Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Business day" means Monday through Friday, excluding days on which a holiday is observed by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"Clearinghouse" means a public or private entity, including a billing service, repricing company, community health management information system or community health information system, and "value-added" networks and switches, that is an agent of either the payer or the health care provider and that may perform the following functions:

1. Processes or facilitates the processing of medical billing information received from a client in a nonstandard format or containing nonstandard data content into standard data elements or a standard transaction for further processing of a bill related transaction; or

2. Receives a standard transaction from another entity and processes or facilitates the processing of medical billing information into nonstandard format or nonstandard data content for a client entity.

"CMS" means the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that administers these programs.

"Companion Guide" means the Virginia Workers' Compensation Electronic Billing and Payment Companion Guides, based on International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions National Companion Guides, a separate document that gives detailed information for electronic data interchange (EDI) medical billing and payment for the workers' compensation industry using national standards and Virginia specific procedures.

"Complete electronic medical bill" means a medical bill that meets all of the criteria enumerated in 16VAC30-16-50 C.

"Electronic" means communication between computerized data exchange systems that complies with the standards enumerated in this chapter.

"Health care provider" means a person or entity, appropriately certified or licensed, as required, who provides medical services or products to an injured worker in accordance with § 65.2-603 of the Code of Virginia.

"Health care provider agent" means a person or entity that contracts with a health care provider establishing an agency relationship to process bills for services provided by the health care provider under the terms and conditions of a contract between the agent and health care provider. Such contracts may permit the agent to submit bills, request reconsideration, receive reimbursement, and seek medical dispute resolution for the health care provider services billed in accordance with §§ 65.2-605 and 65.2-605.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Payer" means the insurer or authorized self-insured employer legally responsible for paying the workers' compensation medical bills.

"Payer agent" means any person or entity that performs medical bill related processes for the payer responsible for the bill. These processes include reporting to government agencies; electronic transmission, forwarding, or receipt of documents; review of reports; and adjudication of bills and their final payment.

"Supporting documentation" means those documents necessary for the payer to process a bill and includes any written authorization received from the third-party administrator or any other records as required by the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission.

"Technical Report Type 3 (TR3) Implementation Guide" means an ASC X12 published document for national electronic standard formats that specifies data requirements and data transaction sets, as referenced in 16VAC30-16-30.