EDI X12 standard - Where can I find a definition for this?

The X12 standards are published by the Washington Publishing Company. The implementation guides used to be subsidized by CMS, but that came to an end in April of 2006. A pdf version of the implementation guide is $175. If you decide to download it, make sure you get the combined version, which includes the original standards and the addenda. The current version is 4010A. Version 5010 will be required as of January 1, 2012.

I don't know what your situation is, but I have found the health care claim to be one of the more complex EDI transactions. I have always used specific mapping tools, such as Gentran or ECMap, that are specifically designed to facilitate the translation of X12 files into a variety of other formats and vice-versa. Another important capability of EDI translators is that most can do a compliance check on your X12 files.

Outbound files are a little more forgiving, since you have control over the data. I recall creating test files with C programs on a UNIX box when none of our trading partners were ready to send us test data. I wouldn't recommend that as a long term solution, though. You might consider a clearinghouse, but, if you decide to do it yourself, you really need the standards and an implementation guide from each of your trading partners.

Good luck!

We are currently submitting the files to something called Connectivity Director, but so far I have been unable to create a valid file. I get an error that says unkown file. If you are familar with this, can you tell me how it identifies the file as an x12 file?

Bob 2009-07-24 11:59:30

I would look at the envelope information in your file, particularly the ISA segment. The ISA segment is the only fixed length segment in an X12 file; it should be 106 characters long. Positions 104, 105 and 106 define the element separator, subelement separator and segment terminator in the file, respectively. The file can't be translated without that information. The last segment in the file should be an IEA segment. There are other envelope segments at the group and transaction levels, but I'd look at the interchange (ISA..IEA) level first.

Joe Suarez 2009-07-24 14:23:20

I run development files through Softshare's EDI Notepad (http://www.softshare.com/software/edinotepad/). It'll catch a lot of errors, but it also lets you alter the views so you can see the segments better.

TonyUser 2009-07-25 14:56:13

And one of the best thing about EDI Notepad, other than the fact that it works, is that it's FREE.

Joe Suarez 2009-07-25 17:15:41

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EDI X12 standard - Where can I find a definition for this?

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