Using claim reference numbers

Each claim submitted through SimplePractice is assigned a unique Clearinghouse Reference #. Once a claim is accepted for processing, most payers will assign the claim a separate Payer Claim #.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Finding claim reference numbers
• Finding claim reference numbers for multiple submissions
• Using a Clearinghouse Reference #
• Using a Payer Claim #
• Recording claim reference numbers

Finding claim reference numbers

To find an individual claim’s reference numbers:

1. Navigate to Insurance > Claims
2. Locate a claim and click View
3. Review the Clearinghouse Reference # and Payer Claim # next to the status of the claim

Note: A Clearinghouse Reference # is assigned by SimplePractice. A Payer Claim # is assigned by the payer.

To find a report with reference numbers for all submitted claims:

1. Navigate to Analytics > Reports
2. Click Filed claims
3. Review the Clearinghouse Reference and Payer Claim columns

Note: Reference numbers will only be available once they’ve already been assigned by the clearinghouse or payer. For more information on when these numbers are assigned, see Processing an insurance claim.

Finding claim reference numbers for multiple submissions

If the same claim is submitted multiple times, each submission is sent as a new claim and will receive unique reference numbers. When viewing the claim, the most recent submission will be displayed, along with its unique reference numbers.

You can find the reference numbers for each submission in your Filed claims report. You can also find the Clearinghouse Reference # for each submission directly from the claim. To do this:

1. Navigate to the claim
2. Click Claim Details

3. Click History
4. Review the Clearinghouse ref. column for each claim submission

Important: If a claim is deleted, we’re unable to retrieve the reference numbers. For more information, see Recording claim reference numbers.

Using a Clearinghouse Reference #

A Clearinghouse Reference # is the identifying number that our clearinghouse assigns to each claim submitted successfully to an insurance payer. You can use this number to reference a claim when reaching out to our support team.

Important: When contacting a payer, don’t use the Clearinghouse Reference # to identify a claim. This number is only used by our team and our clearinghouse.

Using a Payer Claim #

A Payer Claim # is the identifying number that many insurance payers assign to a claim when they accept it for processing. If contacting a payer directly about a claim, you can reference this number or provide the client's member ID and the date(s) of service on the claim.

Note: Certain payers don’t assign a Payer Claim #. This doesn’t indicate that they didn’t receive the claim, but that they don’t support this service through our clearinghouse.

If a payer rejects a claim, they likely won’t assign a Payer Claim #, as claims are rejected before entering a payer’s system. For more information, see What causes a claim to be rejected?

Recording claim reference numbers

It’s important to keep a record of a claim’s reference numbers. If you need to edit, resubmit, or delete a claim, make sure that you note any reference numbers first and download a copy of the claim before it’s deleted. To keep this information for your records, we recommend downloading and saving a claim to a client's profile before deleting it. See Uploading a new client file for steps on how you can store this.

Once a claim is adjusted, the original reference numbers will no longer be shown on the claim.

Important: When a claim is deleted, this is a permanent action and we're unable to retrieve the reference numbers. If you’re enrolled to receive Payment Reports, you can review your Payment Reports report to determine if you received a Payment Report with reference numbers for the deleted claim. For more information, see ERAs in SimplePractice (Payment Reports).

You can save claim reference numbers as an administrative note at the top of a client’s Overview page.

For additional details on administrative notes, see Using administrative notes.

If you’d like to upload a copy of a claim to a client’s profile, see Uploading a new client file.

Tip: For more information on updating and resubmitting claims, see Submitting a corrected claim.