Blue Cross adds doctors to insurance claims system. (blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri)

Blue Cross adds doctors to insurance claims system

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri has expanded its electronic clearinghouse to handle not only hospitals' but doctors' insurance claims for any insurance carrier.

Doctors now can send all of their insurance claims from patients to one central clearinghouse at Blue Cross and Blue Shield via computer. Blue Cross and Blue Shield then routes the claims by computer to the appropriate insurance carrier, which handles payment of the claims.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield is one of the first insurance carriers to offer an all-payor system to both doctors and hospitals. Company officials declined to estimate the potential revenue from the clearinghouse, the Medical Information Xchange.

The insurance carrier has invested approximately $1 million in the …