How to Automate Zelis Data Export (No API Required)

Introduction

Zelis is a healthcare payments and communications platform used by payers, providers, and members for claims payments, ACH and virtual card payments, electronic remittance advice (835), and payment reconciliation. The Zelis Advanced Payments Platform (ZAPP) consolidates payment data from hundreds of payers into a single portal for providers. While Zelis offers integration options for some workflows, browser automation can serve as an effective alternative for exporting payment data, pulling remittance and payment reports, and automating revenue cycle data workflows when API access is limited or not available for your use case.

Why Use Browser Automation for Zelis Data Export?

• Limited or No API Access: Zelis provider portal features for reporting and exports may not be fully exposed via API for all users or plans
• Dashboard-Only Reports: Payment analytics, remittance summaries, and custom date-range exports are often only available in the web portal
• Historical Data: Access payment and remittance history beyond API or batch limits
• Custom Exports: Generate exports by date range, payer, or payment type when the portal doesn't offer an API
• 835 and ERA: Download 835 remittance advice and payment posting data for reconciliation
• Multi-TIN / Multi-NPI: Aggregate payment data across TINs and NPIs that require portal login
• Payment Modalities: Export data for ACH, virtual card, and check payments from a single view

Setting Up Zelis Data Export Automation

Here's how to automate data collection from the Zelis provider portal using browser automation:

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const response = await fetch("https://api.anchorbrowser.io/api/sessions", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "anchor-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    'headless': false,
    'proxy': {
      'type': 'residential',
      'country': 'US'
    }
  }),
});

const { id } = await response.json();
const connectionString = `wss://connect.anchorbrowser.io?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY&sessionId=${id}`;

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(connectionString);
const context = browser.contexts()[0];
const ai = context.serviceWorkers()[0];
const page = context.pages()[0];

// Navigate to Zelis provider portal
await page.goto("https://provider.zelis.com");

// Login with AI agent
await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
  prompt: 'Log in to the Zelis provider portal using the provided credentials. Wait for the dashboard to fully load.'
}));

Exporting Payment and Transaction Data

Automate the export of payment and transaction history from Zelis:

const exportZelisPayments = async (page, ai, dateRange) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Payments or Transaction History section'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Set the date filter to ${dateRange.start} to ${dateRange.end}`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Click Export or Download, select CSV or Excel format, and wait for the download to complete.'
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download');
  const path = await download.path();
  
  return path;
};

Downloading 835 and Remittance

Extract electronic remittance advice (835) and payment summaries when no API is available:

const exportZelisERA = async (page, ai, dateRange) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the ERA, Remittance, or 835 section'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Filter by date range ${dateRange.start} to ${dateRange.end}`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Download 835 remittance or payment reports in the available format and wait for the download.'
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download');
  return await download.path();
};

Payment Posting and Reconciliation

Automate collection of payment posting data and reconciliation reports:

const exportZelisReconciliation = async (page, ai, dateRange) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Payment Posting or Reconciliation section'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Set date range ${dateRange.start} to ${dateRange.end}, then export the reconciliation or posting report`
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download');
  return await download.path();
};

Best Practices for Zelis Portal Automation

• Security: Use secure credential storage and support 2FA if the portal requires it. Zelis handles PHI and payment data; keep automation compliant with HIPAA and PCI where applicable.
• HIPAA and Compliance: Ensure all data handling meets HIPAA and your organization's data use agreements with Zelis
• Rate Limiting: Add delays between requests to avoid lockouts or triggering security controls
• Error Handling: Implement retries for transient failures and session timeouts
• Terms of Use: Comply with Zelis terms of use and any contractual restrictions on automated access

Handling Zelis Portal Authentication

Zelis provider login may use standard credentials or SSO. Example flow:

const handleZelisAuth = async (page, ai, credentials, portalUrl) => {
  await page.goto(portalUrl || 'https://provider.zelis.com');
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Enter username: ${credentials.username} and password: ${credentials.password}, then click Login`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'If 2FA or security questions appear, enter the code or answer using the provided method.'
  }));
  
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
};

Resources

• Anchor Browser Documentation - Complete API reference and guides
• Anchor Browser Playground - Try browser automation in your browser
• Zelis - Healthcare payments and communications platform

Conclusion

Browser automation provides a flexible alternative to Zelis API access for healthcare payment and revenue cycle data export. By using browser automation, you can automate payment and remittance exports, 835 downloads, and reconciliation reporting when the Zelis provider portal does not expose a full API for your needs. With attention to HIPAA and terms of use, you can streamline Zelis-related data workflows and reporting.

Start automating your Zelis data collection and simplify your healthcare payment workflows.