Questions

1. What is STP? 

2. What does CSG Forte’s collaboration with Optum Financial involve?

3. Who benefits from STP? 

4. How does enrollment work?

5. How long does activation take after enrollment?

6. Will payments go to an existing account, or must bank details be updated?

7. Is it possible to choose between ACH payments and virtual card payments?

8. Can multiple doctors under the same TIN enroll separately for STP?

9. What occurs if a payment is rejected by the bank?

10. What resources are available?

11. How does dex help providers manage STP transaction activity?

12. What is the process for verifying the presence of non-STP transactions on a provider’s account in Dex?

13. How can providers identify the transactions they are being billed for, and how can they reconcile their invoice? 

14. Do providers need to be PCI compliant for STP?

15. Why is the provider being charged a non-compliance fee?

16. What is the “Optum Transaction ID” and how is it used?

17. What will appear as the funding descriptor on the bank statement for STP deposits/funding?

18. Will applying for STP affect the provider’s credit score?

19. How should fraud or suspicious activity related to STP be reported?

20. How can providers obtain STP support?

21. Is international access supported? 

Straight Through Processing (STP) is a system designed to expedite insurance remittance delivery to healthcare providers. By utilizing virtual card processing, STP enables receipt of payments within one business day, significantly reducing the traditional 60–90 day wait associated with physically mailed letters containing virtual card information and manual input of VCC information to receive remittances. This approach enhances cash flow and mitigates fraud risk.

STP supports both C2B (from patients via insurance companies) and B2B (from insurance companies) payments to healthcare providers, through CSG Forte’s processing of virtual cards issued by Optum Financial with remittance amounts (credit card enablement is required for STP, since Optum issues MasterCard virtual cards for remittance payments.):

•  Business-to-Business (B2B): Insurance companies remit payments to healthcare providers.

• Consumer-to-Business (C2B): Patients make payments to healthcare providers through their insurance company (e.g., using an HSA card that is managed by their insurance company).

Note: STP does not change how patients or insurers make payments. Patients will continue to pay through their health plan, HSA portal, or bill-pay system, while insurers will initiate claim payments. Providers do not create or send payments.

CSG Forte’s collaboration with Optum Financial accelerates payment delivery to healthcare providers. By connecting Optum Financial to CSG Forte’s infrastructure, insurance remittances via virtual card are deposited directly into healthcare providers’ bank accounts. Optum Financial issues the virtual cards used for payment delivery and provides the remittance information associated with those transactions to CSG Forte. Within this model, CSG Forte is responsible for processing the virtual card transactions, depositing funds into the provider’s bank account, and supporting the enrollment and service management processes related to STP.

Healthcare providers gain faster access to funds through virtual card payments processing, improving cash flow, and reducing the administrative burden associated with manual check processing. In addition, providers also gain enhanced payment security and reduced fraud risk.

Providers initiate enrollment by completing an online application form via Dex (Forte’s online application and reconciliation platform). Upon submission, the system automatically performs a verification process to ensure that all required criteria are met, granting approval. After approval, the required configurations are applied, and the provider receives enrollment confirmation.

Note: Visit CSG Forte STP website (Optum Financial | CSG Forte Partner) for more information.

Payments will be processed as per the standard credit card funding cycle for your account, which typically takes 2 business days. Activation time for most cases is immediate (within 30 mins timeframe unless the underlying card processing is not activated). However, with auto-enrollment enabled for many providers, the onboarding process may be completed in approximately two minutes, contingent upon successful processor boarding.

The merchant will indicate their bank account details on the sign-up form during the enrollment process. No further updates are required unless explicitly specified by the merchant.

Note: To streamline the process and ensure greater efficiency, it is recommended to maintain a single STP account whenever possible.

No. Only virtual card payments are processed via STP. ACH is not an option with STP, since CSG Forte will process those virtual cards and deposit the funds into the providers' bank accounts. However, providers can choose to receive remittances via STP for only payer or only patient payments.

No, only one account (MID) per TIN is permitted to receive payments through STP. Separate enrollments for multiple doctors/entities under a single TIN are not allowed.

This scenario is not applicable under the current STP payment process.

