By Ndune Mwaringa
The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has joined the digital train as they commence a mass biometric registration exercise. The launch set for the eleventh of July will witness a timeless synchronization of all members’ details with their biometric catalog to offer stepped-up identification and delivery.
The incoming system will reduce the effort required before accessing NHIF services contrary to the current system, where members had to use either their NHIF membership card or their National ID card. This rids the orthodox where dependents had to safeguard the card in case of the owner’s death, or risk being left out of the umbrella.
This traditional system which proved inconvenient in emergency cases, will be replaced because once members’ fingerprints particulars are uploaded to NHIF, they will only require verification either by their fingerprints, or a generated One-Time Password (OTP).
NHIF provided clarity that registered members who won’t have registered will continue to enjoy their services.
To enroll, members and beneficiaries can either visit the nearest NHIF branch offices or they can register when visiting NHIF-recognized hospitals while seeking services. New members will also be registered biometrically to the NHIF database and issued with a registration number.
NHIF will distribute Electronic Claims Management System (E-Claim) to all their endorsed hospitals, a system that will digitize patient claim forms to the insurer for processing and payment. This paperless process will come in to eliminate the existing system to handle the habitual fraud claims better and for a faster intercession by this medical aegis.
The E-Claim connectivity will only be available for accredited healthcare facilities in the Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) levels IV to level VI government facilities, Faith-based and private facilities.
The state’s health insurance parastatal has engaged in various projects such as the recent Bodaboda Universal Super Cover with the BodaBoda Safety Association of Kenya projected to benefit over five million Kenyans in pursuit of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals.
