Wis. ForwardHealth Online Handbook, Hospice, Topic #537

Providers are required to access their secure ForwardHealth provider Portal account to obtain their RAs (Remittance Advices).

Electronic RAs on the Portal are not available to the following providers because these providers are not allowed to establish

Portal accounts by their Provider Agreements:

• In-state emergency providers

• Out-of-state providers

• Out-of-country providers

RAs are accessible to providers in a TXT (text) format or from a CSV (comma-separated values) file via the secure Provider

area of the Portal.

Text File

The TXT format file is generated by financial payer and listed by RA number and RA date on the secure provider Portal account

under the "View Remittance Advices" menu. RAs from the last 121 days are available in the TXT format. When a user clicks on

an RA, a pop-up window displays asking if the user would like to "Open" or "Save" the file. If "Open" is chosen, the document

opens based on the user's application associated with opening text documents. If "Save" is chosen, the "Save As" window will

open. The user can then browse to a location on their computer or network to save the document.

Users should be aware that "Word Wrap" must be turned off in the Notepad application. If it is not, it will cause distorted

formatting. Also, users may need to resize the Notepad window to view all of the data. Providers wanting to print their files must

ensure that the "Page Setup" application is set to the "Landscape" setting; otherwise, the printed document will not contain all the

information.

Comma-Separated Values Downloadable File

A CSV file is a file format accepted by a wide range of computer software programs. Downloadable CSV-formatted RAs allow

users the benefits of building a customized RA specific to their use and saving the file to their computer. The CSV file on a

provider's Portal appears as linear text separated by commas until it is downloaded into a compatible software program. Once

downloaded, the file may be saved to a user's computer and the data manipulated, as desired.

To access the CSV file, providers should select the "View Remittance Advices" menu at the top of the provider's Portal home

page.

The CSV files are generated per financial payer and listed by RA number and RA date. A separate CSV file is listed for the last

10 RAs. Providers can select specific sections of the RA by date to download, making the information easy to read and organize.

The CSV file may be downloaded into a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet or into another compatible software program, such

as Microsoft Office Access or OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a free software program obtainable from the internet. Google Docs and

ZDNet also offer free spreadsheet applications. Microsoft Office Excel, a widely used program, is a spreadsheet application for

Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. The 1995 Office Excel for Windows (Version 7.0) included in Office 95 or a newer version is

recommended for maximum file capabilities when downloading the CSV file. Earlier versions of Microsoft Office Excel will work

with the CSV file; however, files exceeding 65,000 lines may need to be split into smaller files when downloading using earlier

versions. Microsoft Office Access can manage larger data files.

Refer to the CSV User Guide on the User Guides page of the Portal for instructions about Microsoft Office Excel functions that

can be used to manipulate RA data downloaded from the CSV file.

835

Electronic remittance information may be obtained using the 835 (835 Health Care Claim Payment/Advice) transaction. It

provides useful information regarding the processing of claims and adjustment requests, which includes the status or action taken

on a claim; claim detail, adjustment, or adjustment detail for all claims and adjustments processed that week, regardless of

whether they are reimbursed or denied. However, a real-time compound or noncompound claim will not appear on remittance

information if the claim is denied by ForwardHealth. ForwardHealth releases payment information to the 835 no sooner than on

the first state business day following the financial cycle.

Provider Electronic Solutions Software

ForwardHealth offers electronic billing software at no cost to providers. The PES (Provider Electronic Solutions) software allows

providers to submit electronic claims and claim reversals and to download the 835 transaction. To obtain PES software, providers

may download it from the ForwardHealth Portal. For assistance installing and using PES software, providers may call the EDI

(Electronic Data Interchange) Helpdesk.