FAQs re: Trading Partners

A Trading Partner is a clearinghouse, billing agent or provider that submits one or more of the following inbound transactions: 837 (I, P and D), 270, 276, and 834I directly to the Fiscal Agent for processing.
A Trading Partner can also receive outbound transactions from the Fiscal Agent. The outbound transactions are 271, 277 (solicited and unsolicited), and 835.
Providers who directly enter claims on the NCTracks Provider Portal or use the services of a clearinghouse are not considered Trading Partners.

A TPA is required of all clearinghouses, billing agents or providers who submit one or more of the following inbound transactions: ASC X12 837 (I, P and D), 270, 276, and 834I directly to the Fiscal Agent for processing. The TPA is presented during the course of enrolling as a billing agent and when testing and certifying with Ramp Management.

Trading Partners designate the appropriate person to complete and sign the Trading Partner Agreement.

The 999 Acknowledgement is generated in response to inbound transaction as a confirmation that the inbound transaction was received and whether the files were accepted (in part or in full) or rejected.

Yes. Prior to submitting to the NCTracks production system all Trading Partners will need to certify for all the ASC X12 HIPAA transactions they intend to submit to NCTracks.

No, testing is not required to key single claims directly into the NCTracks Provider Portal. HIPAA Certification testing is required if you submit ASC X12 transactions to NCTracks.

This form is obtained from the EDI Department and is necessary to start the Trading Partner Certification/Testing process. To obtain the form, email the EDI Department at NCMMIS_EDI_Support@csra.com.

Edifecs’ Ramp Management (RM) is a self-service Web portal for on boarding trading partners. It provides a best-practice approach to guide trading partners through every step of the ASC X12 HIPAA compliance and testing process for transactions quickly and efficiently. Ramp Management reduces the resources, time, and cost needed to integrate trading partners, while enhancing partner support and reducing the risk of errors in claim processing and production environment.

Ramp Management at: https://sites.edifecs.com/index.jsp?NCTracks.

Click Recover Password on the Ramp Management logon page.

Yes. Before a trading partner can exchange any electronic transactions with NCTracks, the trading partner must pass ASC X12 HIPAA-compliance certification testing.

Trading partners are entities (clearinghouses, health care providers, or billing agents) that will be submitting one or more of the following inbound transactions: 837 (I, P, and D), 270, 276, and 834I.

Trading partners will have to get certified in any of the following transactions they are planning to submit to NCTracks:
• 270 – Eligibility
• 837I – 837 Institutional
• 837P – 837 Professional
• 837D – 837 Dental
• 276 – Claims Status
• 834I – Benefit Enrollment and Maintenance
• 835 transactions are outbound transactions. No certification testing is required.

No. A valid e-mail address is a prerequisite for trading partners to register and begin certification testing in Ramp Management.

1. Contact NCTracks EDI Department
2. Complete Contact Information Form
3. Sign the Trading Partner Agreement (TPA) on NCTracks Portal
4. Trading Partner completes the Contact Information Form.
5. Send it to NCMMIS_EDI_Support@csra.com
6. Receive the invitation from Ramp Management.
7. Reference the Companion Guides (CG) and the guidelines document posted in Ramp Management.
8. Submit test files for the desired transaction types.
9. Obtain certification by uploading ASC x12 test files and passing HIPAA Compliance Certification submitted into RM.
10. Receive Production Approval Notification
11. Review Connectivity Companion Guide located in Ramp Management.

The Companion Guides are within the ASC X12 programs in the Ramp Management testing portal or can be found here.

The Transaction Supplier Number (TSN) is obtained through the enrollment process on the NCTracks Provider Portal.

No. HIPAA Certification is required of those entities that submit ASC X12 files directly to NCTracks. However, the clearinghouse or billing service will be required to complete certification testing.

Certification for pharmacy D.0 transactions will be handled separately.

Trading Partners should reference the Companion Guide either in the Ramp Management testing portal or can access it here.

The clearinghouse has access to all pertinent information needed on the ASC X12 transactions. There are national Implementation Guides that provide the overall structure of the ASC Transactions. In addition, NCTracks has published Companion Guides for each transaction that detail any NCTracks specific codes needed on the transactions.
If the clearinghouse has put the provider in charge of obtaining information, it will be necessary to know the specific loop and segment the information will be going into the transaction to ensure the accurate codes are provided.

Please consult the NCTracks Trading Partner Connectivity Guide for the most recent transmission protocol.