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X12 transaction guide · Finance

EDI 248 Account Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status

The X12 document used to assign accounts for collection, report status, answer inquiries and update accounts between organizations.

Sent by
Creditor or collection agency
Received by
Collection agency or creditor
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 248?

The EDI 248 Account Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status is the ANSI X12 transaction set used for two-way, multi-transaction purposes: assigning accounts for collection, reporting status, making inquiries and responding to them, and updating accounts between entities.

Creditors such as hospitals, utilities and lenders place overdue accounts with collection agencies. Both sides must keep the accounts aligned as payments are made, balances adjusted or accounts recalled. A two-way structured exchange avoids the reconciliation problems of spreadsheets. Updates can flow in both directions.

How the EDI 248 worksDiagram of the EDI 248 Account Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status. Creditor or collection agency sends it to collection agency or creditor. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BHT (Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction) and the required NM1 loop with NM1 (Individual or Organizational Name) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level) and NM1 (Individual or Organizational Name). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 248 worksAccount Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marksrequired1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 248SENDERCreditor or collectionagencyRECEIVERCollection agency orcreditor997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code SUGS … GETransaction set 248ST … SEHEADINGBHTBeginning of Hierarchical TransactionRequired loop NM1 · repeats up to 2NM1Individual or Organizational NameDETAILRequired loop HL · repeats many timesHLHierarchical LevelNM1Individual or Organizational Name+ 1 optional loop, starting with:DTPBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 248. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 248 worksDiagram of the EDI 248 Account Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status. Creditor or collection agency sends it to collection agency or creditor. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BHT (Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction) and the required NM1 loop with NM1 (Individual or Organizational Name) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level) and NM1 (Individual or Organizational Name). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 248 worksAccount Assignment/Inquiry andService/Status: who sends it, where it fits andwhat the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 248SENDERCreditor orcollectionagencyRECEIVERCollectionagency orcreditor997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code SU (GS … GE)Transaction set 248 (ST … SE)HEADINGBHTBeginning of HierarchicalTransactionRequired loop NM1 · repeats up to2NM1Individual orOrganizational NameDETAILRequired loop HL · repeats manytimesHLHierarchical LevelNM1Individual orOrganizational Name+ 1 optional loop, starting with:DTPBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 248. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 248, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 248 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Placing overdue accounts with collection agencies
  • Reporting payments collected and account status
  • Recalling accounts or updating balances

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 248 Account Assignment/Inquiry and Service/Status
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 248 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • BHT
  • NM1
  • HL
  • DTP
  • SE

Practical example

The 248 in practice

A hospital places 500 overdue patient accounts with a collection agency through a 248. The agency reports collections and status changes each week. When a patient pays the hospital directly, the hospital sends an update reducing the balance, so the agency stops collecting the paid amount.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 248

  • Comply with debt collection and privacy laws.
  • Synchronize payments received by either party.
  • Recall accounts promptly when disputes arise.
  • Use account identifiers both parties keep.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 248 with ECOM

Industry

Healthcare

Secure B2B integration and file transfer for providers, suppliers, distributors and healthcare partners.

Solution

Financial Document Automation

Automate invoices, remittances, payment files and bank statements from capture to posting.

Industry

Financial Services

Secure file transfer and B2B integration for banks and financial institutions.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

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