RE: bug #3400515 "billing log fail

OpenEMR Development
1

gutiersa wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

Sorry if i am not supposed to write here, but i could not find a way to post a comment regarding this in the bug tracker.

Respectfully:
Please do not change files around again. As far as I know there is only one way of posting ERA/EOB/payments and that is by clicking the EOB link in billing page/pane.

See this link for my work around to the posting problem:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/openemr/forums/forum/202505/topic/4706508

Upgrading to version 4 so far has been a disaster once I debug it (my problem is time) I probably will make no more upgrades if it’s structure continues to be changed. I do appreciate all the changes, the certification and new security, so I do not regret upgrading, but my billing has come to a halt, and this is a huge problem for me. the billing pane is completely blank, encounters are not getting listed at all, so claims cannot be generated. Even with my workaround above.

There is also a problem with adding/editing insurance information, this  also causes a billing problem.

Sandra Gutierrez, MD

2

gutiersa wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

I believe above bug is related to this one:

Old ERA Posting Method is Broken - ID: 3392207

3

donelewis wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

We have a billing program that works with OpenEMR if you are in a rush. We would be glad to help you free in this pinch you are in.  We could link you up fast. Don

4

bradymiller wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

Hi,
Posted your message on the applicable bug tracker item.
thanks for writing it,
-brady

5

sunsetsystems wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

ZH did make a new interface to ERA/EOB posting.  See Fees -> Payments in the menu.  Doesn’t that work?  Could someone from ZH comment if this is a complete replacement for the old interface?  If so, the old reference needs to be removed from the Billing page as it is broken and causing massive confusion.

Rod
www.sunsetsystems.com

6

zhhealthcare wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

Rod
Yes, it replaces the old system completely AFAIK.  If someone wants to test it Vs old system please do so.  I vote for removing the old links.

Thanks and regards
Shameem

7

gutiersa wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

No no removing old links, my staff is used to doin it this way and even I dont have the time to learn a new way.

everyone who has problem can be directed to the new way of doing it. I worked around mine and posting era/eob is working again.

donelewis:
ty for your offer, yes i take it, my email is info@bhcnj.com. send me info on how I can reach u. thanks so much

brady:
oops I posted it too. there may be 2 posts now.

Rod:
I did not check fees->payments. will do so today

thanks all
sandra

8

gutiersa wrote on Tuesday, September 20, 2011:

Ok

I did try payments ERA posting. It looks nice and I like the autofill feature, but it still did not work.
it is also missing a couple of steps/features.

more to come

9

gutiersa wrote on Wednesday, September 21, 2011:

The Electronic Remitance Advice (ERA) file is in ANSI 835 format. Is is essenstially a single long line of gibberish.
I download the file from my clearing house, and the idea is for openemr to parse it, then give me the option to process it, or not to process it if it has already been done. (for example if I downloaded it, processed it thru openemr and forgot to delete the original. I tend to do that a lot).

the name of the file is usually a set of numbers. for example

84417253_ERA_835_20110909.835

84417253- some control number from the clearinghouse.
ERA_835 - self explanatory
20110909 date the info was received and era uploaded by the clearinghouse into my account.
.835 extension of file (it is a text file).

Here are some problems:
The new ERA utility asks for insurance info…. I dont know that. Openemr/utility needs to figure it out from the info in the era file.
The date, posting date and deposit date, are all info within the file. Hence I cannot enter it myself.

These are the steps I used to follow: I browse first for the file, then patient names and encounter numbers in the file get compared to the database, and printed out to the screen. (this is what the old search button used to do, there is not one this time).

once the era is read, that is when the option to process with update or without comes in. I won’t know if the file has already been processed and uploaded till after that little window pops up. The one that also tells you how many claims in the file, and how many match actual encounters in the database.

In conclusion, I am not sure how to use the new ERA upload tool, or maybe it just needs to be fine tuned.
the previous EOB screen was quite good. It was multifunctional, and we could do everything (post eob’s, patient payments, and parse, upload and create a report of ERA files) in one single screen. I would like to stick with that one, but it does not work in the new version 4.

Hope I have been able to explain.

ty Sandra

10

gutiersa wrote on Friday, September 30, 2011:

I ended up replacing the following files in version 4.1.0 with those from version 3.2.0

openemr\interface\billing\sl_eob_process.php

openemr\library\parse_era.inc.php

Now my way of uploading era files via billiing - eobs works just fine

ty