Vermont’s health care legislation created a Common Claims and Procedures Work Group charged with designing, recommending and implementing steps to simplify the claims administration process and lower administrative costs in the health care financing system. Convened by the Vermont Association of Hospital and Health Systems (VAHHS), this workgroup submitted a two-year work plan and budget to the Governor and the legislature in September, 2006, and submitted an interim report in January 2007. The Common Claims and Procedures Work Group Final Report was submitted in January 2008.  The Department of Banking, Insurance Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) will be developing rules in Fall 2008 to implement recommendation of the report.

As another effort to simplify health care administration, BISHCA was charged with prescribing a standard credentialing application form to be used by insurers and hospitals for credentialing their providers.  In December 2006, BISHCA prescribed the use of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) credentialing application form beginning January 1, 2007.