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Frequently Asked Questions

Taskmaster for Medical Claims
  • What is Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • What are they key benefits of Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • What are they key features of Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • Who can benefit from Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • What's New in Taskmaster for Medical Claims 6.2?
  • Why change the name to Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • Is Taskmaster for Medical Claims ready to use "out of the box"?
  • Are customers using Taskmaster for Medical Claims today?
  • How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims improve data accuracy?
  • How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims reduce cost?
  • How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims speed cycle time?
  • How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims aid HIPAA Compliance?
  • How does Takmaster for Medical Claims fit to my business process?
  • What are Taskmaster Rules?
  • How can I use Taskmaster over the Internet?
  • What can I do in a browser?
  • Does Taskmaster work with Content and Document Management Systems?
  • What operating systems does Taskmaster support?
  • How many fields are pre-defined on the HCFA 1500 and UB92 forms in your system?
  • What export formats are supported?
  • What quality control features are offered?
  • What databases are supported for the workflow and queuing?
  • Does your solution detect problem-free claims and export them immediately?
  • Can a data entry operator send a claim to a supervisor for review with a note?
  • What exception handling capabilities are included with your solution?
  • How can data entry operators tell which field is being displayed if the scanner drops     out the background?
  • How long does it take to install Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • How are variations in claims printing and completion handled?
  • What recognition engines are used in Taskmaster for Medical Claims?
  • What are the advantages of a true client-server system like Taskmaster?

    What is Taskmaster for Medical Claims?

    Taskmaster for Medical Claims is the latest release of Datacap's leading software solution for the data capture of medical claims. Formerly known as the Health Claims capture system, Taskmaster for Medical Claims is specifically designed to capture, verify and store HCFA-1500 or UB-92 medical claim images and data.

    Taskmaster for Medical Claims overview
    Taskmaster for Medical Claims PDF brochure

    What are the key benefits of Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    • Improves data accuracy
    • Reduces data entry cost
    • Speeds claim processing time
    • Aids HIPAA Compliance
    • Fits business workflow
    • Enables easy work distribution

    What are the key features of Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    • "Point and Click" Rules provide maximum flexibility over the characteristics and sequencing of all phases of the capture process, including image processing, page ID, recognition, the application of business rules for validation, and export formatting. Users receive the benefits of custom programming without expensive programming.
    • Browser-based data entry option. All validation rules that run from the standard interface, also work in the browser so there is no additional management overhead when distributing work.
    • Low cost of ownership with no dongles or "per-click" pricing
    • Dynamic claim format analysis handles all variations in the standard HCFA 1500 and UB-92 claim forms at runtime, requiring no pre-configuration of templates
    • Increased data accuracy with "voting" where recognition results from two leading OCR engines are compared and the best candidate values are selected
    • Automatic validations through look-ups, comparisons, math, or customer-specific rules
    • Easy installation
    • HIPAA Compliant output formatting
    Taskmaster for Medical Claims PDF brochure

    Who can benefit from Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims will benefit anyone who processes HCFA 1500 or UB-92 medical claims, including HMO's and Blue Cross, Blue Shield organizations, Preferred Providers, and Third Party Administrators.

    What's New in Taskmaster for Medical Claims 6.2?


    Enhancements to Taskmaster for Medical Claims include:

    • Expanded Rules-driven architecture now provides maximum flexibility over the characteristics and sequencing of all phases of the capture process, including image processing, page ID, recognition, the application of business rules for validation, and export formatting.
    • Browser-based data entry option. All validation rules that run from the standard interface, also work in the browser so there is no additional management overhead when distributing work.
    • Enhanced black claim support. Using Datacap's "fingerprint" identification system, Taskmaster for Medical Claims identifies the claim formats that are being received and then precisely locates the data on that page. Rules-driven image processing selectively removes the background lines to prepare for the actual recognition.
    • Performance improvements now enable a single station to process more than 15,000 claims per day.

    See more detail on what's new in Taskmaster for Medical Claims 6.2

    Why change the name to Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    Datacap changed the name to better simplify and communicate the fact that Taskmaster for Medical Claims is an extension of award-winning Taskmaster capture workflow platform. The benefit to customers is that as Datacap enhances the platform, all customers can take advantage of those enhancements.

