Validator 5.14 was released with
a special new feature designed specifically to handle the changes
we are seeing this year in several carriers. Blue Cross of CA has
decided to switch from their “SPC Mailbox” Bulletin
Board System (BBS) to the more centralized “GPNet” system
that all of Anthem Blue Cross uses back east. Medicare for the
states of California, Nevada and Hawaii, are likewise switching
to a different, more centralized dialup system for Palmetto. While
the steps to handle ANY switchover are mostly the same, this article
is going to focus on how we are handling the Blue Cross switchover.
Anthem Blue Cross has been working
closely with us to help our clients be as ready as possible for
the new switchover. They have issued each of you a new submitter
ID number, which means (for anyone who does not have a Gold version
of the Validator) hundreds of new activation keys had to be issued.
We have made this list of activation keys available to your testing
analyst at Anthem, Monica Temple, and have made every effort to
e-mail each of you directly with a link to this article, and your
new submitter ID, activation key, BBS phone number, and login credentials
you will need in order to make this transition. As always, the
update patch and instructions are free. Whether you just need an
activation key, or if you need assistance in making the transition,
we are here to help.
Since many settings must be changed,
we had to release a new patch to handle the switchover. It is important
to note that this is a one way switch. Once you install Validator
5.14 (or above), all of your claims must be submitted to the new
system. We have developed a new feature which allows you to still
check your mail (and for any remaining ERA files) from the older
SPC mailbox as well.
Making the Switch:
Step One: Download and Install the Validator 5.14 patch
Once you have made sure your existing
Validator program is not running, click the link here to run a
patch for Lytec, and here for the AltaPoint version. When prompted,
choose run or open to run the patch. You will get three popup boxes:
1. “This will update your existing Validator program to version 5.14…” click
[OK].
2. A box with an unzip button in the upper right, and a listing of two new
files (update.zip and Validator5.exe) in the center of the screen. Click
[Unzip]
3. If all went well you should get an “All files extracted” box.
Click [OK]
IMPORTANT: Do not attempt to run the Validator immediately running the update
patch. The Validator will start up automatically after it completes the update
process. This may take up to 2 minutes.
Step Two: Entering in your new Settings
Once you have run the update patch
and can verify you are on version 5.14, follow these steps to put
in your new settings:
1. Click on Settings\Carrier Setup Options
2. Choose “Blue Cross of CA” from the dropdown menu at the top
of the screen
3. Near the bottom of the “General Tab” change the submitter
ID to the one you have been provided by either Physicians Software Solutions
or Anthem.
4. At the very bottom of the screen, enter the Activation key supplied to
you by either Physicians Software Solutions or Anthem.
5. From the dropdown box at the bottom of the screen, choose "TEST"
6. Click the [Apply] button to make sure you have the correct submitter ID/Activation
key combination.
7. Choose the “Modem” tab at the top of the carrier setup options
screen.
8. Write down your existing BBS Login ID, Password, and phone number.
9. Enter the BBS Login ID, which is the same as your submitter ID, only with
lower case letters.
10. Enter the BBS password of “music01”
11. Enter an alternate password that is 8 characters long, starting with
letters, and ending with numbers. “Passwor2” is a great example.
12. Enter the Phone number as 1-800-634-0116. (Note: If you have a “9,” or
anything else before your existing phone number, you need to have that same
thing before the new number, as it is likely what you need to dial to get
an outside line through your phone system.)
13. Go to the Advanced Tab and click on modify ANSI output format ( you will need to click Yes to the warning).
14. At the bottom, where it says "Add carriage return line feeds ever 80 characters", choose the option for "Do not add any carriage return\line feeds to the claim file".
15. Press OK, then click Yes again to the warning
16. Press OK on the Carrier Setup Options screen.
