UnitedHealthcare has begun paying some commercial claims instantly, bypassing the standard three to five day window associated with traditional ACH transactions, the insurer said May 4.
Under the new system, eligible commercial claims payments are deposited immediately into providers’ bank accounts, with remittance data routed through clearinghouses to providers’ tax identification numbers.
UnitedHealthcare did not specify which claims or plan types qualify for real-time payment. The payments are not processed through Optum and will not appear on the Optum Pay platform.
Providers do not need to take action to receive the payments, but UnitedHealthcare said some may need to update reconciliation workflows. The insurer is directing providers to contact their banks to add real-time payment codes to transaction reports and to consult with Epic account managers about how the payments will appear in cash management tools.
The company also said the change does not alter contracted or state-mandated payment timelines.
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