Healthcare Solutions and Mitchell International have created a specialty network solution that seeks to address medical cost management issues by offering pharmacy management, diagnostic imaging, and other ancillary health-care cost services for auto injury claims.

According to a joint release from the companies, the approach integrates Healthcare Solutions' specialty networks into Decision Point, Mitchell International's bill review application for the auto industry, which provides discounts on covered services and increased visibility into medical dollars associated with claims. Mitchell said that carriers utilizing Decision Point can deploy the solution with little-to-no impact on the carrier's technology resources.

Mitchell and Healthcare Solutions also said that policyholder value will be increased through the inclusion of 50,000 pharmacy locations nationwide, the elimination of out-of-pocket expenses, and maximized policy limits. The companies said that the program reduces the volume of reimbursement checks written due to prospective management of bills and payment to a single vendor through Decision Point. It also reduces the number of paper bills manually entered into the system, eliminating keying errors and payment mistakes. Lastly, the pharmacy program could yield discounts of 30 percent through a combination of improved management of drug utilization and compliance, the application of industry-standard treatment protocols, and network discounts. Additional ancillary healthcare services include diagnostic imaging, home health care, and durable medical equipment and supplies.