837P and 837I formats are used for which claims?

• A. 837P is for inpatient hospital claims; 837I is for outpatient facility claims
• B. 837P is for professional claims; 837I is for institutional claims submitted electronically
• C. 837P is for dental claims; 837I is for vision claims
• D. 837P and 837I are paper forms for any claim

Answer: (B)

HIPAA-standard electronic claim formats separate professional services from facility charges. The 837P format is used for professional claims, such as services provided by physicians, therapists, or other clinicians. The 837I format is used for institutional or facility claims, like hospital inpatient or outpatient facility charges. These formats are designed for electronic submission to payers, not paper forms. Other types exist (for example, dental uses a different 837D) and vision-related claims aren’t represented by this pair. So the combination of professional for clinicians and institutional for facilities is the correct way these formats are used.