompt reimbursements to healthcare providers, ” he said, while adding that the newly appointed staff will undergo comprehensive training focused on the protocols and requirements specific to the claim processing system.
He said that apart from this training will also be provided to all present staff involved in the claims process to ensure they are up to date with best practices and procedural updates. This will help maintain high standards of service and accuracy in evaluations, he added.
Dr Balbir Singh also directed the concerned officers to clear the pending payments to all the hospitals, which are empaneled under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana. Notably, the Punjab Government has settled Rs 210 crore payment under this scheme from April 1, 2024 till September 15
Emphasizing the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government’s commitment to providing timely and effective healthcare services to all citizens, he also directed the concerned officers to initiate special drive to enrol maximum persons under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana so that no eligible beneficiary is left.
The scheme offers cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in as many as 772 government and private empanelled hospitals across the state. The State Health Agency has issued 84.44 lakh cards extending benefit of this scheme to over 45 lakh families in the state, which offers access to around 1600 types of treatments, including knee replacements, heart surgeries, cancer treatments etc. These beneficiary families encompass NFSA Ration Card holders, J-form-holding farmers, Registered Labourers, Registered Small Traders, Accredited and Yellow Card-holding Journalists, and families covered under the Socio-Economic Caste Census Data of 2011.