Revamped PCNS brings more transparency and convenience for service providers
ROSEBANK – The Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa has taken an innovative step in ensuring reliable healthcare service provision by suppliers of medical schemes and funders.
In the ongoing efforts to look after the healthcare or well-being of consumers, the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF) has taken a step further in advancing its services. The BHF, which is a representative body of the healthcare funding industry, launched the rebranded Practice Code Numbering System (PCNS) which the board sees as an important step towards improving the governance of the healthcare system.
The PCNS brings greater transparency and alignment between healthcare service providers (HSP), who are the suppliers of healthcare and medical schemes, who also fund and facilitate the payment.
The practice code number is a unique number assigned to a relevant and registered healthcare supplier who renders services in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho.
The service promotes a uniform, national and legally constituted HSP identifier for billing purposes and is an important aspect in the process of reimbursing claims to either medical schemes member or HSPs.
Head of PCNS Lamees Scholtz said, “We are releasing the first phase of our online services which will enable HSPs to submit a new application, and facilitate HSPs to link, view and update their existing practice code number.”
Scholtz advised that the PCNS Client Service unit serves as the point of contact which aspires to achieve first-time service resolution. The online service aims to be the primary platform in which HSPs engage the PCNS and enable them to query the status of their practice code numbers in real time.
Scholtz said there have been changes and the legislative environment has evolved and thus the alignment of systems is necessary.
The PCNS ensures that suppliers have valid accreditation and only allot a practice code number to suppliers who are registered, or licensed for independent practice, by the appropriate statutory body or licensing authority. The PCNS reviews and updates all healthcare services annually to ensure the adherence of accreditation for the ongoing facilitation of payment.
The BHF administers the PCNS in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho. And in terms of section 59 (1) of the Medical Schemes Act (Act 131 of 1998) and regulations 1 and 5, in South Africa.
The rebrand of the PCNS is a commitment by BHF to foster an enabling healthcare ecosystem through the use of information, ease of data exchange between all key health sector stakeholders and a connected, sustainable healthcare system for all healthcare citizens.
To access the PCNS website.
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