Ohio Launches Complaint Resolution System Web-Based CHAMP

Ohio Insurance Director Ann Womer Benjamin announced the Department has launched the Complaint Handling and Monitoring Program (CHAMP), becoming one of the first state insurance agencies to create a web-based system for resolving complaints by providers about the payment of claims.

Ohio domiciled health insurers Medical Mutual of Ohio, Paramount Health Care, Hometown Health Plan, and Nationwide, which represent a cross section in both enrollment size and location, were chosen to participate in the initial phase, which begins immediately. Other health insurers will be added to CHAMP over the next few months.

“Governor Taft and I have made it a major priority to ensure that providers are being paid on time and that their complaints are resolved quickly,” Director Womer Benjamin said. “We want providers to be able to focus on their patients, not piles of paperwork.”

The Governor signed prompt pay legislation, which became effective July 24, 2002, that established a 30-day timeframe for processing and paying claims submitted by health care providers. The legislation – among other provisions – recommended that insurers and providers better exchange information needed to process claims and resolve provider complaints.

CHAMP, which will eventually phase out the Department’s paper system, electronically shares provider complaints among the Department, insurer, and provider, reportedly making complaints easier and more cost effective to resolve.

CHAMP is displayed on the Department’s Web site at www.ohioinsurance.gov, which was recently redesigned to be more navigable and visually appealing. A new Department logo that distinctively captures the Department’s progressive direction was unveiled at the same time.