Important Claim Updates for New York Providers

REQUIREMENTS: By January 12, 2026: Billing team and IT department must select a payment method election with ECHO Health to avoid automatic Virtual Credit Card payments (which incur transaction fees). Required actions: (1) Await registration letter from ECHO Health in November 2025 containing unique registration code; (2) Register account on ECHO Health platform (providerpayments.com or via draft number); (3) Select payment preference from: Electronic Payments (EFT), Medical Payment Exchange (MPX), Virtual Credit Card (VCC), or Paper Checks/Paper EOPs. Contact ECHO Health at 800-892-2684 for enrollment assistance. Failure to elect alternative payment method will result in automatic VCC payments with merchant-acquirer transaction fees starting January 26, 2026. Before January 26, 2026: Verify that vendor, clearinghouse, and/or practice management system is configured to receive 835s/ERAs from ECHO Health (Payer ID# 55204). If currently using ECHO Health, no action needed—payments will automatically display after January 26, 2026. If not currently using ECHO Health, registration instructions will arrive in November 2025 letter. By September 2026: IT department and trading partner must complete transition of all electronic claim submissions (837s) from ASK clearinghouse (ask-edi.com) to Highmark-EDI (edi.highmark.com/edi-ny/home). Register for 837 transactions on Highmark-EDI platform or contact Highmark EDI Operations at 800-992-0246. Failure to transition will disrupt the ability to file claims with Highmark electronically and cause claim processing delays. Immediately: Share policy communication with billing department, IT department, and practice management vendor to ensure awareness of all transition deadlines and requirements.