FREE 835 to EOB Converter!
Print your ERA files from Validator!
Stephens & Associates is pleased
to announce greater support for the ANSI 835 format with the following
FREE update. Using this update, you will be able to print EOB’s
that look almost IDENTICAL to the CMS standard format.
Why did we do this?
While supporting all HIPAA compliant
file types has always been a high priority for Stephens & Associates,
support of the ERA file type took a back burner when Lytec released
their auto-posting wizard in version 2005. Still, there were several
compelling reasons to allow users of our Validator program to print
EOB files.
| 1. Lytec’s reports were lacking,
when compared with traditional EOB files. Our clients were telling
us that it was becoming more difficult to use the printed Lytec
reports as EOB’s when forwarding claims to secondaries. |
| 2. There were many steps involved
in getting the file to print out of Lytec |
| 3. Many of our most valued clients
still had not upgraded to Lytec 2005. |
| 4. …but the most compelling
reason of all was the decision by some Medicare intermediaries (PA,
NJ) to stop sending paper EOB’s at all, and require anyone
submitting claims electronically to support the 835 format. |
Why we did this for free:
We did this work for no other reason
than to further the progress of the FREE electronic exchange of information.
ANYONE can use this patch to translate ERA files into standardized
looking EOBs.
How to use VNOTE to print EOBs:
The VNOTE program is nothing more
than a standard replacement, or more accurately an improvement to
the windows notepad. We have been using this program internally to
help us automate claim-troubleshooting procedures, and automatically
translate reports sent from the carriers for years. We have been distributing
it with our Validator program as a better alternative to notepad to
use to open reports downloaded from our supported carriers.
When you use VNOTE to open an ERA file, an “ERA Wizard”
will automatically pop up and ask you what you want to do with the
file. The last option is to Print an EOB from it. Simply choose this
option and press Next and you will have an EOB preview in front of
you.
What the program does:
VNOTE does not modify the original
ERA data in any way, shape or form so if you still want to use the
file to automatically post your payments go right ahead. What the
program does is scan through the file and add the pertinent information
in the file to a table, then calls a Crystal Reports template (called
ERA.rpt) to display the data in the table. This means if you have
Crystal Reports (or Lytec’s Advanced Reporting Module) you can
completely modify the way in which the EOB looks when printed. For
the rest of us, we made the EOB look as close to CMS’s standard
Remittance Advice report as possible. This was NOT because we are
huge fan’s of Medicare’s format, but because it offers
the widest form of acceptance.
Known Limitations:
Stephens & Associates offers this
program absolutely free to all who may need it. What we cannot offer
is any warranty as to its performance or accuracy. The program was
tested thoroughly to match the output of Medicare’s MREP software,
with Medicare ERA files. It has not gone through any extensive BETA
testing process. If you are trying to print EOBs from another carrier
(such as Blue Cross or commercial payers) you may find the Medicare
style EOB to be missing information such as Subscriber (Medicare Subscribers
are always the same as the patient).
Download Here:
If you already have the most recent
version of the Validator installed, all you need is the following
patch. Link
to Vnote108Update.exe
If you do not use our Validator program,
feel free to download yourself a free copy of Vnote
here.
|