    Is Taskmaster for Medical Claims ready to use "out of the box"?


    Yes. Taskmaster for Medical Claims is a proven solution designed specifically for high volume medical claim data capture. It includes support for all variations of HCFA 1500 and UB-92 medical claims with support for multi-page claims and attachments. Taskmaster for Medical Claims ships with 172 pre-defined data fields for the HCFA 1500 medical claim and 391 pre-defined fields for the UB-92 medical claim. The Dynamic Recognition Client ensures that a template never needs to be configured regardless of the variation of the claim form or how the data is entered.

    Are customers using Taskmaster for Medical Claims today?


    Yes, Taskmaster for Medical Claims is used in high volume claim processing applications including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Capital Blue Cross and others. See complete medical claim processing case studies.
    Built on the award-winning Taskmaster capture workflow platform, Taskmaster for Medical Claims is the first software solution designed specifically for medical claim processing.

    How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims improve data accuracy?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims is based on the Taskmaster capture workflow, which is specifically designed to maximize data recognition accuracy. Key features include:

    • Support for the best data recognition technologies
    • Support for voting of two recognition technologies simultaneously
    • A library of hundreds of pre-configured rules with "intelligent" field-finding methods
    • Automatic validations, database look-ups, math checks

    How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims reduce cost?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims decreases cost through a reduction in manual data entry expenses and a reduction in the cost of correcting data errors.

    How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims speed cycle time?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims enables much faster document processing with fewer people. Automated data entry is much faster as well as the verification process. Datacap's unique single-pass modeless data entry screen speeds the verification process, because one window provides an interface to data and image fields, side by side for easy comparison and verification. Operators press one key to jump to the next problem, making corrections rapid and accurate.

    How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims aid HIPAA Compliance?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims features an EDI output, which adheres to the ANSI X.12 4010 837 formats mandated by HIPAA.

    How does Taskmaster for Medical Claims fit to my business process?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims rules enable easy adjustment to mirror your business process without programming. Rules provide maximum flexibility over the characteristics and sequencing of all phases of the capture process, including image processing, page ID, recognition, the application of business rules for validation, and export formatting. Taskmaster includes a library of hundreds of rules and a point and click interface for easy configuration. Rules are written in VB Script so they can be easily customized, or new ones created.

    What are Taskmaster Rules?


    In Taskmaster, rules are discrete sets of actions, controlled by logic, which are designed to accomplish a task. Taskmaster 6 contains a Rule Library of hundreds of pre-built rules, which are used to implement a capture system at every level in the capture hierarchy - batch, document, page and field levels. You can create your own rules and document capture workflow with Microsoft VB Script.

    How can I use Taskmaster over the Internet?


    Taskmaster is powered by Extensible Markup Language (XML), which makes it compatible with the Internet (as well as intranets and extranets) to distribute capture tasks completely securely to PCs with a standard browser. If you have a distributed workforce or multiple office locations, Taskmaster enables you to use the Internet for such tasks as scanning, indexing images, verifying data entry panels, and administering a Taskmaster system. Some customers have taken advantage of this feature to install capture systems centrally using their organization's intranet. The advantage is your IT people don't have to install and maintain software on each individual station.

    What can I do in a browser?


    With Taskmaster, you can scan, index and administer your Taskmaster system using only a standard browser and PC. All you need is a user name and password to access the Taskmaster web server. No software needs to be installed on the PC.

    Does Taskmaster work with Content and Document Management Systems?


    Yes, Taskmaster integrates with many leading document management systems, including Docuware, Global 360 (formerly eiStream), FileNet, Hyland Onbase, IBM Content Manager, EMC Documentum, EMC Legato, OIT, Stellent, Vignette and others.

    What operating platforms does Taskmaster support?


    Taskmaster 6 supports Windows 2000, Windows 2003, XP, and NT. Browser-based capture requires Microsoft IIS and Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. Datacap is a Certified Microsoft Partner.

    How many fields are pre-defined on the HCFA 1500 and UB92 forms in your system?


