Winter 2005, Vol. 2, Issue 4

Q technology offers money‑saving answers

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Home medical equipment workers are turning to Jane for advice — at askjanenow.com. The new web‑based information service answers subscribers' questions about HME and Medicare regulations as they prepare insurance claims. Q software technology, available through Y‑12 licensee AreteQ Inc., (pronounced air‑eh‑tek) in Athens, Tenn., allows users to obtain speedy, specific feedback to unstructured, conversational inquiries.

Why ask Jane? Q software's ability to retrieve current, accurate information benefits equipment sellers and billing personnel alike and improves the odds for prompt payment of claims. In 2004, Medicare denied roughly 40% of initial HME claims, and 12 to 14% were never paid because of misinformation and lack of supporting data, reported Charles Wilson, AreteQ president. The misinformation and lack of data represent substantial money in a $14 billion industry, he added. The goal is to reduce industry billing losses by 10% as Jane's popularity rises.

The result of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, the original Y‑12 software scanned text to detect classified information. Today's software is used by customers in 32 states to read reports, letters, e‑mails, etc., to find sensitive and proprietary information and mine for research data.

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