Section title: Requests for Interpretation
RFI #
1711
277CA Format zero dollar amt
Description

Issue: Is it compliant for the 277CA (005010X214) to format the 2200C/STC04 (Total Submitted Charges for Unit Work) and 2200C/AMT02 (Total Rejected Amount) data elements as '0.00' for precision puposes because these elements are for calculated amounts? Business scenario: Zero dollars may be reported in the 837 CLM02 Claims charge amount for the purpose of Performance reporting in Encounters.

RFI Response

While the two elements referenced may be calculated, they are calculated from monetary amounts in 837 transactions. They are reported in Data Element # 782 (Monetary Amount) which is an "R" data type. General business practices are that monetary amounts are always precise to two decimal places. There is never rounding of calculations beyond rounding of fractional cents to cents. As a result, precision does not require an explicit statement of the cents when reporting monetary amounts. $1 equals $1.0 equals $1.00.

X12.6 states in section 3.5.1.2 "Trailing zeroes following the decimal point should be suppressed unless necessary to indicate precision."

Since it is not necessary to indicate precision with DE 782 in referenced usage locations, it is not compliant with guide 005010X214 to report the 2200C/STC04 (Total Submitted Charges for Unit Work) and 2200C/AMT02 (Total Rejected Amount) data elements as "0.00" If the value being reported is Zero Dollars, that would be shown as "0". All other whole dollar amounts would be reported without any ".00" as well.

RFI Recommendation

In addition, for completeness, other representative monetary amounts and their proper values in the transaction are:

Amount Value
ten cents .1
one cent .01
one dollar 1

DOCUMENT ID
005010X214