Let us be clear. Although more facilities are registering to send their documents through HCAI, HCAI still remains voluntary.
Despite the fact that HCAI is not mandatory, some of our customers are receiving false information claiming they must register with HCAI to submit OCF-18, OCF-21, OCF-22, and OCF-23. We have also heard that some of you have even received letters or calls from insurance adjusters claiming HCAI is mandatory. Please note that this is not the case. Current legislation does not require you to use HCAI at this time, and you can decline any invitation to use the HCAI system at your own discretion.
In reality, only by the end of January 2010 about 25% of the insurance market will start using HCAI. This means that those companies who have registered must submit OCF claim forms through HCAI for those insurance companies that are participating, but you must still continue using standard OCF forms for those insurers who are not registered. This means if you register with HCAI, you are presented with another challenge – trying to remember which patients need their documents faxed and which patients should be processed through HCAI. For this reason, Antibex recommends holding off on registering with HCAI until a formal announcement is made by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The IBC has yet to announce the date when the HCAI system will be ready for mandatory rollout. Until then, registering with HCAI is entirely your decision.
