ERA (electronic remittance advice)
An ERA, or electronic remittance advice, is the electronic version of the explanation of benefits. A payer sends it as a standard file, known as an 835, that lists each claim it processed (paid or denied), the amounts allowed and paid, what the patient owes and the reason codes for adjustments. Offices use it to reconcile the payments they receive.
Why it matters to the front desk
The ERA carries the same story as a paper EOB, in a form software can read. Each line shows what was billed, what the payer allowed, what it paid and why it adjusted anything, using standard reason codes. The front desk or billing team compares those lines with the deposit that reached the bank, so each payment is matched to the right patient and visit.
An ERA needs a careful read, even when it balances on paper. A line can balance and still be wrong for the patient, for example when a payer paid a cheaper material than the one billed, or when a balance belongs to a second plan that is still waiting on its own decision. Staff who know these patterns catch underpayments that a total alone hides.
Related terms
Insurance Verification
Checks a patient's dental insurance with the payer, for one patient or the whole day's schedule, and returns coverage and benefits in a summary you can download.
See how Insurance Verification works