UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has announced that beginning November 5, 2021, it will no longer print and mail paper provider remittance advice (PRAs) for medical claims to network health care professionals and facilities in California. Per UHC, this change will impact all UHC plans excluding Behavioral Health; American Association of Retired Persons Medicare supplement products and All Savers Insurance, Sierra Health and Life; UHCWest; UMR; and Student Resources.

UHC indicates that all providers, regardless of contracting status, can view PRAs electronically in several ways including the following:

• Document Vault: PRAs will be produced at the time of payment processing and available free to providers to access the next day in Document Vault, UHC’s online repository of reports and claim-related communications, located on the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal.
• Optum Pay: Electronic remittance advices (ERA) and electronic 835 files can be accessed through either Optum Pay Basic, free portal access to those enrolled in ACH/direct, or through Optum Pay Premium, a fee-based service that includes additional practice management functions and tools.
• EDI: Providers should contact their clearinghouse to set up Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) 835 transactions using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to receive their PRAs electronically. Note: ERA/385 setup takes about 30 days from when UHC receives the request.

This transition to electronic remittance advices is part of UHC’s initiative to move providers to all-paperless methods of communication. UHC first announced in August 2020 that would begin the process of discontinuing physician payments via paper checks, instead would require both contracted and non-contracted physicians to receive payment via automated clearinghouse/direct deposit or through virtual credit card payments. In September 2020, UHC advised that it would begin transitioning provider remittance advices, clinical and claim letters, as well as hospital admissions to electronic processes.

Providers with questions can contact UHC Provider Services at (877) 842-3210.