The BA0 record is the record that submits provider data to the insurance carrier when doing medical billing through electronic billing methods. We’re going to cover the required fields in the BA0 record and explain what each field is for.

Field 1, in positions 1 - 3, is the record type, which in this case is BA0 and must be filled in so the carrier knows what record is coming.

Field 2, in positions 4 - 18, is the provider’s ID number. This can either be an NPI number or a UPIN number. This number identifies the provider to the carrier so that they know who to pay the claim to if it is approved.

Field 3, in positions 19 - 21, is the batch type. This field tells the carrier what type of claims batch is being sent. Some carriers allow this field to be blank.

Field 4, in positions 22 - 25, is the batch number. This field is auto filled by the software program. The batch number should be updated by one for each batch that is sent. Once you reach 9999, the program should start all over again at 0001. Carriers expect this to be done this way.

Field 5, in positions 26 - 31, is the batch ID. This is also auto filled by the software in accordance with that particular carrier’s specifications. This will be different for each carrier.

Field 6, in positions 32 - 40, is the provider’s tax ID number. This is important because of all the red tape involved with taxes when claims are paid. Each state has different rules on this but for the most part, this number must be transmitted or the claims will be denied.

Field 7, in positions 41 - 47, is reserved for future use. As of right now, nobody is quite sure what this field is going to be used for. However, it has been reserved for years with no progress made as of yet.

Field 8, in position 48, is the provider tax ID type and is an indicator. There is a table for providers to look up what their tax ID type is so they can program the software to put the proper indicator in that field.

Field 9, in positions 48 - 62, is the providers Medicare number. This is probably one of the most important fields in this record. Every provider is given a number by Medicare. If you don’t have a number you are not allowed to submit claims. This also helps in cutting down on fraud.

Field 10, in positions 63 - 68, is the provider’s UPIN number. This is a unique identification number that is assigned to each provider who has to be certified. This is also a big help in cutting down on fraudulent claims.

Field 11 is also reserved like field 7 so we’ll skip over that and move on to field 12, in positions 75 - 89, which is the provider’s Medicaid number. Like the Medicare number, this is also required if a provider wants to submit claims to a state Medicaid agency.

In the next part of this series, we’ll continue with the BA0 record.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Medical Billing