SSA CE Providers

This is my site for providers involved with the SSA or DES Disability Evaluation systems.  I have been doing Medical CE Exams and Chart Reviews for over 15 years.  The SSA has the Electronic Records Express Web site to share information securely and electronically with CE providers in an effort to bring efficiency into the system.

Each State has an agency that processes the work for the SSA.  Unfortunately, each agency has their own processes that they use and some of these are based on the “in house” software system that they use. 

There are MAJOR changes coming down the line for SSA as they are talking about having “ONE BIG SYSTEM” that all of the states use.  As the baby boomers hit the retirement age, there is concern that the current system may not be able to handle it.

Regarding payments for CE provider services - I posed the question of “immediate payments” - that is, when my “Electronic CE report” crosses the portal and is accepted by the ERE Web site, I want my bank account to be credited with the payment.   This appears to be one of the first issues that the SSA may tackle - a unified payment system.  So, the foundation will be there for this to happen- just give it a few years.

By the way, this is not new territory.   We have been doing Electronic Claims  work for over 25 years.  Medicare was the first to keep pushing providers to go electronic to submit their HCFA 1500 forms - it is interesting that each HCFA 1500 claim submitted on paper was a “Federal Document” and as such, had to be stored for 20 years !  If you think about the cost of storing this stuff it becomes enormous.  So, electronic is the way to go!

We are pushing the Electronic aspect for the CE providers and working to support that end.   We have lots of tools to help the CE providers ( Medical and Psych) to go paperless and electronic and with less headaches.  Let me know your comments, insights, thoughts and concerns.  Hopefully we can have some good discussions here that will help everyone in the Disability Process!

Ron Jolda, D.O.