More Than Eight Million Healthcare EFTs via ACH in January
Herndon, VA (PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- More than eight million healthcare electronic funds transfers (EFTs) via ACH were made in January 2014, the first month in which health plans were required to be compliant with the newly adopted healthcare EFT standard transaction, according to NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association. Speaking at a hearing today of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics’ (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards, Janet O. Estep, president & CEO of NACHA, testified that in January, there were a total of 8,154,530 healthcare EFTs via ACH. These transactions moved approximately $45 billion from health plans to providers.
In October 2012, NACHA’s members approved changes to the NACHA Operating Rules to support the healthcare EFT and electronic remittance advice (ERA) standards designated by HHS, and the CAQH CORE healthcare operating rules for EFT and ERA. These changes became effective on September 20, 2013, and allow NACHA, the standards organization for the EFT via ACH transaction, to identify and track the number of healthcare EFTs that are transmitted using the ACH Network. Since the NACHA rule changes became effective, the ACH Network has processed more than 28 million healthcare EFTs via ACH, totaling more than $144 billion. “Even with no additional growth in the use of the standard for the rest of the year, the ACH Network would move 100 million healthcare EFTs in 2014, and transfer more than $540 billion from plans to providers,” said Estep.
During her testimony before the NCVHS Subcommittee on Standards, Estep shared that based on the data, “implementation of the EFT standard appears to have been reasonably smooth,” but also that providers’ use of the EFT standard can be “impacted when they are not informed of choice in the method to receive claim payments.” Providers have the right to receive EFT standard transactions. Use of the healthcare EFT standard with remittance advice will help the healthcare industry save between $3.2 million and $4.6 million over 10 years.1 With health plans making EFT payments to providers via ACH, the full benefits anticipated through this technology can be achieved by the industry.
For more information about the healthcare EFT standard and healthcare EFT and ERA Operating Rules, visit http://healthcare.nacha.org.
NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association
NACHA manages the development, administration, and governance of the ACH Network, the backbone for the electronic movement of money and data. The ACH Network provides a safe, secure, and reliable network for direct account-to-account consumer, business, and government payments. Annually, it facilitates billions of Direct Deposit via ACH and Direct Payment via ACH transactions. Used by all types of financial institutions, the ACH Network is governed by the fair and equitable NACHA Operating Rules, which guide risk management and create payment certainty for all participants. As a not-for-profit association, NACHA represents more than 10,000 financial institutions via 16 Regional Payments Associations and direct membership. Through its industry councils and forums, NACHA brings together payments system stakeholders to foster dialogue and innovation to strengthen the ACH Network. To learn more, please visit http://www.nacha.org, http://www.electronicpayments.org, http://www.payitgreen.org, and http://direct.nacha.org.
Kendra Beasley, NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association, +1 703-561-3923, [email protected]
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