Per the v5010 837 TR3 Guides, an address for the Patient is always required. How should the Subscriber Address (loop 2010BA) or Patient Address (loop 2010CA) be reported in 837 transactions when the person receiving health care services is homeless?
This situation is not explicitly addressed in the 5010 837 TR3's. A change request will be submitted to modify a future TR3 to address this issue.
If the Patient or Subscriber does not have a current address, and the information receiver has not provided instructions for populating the patient's address in this instance, the N301 could be populated with something like "UNKNOWN". The N4 Segment - Patient City, State, Zip Code could be populated with appropriate receiver understandable information selected by the transaction sender so long as the data element values in the N4 segment comply with data type value rules; particularly the Patient ZIP Code and its corresponding city and state.
Also, State and Federal Agencies such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration may provide guidance. It is not within X12’s purview to contradict or override established best practices related to reporting the addresses of those who may not have a current permanent address.