X12 837P Reference

X12 837P PER01 (Contact Function Code): Format, Values, and Testing Notes

Jul 28, 2026 · 4 min read

PER01 is a single code, but it decides how a payer's system routes the rest of the segment — treat it as a fixed value in test data and you never find out whether your own system handles anything but the default.

Quick answer

PER01 is the first element of the PER segment in an X12 837P claim — a code that describes what role the contact plays, such as a general information contact for the claim.

Common code values

Information Contact — the standard, most common value for a claim-level administrative contact

Billing Contact — used when the contact is specifically tied to billing inquiries rather than general questions

General Contact — a broader catch-all role, less commonly seen than IC in claim submissions

Example

Synthetic example Generated by Synthibase

PER*IC*BILLING DEPT*TE*3035550142

PER01 value IC marks BILLING DEPT as the information contact for this synthetic claim.

Where this trips people up

Most synthetic 837P test files use IC exclusively because it's the value every sample claim in training material happens to show. A parser that hardcodes IC as the only expected PER01 value, rather than reading the code and branching on it, will silently mishandle a real submission that legitimately uses BL or another function code for a different contact role.

→

X12 837P PER Segment Guide: Fields, Format, and Testing Gotchas

→

What is X12 837P? Complete Format and Field Guide

→

How to Build a Trading Partner Onboarding Process for Healthcare EDI

Test more than one contact function code

Synthibase generates synthetic 837P claims with varied PER01 values, not just the default IC, so your routing logic is tested against the roles it will actually encounter.

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This page is written independently by Synthibase for testing and informational purposes. It is not an official publication of HL7 International or X12/Washington Publishing Company, and is not a substitute for reviewing the official standard or your trading partner's companion guide. See our Terms of Service for full legal terms.