Definition
Payment posting applies money and adjustments to patient accounts at the claim line level. Payer data comes from the 835 electronic remittance advice (ERA) or a paper explanation of benefits (EOB). Each line records the paid amount, adjustment group and reason codes, and patient responsibility.
Why it matters
Posting errors corrupt every report downstream. A denial posted as a zero payment leaves no worklist item, and an underpayment posted as contractual hides lost revenue. Fast, accurate posting also releases secondary claims and patient statements on time.
Example
An auto-posting run applies an 835 file but flags 6 lines paid below the contracted rate. A poster routes those lines to the underpayment queue for follow-up.