Optum Pay Payment Program Update

“In response to strong concerns from the American Medical Association (AMA), manystate medical associations and national specialty medical societies, and individual physician practices, Optum Pay modified its electronic payment program to provide downloadable remittance information and up to 13 months of payment data for UnitedHealthcare (UHC) claims at no cost through its basic service option. Previously, Optum Pay had required enrollment in its premium program, which assessed a 0.5% per payment fee, to continue access to this critical information for effective revenue cycle management. Unfortunately, practices remain limited to only two users in the Optum system through the basic, free option; Optum Pay is evaluating this issue, and the AMA will continue to advocate that practices be allowed unlimited users at no cost.

Practices may have been enrolled in a free trial of the Optum Pay premium program. To avoid incurring a 0.5% per payment fee for UHC claims, practices should cancel their Optum Pay premium enrollment by March 31, 2021. For more information on these Optum Pay changes and for instructions on how to cancel premium enrollment, visit the UHC provider website.”