Zelis and Availity Partner to Streamline Healthcare Payments

Zelis and Availity have partnered to streamline the end-to-end process between healthcare payers and providers.

This new strategic alliance will cover everything from administrative workflows through payments, the companies said in a Thursday (March 21) press release.

The alliance brings together the healthcare financial solutions of Zelis and the real-time health information network of Availity, according to the release.

Combined, the companies’ core administrative platforms and related payment and remittance data will streamline the integration of payments and administrative workflows and help to create a more efficient, unified healthcare experience, the release said.

The companies aim to deliver turnkey enrollment and onboarding, a single source of access for payment and remit information, real-time analytics and dashboard capabilities, and multi-modal disbursement configurations, per the release.

The new capabilities enabled by the partnership will help solve the healthcare financial system’s current fragmentation, which delivers a user experience that is often confusing and frustrating for payers, providers and healthcare consumers alike, the release said.

“Coming on the heels of the development of the new Zelis Advanced Payments Platform, with its user-centric design, this is another step in the journey to make healthcare flow more seamlessly in this country, and we believe that Availity is the right partner to help make that happen with their unique footprint and strong client relationships,” Yusuf Qasim, president of payments optimization at Zelis, said in the release.

Availity CEO Russ Thomas added: “This is a situation where two companies who play crucial roles in the administrative workflow and reimbursement process are coming together to join our core capabilities in a valuable way for our mutual clients, and it’s meaningful for reducing the administrative burden for the entire system by creating shared processes and shared value.”

PYMNTS Intelligence has found that the healthcare industry is ripe for a data-driven overhaul. For example, 92% of healthcare firms that have not already made investments in new payments initiatives are planning to do so, according to “Digital Payments: Expanding the Payments Palette,” a PYMNTS Intelligence and Corcentric collaboration.

In another recent move, Zelis said on March 6 that it has introduced a tool designed to help consumers better navigate the healthcare landscape. The new SmartShopper Propel encourages members to take steps in keeping with their health plans’ programs for improved health, reduced administrative costs and member engagement.