Medical Billing Fa0 Record Fields 1 Through 6

Writen by Michael Russell

In the previous installment in this series on medical billing, we presented an overview of what the FA0 record was for. In this installment, we're going to review the actual NSF 3.01 specifications for what is the largest record in the NSF electronic specs. On top of that, there is no limit to the number of FA0 records you can send at one time, as long as they are all legitimate charges.

One thing we should clarify before actually covering the specs in case you're wondering why all the charges can't just be sent in one FA0 record. The reason is that each FA0 record can only send one particular item as each item has to have its charges and other information reported separately. Therefore, if a patient is being billed for a wheelchair and test strips, each item must be in a separate FA0 record. Just wanted to clear that up. Now, on to the records.

FA0 field 1, positions 1 - 3, is the record type and must be filled with FA0. All subsequent FA0 records must also be filled with FA0 as well. Failure to do so will result in the claims being denied.

FA0 field 2, positions 4 - 5, is the sequence number in the claim. Remember we said that you can have more than one FA0 record? Well, each record must have a sequence number starting with 01 and going up to a max of 99. In most cases, this is more than enough to cover all the charges that need to be billed for a patient. If not, then a separate claim must be filed.

FA0 field 3, positions 6 - 22, is the patient ID. This field has been a constant pretty much throughout the NSF specs starting with record CA0. This number must match the patient ID submitted in that record and all subsequent records that transmit a patient ID.

FA0 field 4, positions 23 - 39, is the line item control number. Each item that is billed has what is called a line item control number. It's kind of like a serial number for a product. This number must be transmitted and must be the correct control number associated with that item or the claim will be denied.

FA0 field 5, positions 40 - 47, is the from service date. This is the date of service for that particular item that it was either purchased or rented. It must be filled in according to the requirements of the payer, which can be either yyyymmdd or mmddyyyy.

FA0 field 6, positions 48 - 55, is the to service date. This is the date of service for the item where the period of use ends. This only applies to rental items as a purchase item is consumed and doesn't have a "to date". However, it needs to be noted that many payers have rules that state that even though an item is rented, they do not allow you to span dates. In other words, let's say the item is rented from 20060101 to 20060131. Some payers insist that the to date is filled in with the same date as the from date. So you need to check with your carrier to see what their rules are.

In the next installment in this series on medical billing of electronic claims, we'll pick up with FA0 record field number 7.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing