Electronic options are available
Electronic options are available for providers of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana who receive paper checks and Provider Claim Summaries via U.S. Mail may wish to consider the electronic alternatives listed below for greater efficiency, convenience and security of information.
Advantages of enrolling for Electronic Funds Transfer, Electronic Remittance Advice and Electronic Payment Summary:
- No more lost or stolen checks
- Quicker access to your funds
- Increased security of information
- Less time spent on claims tracking
- Expedited patient account reconciliation
- Easier retrieval of archived data
Electronic Funds Transfer
EFT is a direct deposit of your claim payment from BCBSMT to your designated bank account.
To enroll online for EFT, you must be a registered Availity® Essentials user – there is no cost to register.
Electronic remittance advice
The ERA or ANSI 835 transaction is a HIPAA-compliant method of receiving claim payment and remittance details. The ERA can be automatically posted to your patient accounting system. You should also check with your billing service, clearing house or software vendor to confirm ERA-compatibility and availability of auto-posting software.
- Enroll online via Availity Essentials
- Remittance Viewer is available in Availity Essentials for providers and/or billing services to search, view, save and print remittance information, even if the ERA is delivered to an appointed receiver.
Out-of-state providers notification: You should contact your local BCBS plan for 835 ERA enrollment. If an existing enrollment is already on file with the local BCBS plan, then ERA files for services provided to members of BCBSMT will be transmitted electronically to you under the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's BlueCard® program. Providers requesting to receive ERAs for Medicare Secondary Crossover claims should also make that request with their local BCBS plan. For ERA enrollment instructions and/or other inquiries regarding ERA processing, please contact your local BCBS plan.
Electronic Payment Summary
When you enroll for the ERA, you are automatically enrolled for the EPS, which is an electronic version of the paper PCS.
- The EPS arrives faster than the PCS and is easier to archive for future retrieval
- You must enroll for the ERA in order to receive the EPS.
Online enrollment assistance
Learn how to enroll online for EFT and ERA transactions by referring to the Availity EFT & ERA Enrollment User Guide.
Questions?
- Email Electronic Commerce Services.
- Visit the Training page in the Education and Reference Center of our Provider website for dates and times of upcoming Remittance Viewer webinars.
Compensation Policies and Facility Fee Schedules
All Compensation Policies and Facility Fee Schedules are available online by using the Plan Documents Viewer application in our branded Payer Spaces section in Availity Essentials.
For clarifications and questions, contact BCBSMT Network Management.
Professional providers participating with BCBSMT may electronically request and immediately receive the contracted price allowances for services by using Availity's Fee Schedule tool.
Related resources
- Availity EFT & ERA Enrollment User Guide
- Electronic Funds Transfer Companion Guide (835 EFT)
- Electronic Remittance Advice Companion Guide (835 ERA)
- Government Interpreting the ‘PLB’ Segment on the 835 ERA
- Commercial Interpreting the ‘PLB’ Segment on the 835 ERA
- Provider Claim Summary
- Remittance Viewer
Availity is a trademark of Availity, LLC, a separate company that operates a health information network to provide electronic information exchange services to medical professionals. Availity provides administrative services to BCBSMT. BCBSMT makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding third party vendors and the products and services they offer.