Managing transaction enrollments across multiple healthcare clearinghouses
When teams switch to Stedi, they often ask: Do my transaction enrollments with Stedi affect my transactions with other clearinghouses? The answer depends on the type of transaction you’re talking about.
For eligibility checks, claim submissions, and real-time claim status checks, the answer is no. You can run these transactions through multiple clearinghouses at the same time with no problems. In fact, many payers don’t require enrollment for these transactions.
ERAs are the exception. Every payer requires enrollment for ERAs, and each payer sends a provider's ERAs to one clearinghouse at a time. Enrolling for ERAs through Stedi moves them off the provider’s other clearinghouse.
This guide covers which enrollments are exclusive, which aren't, and how to manage transaction enrollments across Stedi and other clearinghouses. For more tips about migrating, check out How to switch to Stedi from another healthcare clearinghouse.
What is transaction enrollment?
Transaction enrollment is the process of registering a provider to exchange a specific transaction type with a specific payer.
All payers require transaction enrollment for Electronic Remittance Advice (ERAs). For other transaction types, like claim submissions or eligibility checks, it depends on the payer.
Stedi transaction enrollment
Stedi offers fully managed, API-based transaction enrollment. You can submit and track enrollment requests through our API, the Stedi portal, or bulk CSVs. We handle the paperwork for you whenever possible. For payers that support one-click enrollment, you only need to submit the request. No other steps are needed.
How do I check if a payer requires transaction enrollment?
Use the Stedi Payer Network site or our Payers API. In the API response, each transaction type is marked SUPPORTED (No enrollment needed), ENROLLMENT_REQUIRED, or NOT_SUPPORTED. For example:
{
"transactionSupport": {
"eligibilityCheck": "SUPPORTED", // Eligibility checks - no enrollment
"claimPayment": "ENROLLMENT_REQUIRED" // ERAs - enrollment required
}
}How long does transaction enrollment take?
If transaction enrollment is required, you can also see the activation timeframe – how long it typically takes to go live – using the Stedi Payer Network site or our Payers API. In the API response, the timeframe field tells you whether activation is INSTANT (within minutes) or takes HOURS, DAYS, or WEEKS:
{
"enrollment": {
"transactionEnrollmentProcesses": {
"claimPayment": {
"type": "MULTI_STEP",
"timeframe": "DAYS" // ERA enrollments take days
}
}
}
}Why do payers require transaction enrollment for ERAs?
ERAs are sent from the payer to the provider’s healthcare clearinghouse. Transaction enrollment tells the payer where to send the ERA.
Eligibility checks, claim submissions, and real-time claim status checks are all sent from the provider (or their submitter) to the payer. ERAs flow the other way.
Payers don’t return ERAs synchronously during claim submission. ERAs are created and sent after adjudication. That adjudication often takes place days after claim submission and acceptance.
Can a provider complete transaction enrollment with more than one clearinghouse?
It depends on the transaction type.
| Transaction type | Enrollment required? | Tied to one clearinghouse? |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility checks | Depends on the payer | No |
| Professional claim submissions | Depends on the payer | No |
| Dental claim submissions | Depends on the payer | No |
| Institutional claim submissions | Depends on the payer | No |
| Real-time claim status checks | Depends on the payer | No |
| ERAs | Always | Yes |
A provider can complete transaction enrollments for eligibility checks, claim submissions, and real-time claim status checks through multiple clearinghouses. This lets the provider submit these transactions to the payer through any of those clearinghouses.
A provider can only be enrolled to receive ERAs from a payer through one clearinghouse at a time. If a provider completes ERA transaction enrollment for a payer through Stedi, they’ll no longer receive ERAs for that payer at any previously enrolled clearinghouses. Enrollment is reversible. If the provider later wants to move ERAs back, they can re-enroll for the payer through their other clearinghouse. There's no lock-in with Stedi.
What happens to a provider’s ERAs when they enroll through Stedi?
The ERAs are delivered to Stedi once the ERA transaction enrollment is complete, indicated by a LIVE status in the enrollment record. Once the switch takes effect, the payer sends Stedi any new ERAs for the provider. The payer doesn't resend ERAs to Stedi that were already delivered to the provider’s previous clearinghouse.
Until then, the payer will continue sending the provider's ERAs to the previous clearinghouse on file. There's no window where both receive them, and no blackout window where ERAs will not be delivered. To manage the timeline, you can set a requested effective date on ERA transaction enrollment requests in Stedi. This date tells the payer when to start routing ERAs to Stedi.
Note: A requested effective date is a request, not a guarantee; the payer controls when the switch takes effect. Not every payer honors the date.
Stedi’s ERA enrollment records also include an ERA last received timestamp, the last time Stedi routed a production ERA for that provider and payer. A recent timestamp confirms ERAs are flowing to Stedi. If there's no timestamp yet, the payer hasn't started sending ERAs to Stedi.
Does moving ERAs to Stedi change how providers get paid?
ERA transaction enrollment only changes where the payer sends the ERA, not how or where the provider is paid. Payment is separate.
Some payers do fold electronic funds transfer (EFT) enrollment into ERA enrollment. Even then, a provider already receiving EFTs doesn't have to change their EFT details. Payments keep landing in the same bank account.
Do some payers route ERAs based on who sent the claim?
It’s uncommon, but a small set of payers only send ERAs to the clearinghouse used to submit the related claim(s). To receive ERAs for these payers through Stedi, a provider has to complete ERA transaction enrollment with the payer and submit any claim(s) for the payer through Stedi.
These payers are mostly dental plans and workers' comp payers, plus a handful of medical plans and IPAs. Contact us to confirm whether any of the provider’s payers route ERAs this way before you move their enrollments.
Next steps
We’ve helped hundreds of teams run clearinghouse migrations – in production and at scale.
If you're getting ready, reach out. We can help you create a migration plan that fits your needs.
Once you start, our support team will be there to help at each step.