The much-anticipated release of Validator version 5.11 has finally come. Many of you have specifically been asking about this release as a result of the fact that this version will support the national provider identifier.
What’s changed?
Changes needed to be made to the ANSI_SEG table and EVERY Matrix support file in order to make room for the additional segment which handles the NPI number. The executable did not need any changes for the NPI, but version 5.11 is recommended over the previous official release (5.10.0) due to easier handling of ERA files.
What do I need to do?
You need to download and install Validator version 5.11, which will ALLOW you to use new NPI forms provided for Lytec XE and above (Forms for 2001 and below are available as well, but will require customization. Please contact your Validator reseller for a copy of these forms). Please note, once you have installed the update, you will still need to locate the form you need to use and have Validator copy it into your forms directory. The forms that actually utilize the NPI fields have the word “NPI” in them, so if the form you are using does not have the word “NPI” in it, and instead has “4010A1”, you are not using the NPI compliant form. While Validator 5.11 can handle the NPI form AND the older form, you cannot successfully use the new NPI forms with an older version of the Validator. Here are the steps to take:
1. Download an update patch to your existing Validator program here:
2. Run the Patch
3. Run the Validator program, click on Settings\Carrier Setup Options and click the forms tab
4. Locate the form for your version of Lytec and click on it to highlight it
5. Press the “Refresh Form files” button.
When do I need to do this by?
The official deadline for being NPI compliant is not until May 27th, 2007. That being said, we would like to highly encourage our clients to get this update and start using it as soon as possible. If you need any assistance you should feel free to contact your Validator support representative!
Lytec 2007 not ready for prime time just yet!
Lytec 2007 was finally released, after 2 delays, on Friday, December 8th, 2006. As with any initial release of Lytec software, S&A advised our clients who wanted to buy this program at a discount to not install or use the software yet. While minor bugs and problems with software is a normal expectation, when your livelihood depends upon that software it is usually best to make sure it is completely stable before using it yourself.
With the initial release of Lytec 2005, there were minor changes that were required in the Validator form files in order to make it work, and several fields could not be read, causing some inconsistencies in data. With the initial release of Lytec 2006, the problem was much worse, with a complete re-write of the form necessary to get Validator to work with Lytec (although in later service packs the problems had been ironed out and the re-worked form was not necessary). Unfortunately, with Lytec 2007, the pattern has continued in this rather improper direction, and Lytec 2007’s initial release was completely unable to print to any text based forms without error messages, and has problems with certain statement forms as well.
While Lytec has (after over 2 weeks) pledged a “hot-fix”, we feel it is best to wait at LEAST until service pack 1 to install or use Lytec 2007. Since this hot fix was not released when promised, S&A was unable to evaluate whether it has addressed the problems the initial release of Lytec 2007 presented, so at this time, S&A is offering NO OFFICIAL SUPPORT for Lytec 2007 to be used with the Validator. Once Service Pack 1 is released, we are confident that we will be able to continue our standards of support. We apologize for any problems that this may present to our valued clientele, but as early beta versions of the program tested fine with our Validator form files, this inadequacy caught us quite by surprise.
