In February, we told you about Insurer Connect, a New Jersey "multi-payer portal," developed by Cambridge-based NaviNet, that would serve as a "one-stop shop" for physicians to communicate directly with an array of health plans. Created in conjunction with AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the healthcare information network seeks to reduce paperwork and communication hassles and, as one health plan executive put it, make "better use of doctors' time."

Since its inception, the real-time network has grown apace. NaviNet announced this week that the month of April saw approximately 1,000 more provider offices in the Garden State signing on, availing themselves of secure, online access to 16 health plans across the region and patient information for 95 percent of commercially insured members in the state.

With the addition of these new offices, roughly 85 percent of New Jersey providers are now enrolled in NaviNet, making it the largest health information network in the state.

“The advancements in healthcare IT that New Jersey has made are already directly benefiting patients in the state,” said Brad Waugh, president and chief executive officer of NaviNet. “NaviNet is proud to play a role in improving the quality of healthcare in New Jersey through streamlined communications, and we will continue to expand our service offerings to positively impact even more physicians, hospitals and patients.”

NaviNet gives provider offices, hospitals and ancillary facilities a single, secure Web site from which to conduct a breadth of sophisticated and patient-centric interactions with leading national and regional health plans, leading to greater efficiencies, cost savings and improved patient care and service. Most NaviNet services are offered at no charge to providers by sponsoring health plans.

More than 80 percent of NaviNet users in New Jersey provider offices who responded to a recent survey said they are now using NaviNet for most or all of their Web transactions with health plans. In just one month, the volume of real-time clinical, administrative and financial transactions via NaviNet in New Jersey increased by 33 percent. New Jersey providers and health plans in the region are expected to achieve significant cost savings as a result of this effort.

“To improve administrative efficiency, Elmer Family Practice incorporated NaviNet into our daily work flow,” said Sally Lesti, assistant billing manager, Elmer Family Practice in Elmer, N.J. “With NaviNet, we can quickly access patient information from several health plans to verify eligibility and benefits the day before appointments and address discrepancies at the point of care. Further, as a general medicine practice with our three physicians seeing approximately 100 patients a day, we constantly process referrals and pre-authorizations. Using NaviNet to facilitate referrals electronically, in real-time, has been a huge time-saver.”

Several NaviNet-enabled health plans serving New Jersey have recently expanded their services to offer new clinical communications features to their provider networks, including care gap alerts and delivery of Personal Health Records. Some health plans have also rolled out innovative financial transactions including real-time payment estimators and claims adjudication, and online electronic remittance advice (ERA) and explanation of benefits (EOB).

This momentum has enabled provider offices in New Jersey to access even more patient, physician, financial, administrative and clinical information, further streamlining processes and improving healthcare for New Jersey residents.