Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA)

The Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) menu provides the following functions for automated processing of electronic Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) from various insurance carriers:
You must follow the setup steps outlined below prior to using these menu functions.

Setup Steps
  1. Contact the insurance carrier to determine if this service is available and complete the necessary paperwork.
    NOTE: Not all states or areas provide electronic EOBs. You will need to contact the insurance carriers in your area to determine if this service is available. Each carrier will require your practice to complete paperwork in order to set up your account and assign passwords to access your files and test the process. The method of file transmission will vary from insurance carrier to insurance carrier. You should receive detailed instructions for downloading the electronic remits directly from the insurance carrier.
  2. If you are processing electronic remits for multiple carriers, create separate folders on the CGM webPRACTICE server under the REMITS folder, for each carrier. For more information on the REMITS folder see the REMITS section below.
  3. Complete the ERA Integration Setup for each insurance carrier based on the electronic form number submitted.
  4. Work with your insurance carrier to test the 'connection and download' process. Once you have successfully downloaded a file, you can proceed to use the ERA menu functions provided to process it.
REMITS
When CGM webPRACTICE was originally installed, a REMITS folder was created on the C drive of your CGM webPRACTICE server. If you elect to download electronic remits for multiple carriers, you will need to create separate folders under the REMITS folder for each carrier and download the files directly to the specified folder for each carrier. Please contact your IT/Hardware Specialist if you need help creating new folders. If you will be downloading electronic remits for only one carrier, the files can be downloaded directly into the REMITS folder.

Steps for Processing Electronic Remit Files
  1. Import and print a copy of the EOB.
  2. Post the electronic remit file using, Post ERA File. You should NOT import any additional files until you have completed the following steps and balanced the EOB to the payment journal.
  3. Print the Payment Exceptions Report and manually post any exceptions.
  4. Print the Payment Journal and compare it to the EOB to ensure the totals match. If the totals do not match you should go through the report in detail and verify each payment on the EOB is also listed on the Payment Journal and that all the dollar amounts match.
DO NOT IMPORT OR POST ANY ADDITIONAL EOBS until you have balanced the Payment Journal to the EOB.