Embodia’s HCAI Integration Helps Psychologists Provide the Care their MVA Patients Need
By: By: Nataliya Zlotnikov MSc, HBSc ∙ Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By: By: Nataliya Zlotnikov MSc, HBSc ∙ Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Canada ranks high for motor vehicle accidents
Canada ranks third among high-income countries for motor vehicle-related fatalities (ITF/OECD, 2024).
Each year, 1,931 people die from motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) in Canada and another 118,852 are seriously injured (Government of Canada, 2022).
Some of the main factors contributing to collisions include distracted driving, impaired driving, lack of seat belt use, speeding, and aggressive driving (Public Health Ontario, 2024).
While we can all choose to drive safer, there is unfortunately still a need to treat and bill those impacted by MVAs every year. Luckily, Embodia has integrated with Health Claims for Auto Insurance (HCAI) to help alleviate administrative burden so you can focus on providing the best care possible. More on this integration below!
Psychological effects of MVAs
It is well established that people involved in motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are at increased risk for often long-lasting psychological consequences.
Drivers involved in an MVA within the past five years reported significantly greater fears for personal safety, worries about driving, exhaustion, and negative physical and psychological symptoms than did drivers not involved in an MVA (Marasini et al., 2022).
The common psychological problems following an MVA include:
- Depression;
- Phobia/anxiety; and
- Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).
Mental disorder rates following traffic injuries can range as high as 30–50%. If left untreated, there is a high probability that these symptoms can progress into a more serious mental disorder, such as:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD);
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);
- Panic disorder; and/or
- Generalized anxiety disorder.
Additionally, there have been reports of violent behavior and substance abuse post-injury.
“The cost of illness, including medical and rehabilitation costs, might double if the elevated rates of psychological distress are considered in injured people. Therefore, early mental health screening and interventions are of the utmost importance to reduce the psychological consequences of traffic accidents” (Marasini et al., 2022).
Psych clinics can help MVA patients
The role of psychologists in treating MVAs is pivotal. Psychologists can assess, diagnose, and treat all the common psychological problems and mental disorders that can occur following a motor vehicle accident.
If after a motor vehicle accident, a patient develops new mental health conditions such as emotional or behavioural changes, changes in attention, memory, etc. or a brain injury including concussion, the cost of psychological services is likely to be covered by most auto insurers.
Furthermore, if a patient has a pre-existing mental health condition that is exacerbated by an MVA, they may still be covered for mental health services under their insurance.
Embodia’s HCAI Integration Makes Treating MVA Patients Simple
Having to pay out of pocket can create barriers to healthcare access and use. Persons who have difficulties paying medical bills may delay or forgo needed healthcare, especially after a collision, due to stress and high costs associated with MVAs.
HCAI is an electronic system for transmitting auto insurance claim forms between insurers and healthcare facilities in Ontario (HCAI, 2024) and Embodia has integrated with them to make your lives easier.
If you're a psychology clinic or practitioner based in Ontario, you can submit HCAI claims directly within Embodia. HCAI integrates seamlessly with Embodia’s billing features, including automations, resulting in significant time savings and less administrative hassle. This feature is available as part of our Practice Management Membership.
You can learn more about HCAI codes here and view a list of HCAI codes here.
If you’re not using HCAI yet, you can learn more about why using HCAI can help patients and practitioners alike in our blog, Embodia's HCAI Integration: Benefits & How to Get Started.
Here a 4 Reasons to choose Embodia for your HCAI workflow
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Date published: 26 September 2024
Last updated: 27 September 2024
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