    There are 172 pre-defined fields for the HCFA 1500 claim form and 391 pre-defined fields for the UB 92. All of these fields are included in the Datacap Standard Export format along with a number of useful "system" variables such as the Batch ID, Date, etc. The field list includes all fields that may show up in any of the popular standard formats, including some optional fields and sub-fields, such as second address lines, etc.

    What export formats are supported?


    Datacap Standard Export is always produced. This is a very easy-to-use and well-documented format. In addition, Taskmaster for Medical Claims includes a formatting task that has been pre-configured for the following formats: HCFA 1500: ANSI X.12 4010 837B, UB 92: ANSI X.12 4010 837A, which are the EDI formats that are mandated by HIPAA. These formats are complete, but easy to modify. Taskmaster for Medical Claims can provide multiple formats of output for a single claim when required.

    What quality control features are offered?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims provides a workflow that includes 3 levels of quality control:

    1. Image QA immediately after scanning,
    2. Document QA to guarantee accurate document assembly and page identification before data entry,
    3. Data QA from data entry. The QA functions allow a supervisor or administrator to specify users or groups of users to have their work subject to random review.

    What databases are supported for the workflow and queuing?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims supports Oracle Microsoft Access and has an option to use Microsoft SQL Server. Since Taskmaster for Medical Claims is a true Client/Server product, it greatly reduces the amount of network traffic for database access because the database is only accessed by the Taskmaster Server.

    Does your solution detect problem-free claims and export them immediately?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims Auto-capture feature will send claims that pass validation immediately to export. Like Auto-adjudication, Auto-capture is a hands-off process that will split claims that do not need user intervention out of the workflow and route them immediately to export.

    Can a data entry operator send a claim to a supervisor for review with a note?


    Yes, Taskmaster for Medical Claims is configured with a data entry Supervisor Review queue. A data entry operator only needs to hit a single key to send the return to a supervisor.

    What exception handling capabilities are included with your solution?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims includes complete document assembly enforcement. That means that if a claim is incomplete, then it will be routed to a FixUp operator to review, rescan, or reject, if necessary.

    How can data entry operators tell which field is being displayed if the scanner drops out the background?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims includes a template image display capability that displays the claim form background in red on screen. This makes is very easy for an operator to see the location of the fields. The background image can also be permanently recombined with the scanned image for document archival purposes.

    How long does it take to install Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    The Taskmaster for Medical Claims installation CD has a simple two-step install, one for the Server and one for Clients. The installation procedure has been extensively tested on a wide range of computers and operating systems, including Windows 95, 98, Windows NT Workstation and Server. Standalone installation of the working system takes about 25 minutes. For full-scale production of the standard system, Datacap has committed to a one-week deployment cycle that includes installation, training, and the beginning of production. (This commitment is for the "off-the-shelf" product without modifications that you may request.)

    How are variations in claims printing and completion handled?


    Taskmaster for Medical Claims Dynamic Recognition Client (DRC) generates a new template automatically for every claim submitted. No matter how the claims are originally printed or if they are filled in with poor field alignment, DRC finds every field and saves that location for accurate recognition.

    What recognition engines are used in Taskmaster for Medical Claims?


    The Dynamic Recognition Client in Taskmaster for Medical Claims uses multiple, brand-name recognition engines to get the best possible results. We use the industry's leading 32-bit OCR recognition engine, Caere M/Text, and then combine those results with Xerox Textbridge for field-level voting that is configurable by the end user. That means that the customer can decide which fields to use multiple recognizer voting on.

    What are the advantages of a true client-server system like Taskmaster?


    As IT professionals know, the "architecture" of a computer system makes a difference when considering such issues as scalability, stability and performance at peak periods. A true Client-Server system (as opposed to Peer-to-Peer) is better suited for capture systems that need to grow with the user, that process high volumes, and of course, systems that want to take advantage of the Internet. The main difference is the distribution of work. With a peer-to-peer system, all data and images are passed sequentially from one computer to the next until an image has been processed. With Client-Server, data and images are stored on the server, and when a client finishes a task, recognition of a batch of images, for example, it updates the server and asks if there are any other batches ready for recognition, and if so, where to get it. As volumes go up, or you want add new functionality, it's simply a matter of adding a new client and pointing it at the server.

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