Resources have been developed for reference such as the following ones: 

1. Invoicing Billing Guide: Invoices are emailed between the 5th and 6th of each month and are auto-debited on the 10th.
2. Payments Reconciliation: To reconcile, go to the Funding Module in Dex and use the filters to search for the deposit by amount or date. Once found, click the three dots to view related transactions, which will redirect you to the transaction data grid showing all transactions that make up the deposit.
   Once the deposit is located, providers can select the ellipsis action menu to view the related transactions. Dex will open a transaction data grid showing the individual transactions included in the funding event. Providers can use the available transaction details to determine whether the deposit includes C2B or B2B payments. “Service Date” and “Date of Birth” are available for C2B transactions, while the associated 835 file is available for B2B payments. Providers can also use “Order Info” and the “Optum Transaction ID” to support reconciliation.
3. Welcome Letter: Once enrollment is complete, customers receive a Welcome Letter by email. The email confirms the customer's configuration and provides instructions for activating their account on the Dex platform. Customers should retain the Welcome Letter for reference and use the activation instructions to access Dex. 
4. Standard Reports materials.

It is recommended that you review this information once enrolled. 

Dex is CSG Forte’s web-based portal where providers can review transactions, funding activity, reporting, account configuration, and STP-related details. It supports search, filtering, exports, and reconciliation workflows at the organization and location (MID) levels. STP enrollers can log in and navigate to their MID to view STP transactions and use the available transaction, funding, and report views in Dex to support reconciliation. Where applicable, providers may also use the corresponding Optum portal references together with Dex transaction details for research and validation. Additional enhancements, including future integration with EHR/EMR systems, remain under evaluation. 

Optum STP MIDs are not expected to have any non-STP transactions unless additional CSG Forte services are in use under separate MIDs, as manual payment entry is prohibited. All transactions associated with the account are processed directly by Optum. Providers can verify this in Dex by checking the “Entered By” field on the transaction:

• If the field shows “OFS,” the transaction is an Optum STP transaction.
• Any value other than “OFS” indicates a non-STP transaction. Providers should also review the services enabled in Dex to confirm all active services associated with the provider. 

Providers should review their invoice together with the applicable fee descriptions, pricing model, funding activity, and related transaction records in Dex. If additional clarification is required, providers can contact the STP Support Line at 855-861-4759, Option 2.

Providers do not need to be PCI compliant to enroll in and use STP, as Optum issues one-time use virtual cards for remittance payments, and providers are not collecting or storing card data. However, if a provider is processing credit card transactions through CSG Forte for non-STP-related services, PCI compliance requirements may apply. CSG Forte receives card information from Optum, processes the payments, and deposits the proceeds directly into the provider’s bank account. The provider does not handle or see the card information.

The non-compliance notice applies only to accounts with applicable credit card services. It does not apply to STP only enrollment. If an STP merchant is incorrectly charged, the billing issue should be routed for cancellation. Providers can contact the STP Support Line at 855-861-4759, Option 2.

The Optum Transaction ID helps healthcare providers map individual transactions to the remittances they expect to receive for services delivered. In Dex, the Optum Transaction ID is displayed in the “Order Info” column and serves as the identifier used by Optum in its systems and portals. This allows providers to match transactions in Dex with the corresponding entries in Optum’s portal. In Dex, providers can also use remittance-level transaction details, including the “Patient Name” and the client reference ID, where available, to support transaction identification and reconciliation. 

Every STP transaction will display two IDs:

• CSG Forte Transaction ID – used to locate transactions on CSG Forte’s Dex platform.
• Optum Transaction ID – used to locate transactions on Optum’s platform. 

For STP deposits/funding, the funding descriptor on the bank statement will display as *4TE DBA [name].

No. Applying for STP does not affect the provider’s credit score.

Any suspected fraud or unusual activity should be reported immediately by contacting our customer support team at 1-855-861-4759, Option 2.

Providers can contact the STP Support Line at 855-861-4759, Option 2 for STP-specific questions or support. They should listen to the menu and select the appropriate option.

No. Currently, STP is available for U.S.-based healthcare providers only.