| With college health centers facing significant increases | | | | it may also impact access to care. The reality is that |
| in the costs to provide health care services, as well | | | | not every student enrolls in school with insurance |
| as decreases in their funding sources, many health | | | | coverage. Students without coverage either go |
| center administrators are having to think outside of | | | | without care, or must pay out of pocket for medical |
| the box for ways to extend budgets and maintain a | | | | costs that are growing more expensive each year. |
| high quality of care for their student patients. As a | | | | With the American College Health Association and |
| result, more college health center directors and their | | | | some states calling for colleges and universities to |
| staffs are turning to commercial insurance plans. | | | | provide health care coverage to all students, some |
| Health centers at many public institutions used to get | | | | schools are offering a menu of options. For example, |
| 100 percent of their funding from the state, but | | | | Lepus and her staff at UM-BC have opted to accept |
| times are changing, said Jennifer Lepus, director of | | | | both a student health plan and plans from commercial |
| university health services for the University of | | | | carriers. "If the goal is for every student to have |
| Maryland - Baltimore County. The UM-BC student | | | | coverage, we can achieve that by offering both |
| health center is one of hundreds nationally that have | | | | options," Lepus said. "The school plans are less |
| struggled with state budget cutbacks. Health centers | | | | expensive for people, but we have found that many |
| at impacted schools may still receive some funding | | | | young people today are covered by their parents' |
| by offering student health insurance plans, but | | | | insurance plans until they turn 23 years old. That |
| reimbursements from those plans - which are | | | | means that a large number of students have |
| provided by a handful of companies that contract | | | | coverage through private carriers, and it seems logical |
| with colleges to offer exclusive group rated | | | | that when they come in to be seen, we can bill |
| coverage to students - are typically not enough to | | | | those insurance companies." The University of Utah |
| support a health center budget. "Our difficulty in | | | | at Salt Lake City is another example of a health |
| offering only a group rated insurance program was | | | | center that has found that billing to commercial |
| that voluntary enrollment was not enough to sustain | | | | insurance carriers as well as offering a traditional |
| it," said Western Kentucky University's Health | | | | student insurance plan through the university is a |
| Services Director Libby Greaney. "So, WKU's solution | | | | win-win for both students and the health center. "By |
| has been to accept commercial insurance plans, and | | | | offering both options, we have a medium-sized pool |
| file those claims. WKU began billing insurance | | | | of students who are required to come to us with |
| companies in 2001, after student health fees were | | | | their insurance, but we are also affordable and |
| cut the previous year. "If your doctors are | | | | convenient for students with out of state insurance |
| board-certified and credentialed, they can establish | | | | who will be paying out-of-network percentages or |
| themselves as primary care physicians. This enables | | | | deductibles," said Tiffany Smith, office manager |
| you to see community patients who are in-network | | | | patient advocate for the University of Utah at Salt |
| with the plans that your health center accepts. If | | | | Lake City's health center, which attracts about 7,000 |
| balanced properly, you can increase your service net | | | | students each year. "When we bill commercial |
| and your revenue streams." According to Greaney, | | | | insurance carriers, we make the process easier for |
| more and more schools are realizing the benefits of | | | | our student patients, and this keeps them coming |
| opening their health centers up to commercial plans, | | | | back to us in the future." And when they come back, |
| and taking a similar approach to WKU's. "People are | | | | it means additional revenue for the health center. |
| beginning to see the need. They are talking about it | | | | Although accepting commercial insurance carriers |
| and addressing it," she said. "Those in college health | | | | might seem overwhelming, Greaney offers a bit of |
| who are resistant to the idea may be viewed as 'old | | | | advice to other health center directors who are |
| school' if they do not embrace the concept." More | | | | considering it: "Start small, and utilize the resources |
| and more senior vice presidents at colleges are | | | | that are available to you," she said. "Namely, people |
| hearing about this approach, and are giving the | | | | who have gone through this either in college health or |
| directive to their health centers. I would encourage | | | | out in the community." |
| health center staff to be more in the driver's seat. | | | | Jennifer McDuffee writes for Nuesoft - a provider of |
| But Greaney also recognizes a natural conundrum. | | | | medical billing software and medical practice |
| While accepting commercial carriers can open up | | | | management software. This article previously |
| additional revenue streams for college health centers, | | | | appeared in Nuesoft Xpress e-Nues. |