UB-04

UB-04, also casually referred to as institutional or hospital billing, may be in your present or near future.  Many of you may work as outpatient facilities such as rehab or physical therapy facilities, etc. that may need to use this format.   At Genius we have been fielding an increasing number of calls regarding UB-04 billing:  Can eTHOMAS do it? Can we teach you UB-04 billing? Are there resources available for you “out there”?  So, here we go.

UB-04, what is it?
Like all standardized health care forms, the UB-04’s ancestors were created and developed beginning in 1975 in an effort to standardize hospital billing forms.  It follows in the footsteps of other hospital greats such as the UB-82 and UB-92 documents.  The UB-04 is the most current incarnation of the standardized document that began in 1975.  The reasons for this form change?  To bring things more into alignment between the paper and electronic versions of the document as well as to prepare the way to match up with the 5010 electronic claim form which will contain the modifications to allow for the upcoming ICD-10 CPT coding changes.

Can eTHOMAS do UB-04 billing?
Absolutely!  It’s an additional module and suite of additional billing options and information.  Specifications and options vary per specialty and there is additional Softcare maintenance for the module.  Training for using the UB-04 module in THOMAS is included with the module.  For additional information on adding the UB-04 module to your eTHOMAS system please call us at 586-751-9080/800-645-0955 or e-mail us at sales2@geniussolutions.com.

Are there resources available for you “out there”? 
Although we can train and work with you on using THOMAS for UB-04 billing, like THOMAS our support staff are trained on how to best help you with the software, but are not trained or certified UB-04 billers and cannot train you on what you have to properly code and bill for UB-04.  We can however direct you to some resources that we’ve found that look very helpful on the coding and billing front.

• The best overall resource we’ve found for all things UB-04 is www.UB04.net.  They are a wealth of information, with training options and more.
• The next stop is to go to the American Hospital Association web site at hwww.aha.org. If you go to their online bookstore and book store and type in "Handbook for Hospital Billing" you will find an online book for $95.00 or a hand book for $135.00.  As a source for hospital billing information and one of the horses mouth’s for standardizing the form’s formatting, they will always be a good resource.