How to Set Up an Availity Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

What is Availity?

Availity is a multi-payer portal that helps providers manage their revenue cycle more efficiently by offering access to a wide range of payer services in one place.

Setting up an Availity account can significantly streamline your practice's administrative tasks. By following these steps, healthcare providers can efficiently manage claims, verify patient eligibility, and communicate securely with payers.

Benefits of Using Availity

1. Multi-Payer Access: Availity connects providers with multiple payers through one portal, eliminating the need to log into various payer-specific portals.

2. Real-Time Eligibility and Benefits Verification: Instantly verify patient coverage, reducing the chances of claim denials.

3. Claims Management: Submit claims, check their status, and correct errors quickly.

4. Prior Authorizations: Easily manage prior authorization requests for services that require pre-approval.

5. Payment Tracking: Monitor remittance advice and payment status, improving cash flow management.

6. Secure Messaging: Communicate securely with payers and other healthcare partners.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up an Availity Account

Setting up your Availity account involves several steps, including registration, setting up your organization, and adding users. Below, we'll break down each step in detail.

1. Preparing for Registration

Before beginning the registration process, gather the following information:

• Organization Details: Legal business name, address, and Tax Identification Number (TIN).

• Provider Information: National Provider Identifier (NPI) for individual providers and group practices.

• Contact Information: Contact person's name, email address, and phone number for account verification.

• User Information: If you have multiple users, gather details such as names, job titles, and contact information.

2. Registering Your Organization

Registering your organization is the first step in setting up an Availity account.

1. Visit the Availity Portal: Go to Availity's official website and click the "Register" button in the top right corner.

2. Select Your Registration Type: You will be prompted to choose your organization type—whether you are a healthcare provider, billing service, or other healthcare-related business. Select the appropriate option.

3. Enter Your Organization's Information: Fill out the registration form with your organization's details, including legal name, address, TIN, and NPI. Double-check this information to ensure accuracy, as it will be used for verification purposes.

4. Create a User ID and Password: You must create a unique User ID and password for your account administrator. The User ID should be memorable but secure, and the password must meet Availity's security criteria (usually a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters).

5. Agree to the Terms and Conditions: Review the Availity terms of service and privacy policy. You must agree to these terms to proceed with the registration.

6. Submit Your Registration: Once all required fields are completed and reviewed, click the "Submit" button. Availity will send a confirmation email with a verification link to the address provided.

3. Verifying Your Account

1. Check Your Email: After submitting your registration, check your email for a confirmation message from Availity. This message will contain a verification link.

2. Verify Your Account: Click on the verification link within the email to confirm your registration. This step is crucial as it activates your Availity account.

3. Initial Login: After verification, log in to the Availity portal using your newly created User ID and password.

4. Setting Up Your Organization on Availity

Once your account is activated, you must set up your organization within Availity.

1. Log In as the Account Administrator: The person who registered the account is typically designated as the account administrator. Log in using the administrator credentials.

2. Complete the Setup Wizard: Availity will guide you through a setup wizard to configure your organization's profile. This includes confirming your organization details, adding NPIs, and setting up electronic remittance advice (ERA) preferences.

3. Add Users: If your organization has multiple staff members needing access to Availity, you can add them during setup. You'll need to assign each user a role, such as billing specialist, front desk staff, or provider, which determines their access level within the portal.

4. Assign Permissions: For each user, assign specific permissions based on their role in the organization. Permissions can include access to eligibility and benefits verification, claims submission, and payment tracking.

5. Set Up Security Questions: Security questions will be used for account recovery and verification purposes. Make sure these are set up for the administrator and all users.

6. Enroll in Payer Services: Enroll in the specific services offered by the payers you work with. This can include real-time eligibility, claims management, and electronic remittance advice.

5. Customizing Your Dashboard

Availity allows users to customize their dashboard to fit their needs. This step helps improve workflow efficiency.

1. Add Widgets: Availity provides a variety of widgets that can be added to your dashboard, including quick links to commonly used features like eligibility checks and claims submission.

2. Arrange Your Dashboard: Drag and drop widgets to organize your dashboard according to your workflow preferences.

3. Save Custom Views: Save custom views for quick access to frequently used features.

6. Training and Resources

To maximize your use of Availity, take advantage of the training resources offered:

1. Availity Learning Center: Access on-demand training courses, webinars, and user guides tailored to your role.

2. Help & Support: Utilize Availity's support center for troubleshooting tips, FAQs, and contact information for customer service.

3. Practice Runs: Use test claims and eligibility checks to familiarize yourself with the portal's functionality without affecting your live data.

7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Setting up your Availity account can sometimes come with challenges. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

• Verification Email Not Received: Check your spam or junk folder. Ensure the email address provided during registration is correct.

• Forgot User ID or Password: Use the "Forgot User ID or Password" link on the login page to reset your credentials.

• Access Issues: Ensure you are using a supported browser and have cleared any browser cache that might affect login.

• Account Locked: If your account is locked due to multiple failed login attempts, contact Availity customer support for assistance.

8. Adding a User Once Account is Established

• In the top right corner, click on your name

• Select Add User. If this is not an option, then you are not an administrator for a practice and cannot add users. Contact your admin to add the user or give you access to do so.

• If the user has an account, enter their user name and select "this is an existing user ID". See below for reference.

• It should now look like the image below.

• Select the practice you want to add the user too. You'll need to assign each user a role, such as billing specialist, front desk staff, or provider, which determines their access level within the portal.

• If the user doesn't have an ID then enter the information requested and the user will get an email inviting them to sign up.

Please keep your account secure and do not share your login information. The account is tied to your personal information and sharing the account is a security risk.