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Insurance best practice: Enter a full 9-digit ZIP for each client

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Gillian

If you receive a zip code scrubbing error, it is because one of the addresses on the claim form does not match with the USPS database.

Confirm zip codes include the 4-digit extension

The most common reason for this error is using zip codes without the 4-digit extension. This is because most payers require 9-digit zip codes on electronic claims. Use this site to get the 9-digit zip code: USPS Zip Code Look Up tool.

You sometimes need to remove the street address to find the correct 9-digit zip code on the USPS site. For example, if you are searching 2003 Curson Ave, try searching just Curson Ave with the city and state.

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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • Mary Stanley

    No one requires this but the clearinghouse Simple Practice uses. It is highly uncommon for clients to know their 9-digit zip code and this is causing a huge amount of my biller's time, thus costing me extra money to take care of. Please talk to your clearinghouse about this problem. Our Federal taxes don't require our 9-digit zip code. This is a ridiculous step that the software is requiring and needs to be fixed.

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  • Gillian

    Hi Mary, thank you for your feedback. At this time, it's not possible for us to lift the 9-digit ZIP requirement - as a best practice, we recommend entering a 9-digit ZIP for all clients. Thank you for understanding!

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  • Nancy Faye

    I'm getting error messages, is it because of the client 9-digit zip code or the billing provider?  Error message says billing provider, but when I go into the address the 9-digit code is there?  Maybe I should be asking where do I go to add the billing provider 9-digit zipcode? 

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  • Gillian

    Hi Nancy, that depends on the error message - your billing provider ZIP code is under My Account > Settings > Practice Details where your address is entered. Be sure to have a 9-digit ZIP entered there, and delete and recreate any claims to update them with the 9-digit ZIP if the claim has been created already.

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  • Craig Ordoyne

    Does your clearing house have ability to autoscrub errors such as locating the additional 4 digits in the zipcode?

     

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  • Debra A. LaMalfa

    How do you correct if the link to zip codes used doesn't provide the nine digit zip code when I get there?

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  • Ruth

    Hi Debra and Craig, sometimes looking up the address on google will help you get the full zip-code. I've found full zip-codes from zillow searches and google maps as well. If you're still unable to find the last four digits of the zip-code, I'd recommend reaching out to our Customer Success Team by submitting a Help Request. 

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  • Lauren Gardner

    I couldn't look up a member's full zip code using any of the USPS tools, but I found another way that could be helpful.

    You can use the insurance provider lookup tool to look up their info. (This was with BCBS). When I looked up the member's insurance there, the full 9-digit zip was included.

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