The Oklahoma Insurance Department is partnering with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to launch a pilot program, creating a provider directory for people participating in Health Insurance Marketplace plans.
The directory will allow qualified health plans and providers to submit and access provider data in a central portal.
Oklahoma Insurance Deputy Commissioner of External Affairs Ashley Scott said providers are experiencing administrative burdens as they have to report their information to multiple databases. Patients also say it’s hard to find updated information on in-network providers.
“It's just, unfortunately, a very disjointed process currently, and I think that's where we're excited about this project and this program, and being able to, hopefully, work through some of those kinks … and figure out ways to make it a more streamlined process,” Scott said.
Oklahoma Insurance Department Chief of Staff Brian Downs said the state has seven marketplace plans, and it won’t be responsible for costs or oversight related to the plans’ new portal. He said the program will streamline provider's data submissions, create more accurate directories for health plans and help hospitals improve accuracy in their directories.
The department’s role is to bridge the gaps between stakeholders, and it will begin meetings with them at the end of the month. Downs said there’s a lot of work to be done before the portal opens, which he estimates might occur in the spring.
The program will help inform potential efforts to create a national directory. CMS asked for input on establishing one in October 2022.
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