Insurance payers use what is called a payer id to route claims to the correct insurance company, or payer. Some insurances have the same payer id among all clearinghouses, while others may differ. You can find the payer ids in the patient's chart > demographics > insurances. If you start typing the name of the payer, you will be given a list of options.
For example, if you type Cigna, you will see these options:
The payer id will always be listed first, and then the name of the payer, both in blue.
- The numerical payer id (62308 in this example) will send the claim electronically to Cigna. It does not matter if there is an address listed. The claim will be sent electronically.
- The payer id that begins with letters (PRNT496 or PRNT 536 in this example) will signal to the clearinghouse to print the claim and send it via USPS on paper to the address listed.
There might be a good reason to send a claim to a payer on paper; however, in most instances, you will want to submit claims electronically. Sending electronically will get your claim to the payer faster and without taking the chance of it becoming lost in the postal mail system.
There is a $0.78/per claim charge for any submission that goes to the payer on paper through eProvider Solutions, TriZetto, or Change Healthcare (fka Emdeon). There is no additional charge if the claim is submitted electronically.
To ensure the efficient submission of your claims, please be sure to review the patient's insurance card. Often they will list the electronic payer ID. You can type that number into the "Insurance Company" box in the patient's chart to see your options.
Even though there are different addresses listed alongside the electronic payer id 62308, it doesn't matter that the address doesn't match what is on the patient's insurance card. When the payer id is 62308, the claim will be submitted electronically, and once received into Cigna's system, they will ensure it gets to the correct area for processing.