Biometric Strategies and Performance of E-Claim Processing at NHIF Nairobi City County, Kenya.

Abstract

Over the years, there have been concerns about the rising number of fraudsters who work with hospitals to defraud businesses of millions of shillings in fake surgeries and treatments, while health service providers overcharge those who have insurance. To address this issue, medical insurance companies and businesses have implemented biometric authentication systems in collaboration with healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of biometric adoption strategies on the performance of E-claim processing at NHIF Kenya. The objectives of the study was to establish the types of biometric adoption strategies, measures of performance and effect of biometric adoption strategies on the performance of e-claim processing at NHIF Kenya. The research was guided by four theories that include Technology Acceptance theory, Technology Diffusion theory, and Institutional theory and Performance theory. This study used a descriptive research design and the target population comprised of 78 senior executives at the NHIF offices in Upper Hill, Nairobi City County, Kenya. A census of 78 respondents was used for the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data that included both closed Likert questions and open-ended questions. A group of 8 respondents from APA Life Assurance Limited formed the pretest study. For quantitative data analysis, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 25 was used to create frequency distributions, tables, percentages, means and standard deviations. The study also used inferential statistics in form of correlation analysis. Qualitative data were processed using content analysis and presented in pros form. The study established that NHIF Kenya had adopted various biometric strategies that included fingerprint recognition systems, Iris recognition strategy and facial recognition. The study concluded that clients expressed high preference with biometric data as it offered high level of security and quick access. NHIF Kenya had over the years realized an increase in operations efficiency, revenue from premium payment and quality delivery of services. The biometric strategies had a positive effect on the performance of NHIF. It was recommended that NHIF should identify pain points, security vulnerabilities and areas where biometric authentication can be beneficial. The NHIF Kenya should continually evaluate effectiveness of E-claim processing system and should implement advanced fraud detection algorithms. NHIF Kenya should educate claimants and stakeholders about the benefits and security measures of biometric authentication to build trust and alleviate their concerns.