Same-Day Payments Introduced for Select Commercial Claims
Some commercial claim payments may now be deposited instantly instead of following the usual 3-5 business-day ACH timeline. These real-time payments are credited directly to your bank account as soon as they are processed. The related remittance information, including 835 files, will continue to be sent through your clearinghouse and tied to your tax identification number, or TIN.
What action may be needed?
You do not need to enroll or take any action to start receiving real-time payments for eligible commercial claims. However, your team may need to work with your bank, reporting vendor, or system partners to make sure these payments can be identified and reconciled correctly. You may need to:
- Ask your financial institution whether extra reporting services are needed to view remittance details.
- Contact your bank representative and request that real-time payment codes be included in your transaction reports.
- Speak with your Epic account manager to confirm how real-time payments will appear in cash management and reporting tools.
How to identify real-time payment transactions
The codes used to identify instant or real-time payments may vary based on the reporting format or service used.
- For bank extended remittance detail reports, look for BAI codes 158, 159, and 399.
- For ISO and SWIFT bank reporting tools, look for codes such as PMNT, RRCT, DMCT, or TRF.
- For bank lockbox service reports, look for BAI code 399.
Important details about real-time payments
Real-time payments apply only to eligible commercial claim payments.
- Payments are made to your TIN.
- These payments do not change any contracted payment terms or state-required payment timelines.
- The only major difference is the speed of deposit.
How to access remittance data
After the payment is posted to your TIN, the payment code and amount will be available through your regular remittance channels, including:
- Clearinghouse EDI 835 files
- UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal
To view the information in the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal, sign in from any page on UHCprovider.com using your One
Healthcare ID. If you do not have a One Healthcare ID, you will need to register first.
Once signed in:
- Go to Documents & Reporting from the top menu.
- Select Document Library.
- Open one of the following folders to find provider remittance advice, or PRA, notices:
- Provider Payment Documents
- 835 Files
If you have already located the claim, you may also find the related PRA and claim details in the Documents section on the Claims Summary Page.
Please note that real-time payments are not processed through Optum, so they will not appear on the Optum Pay site.
How to reconcile real-time payments
Reconcile real-time payments the same way you handle other electronic payments. The main difference is that the funds are credited to your bank account on the same day instead of arriving after the standard ACH waiting period.
Need help?
For questions, use the 24/7 chat option in the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal.
