Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The validation process consists of edit checks to determine if:

• The health card number is valid;
• The 10-digit health card number has been issued by the Ministry;
• The health card number presented belongs to an insured person who is eligible for health care in the province of Ontario; and
• The health card number is current by checking the version code.

Overnight Batch Eligibility Checking (OBEC) is used to validate a health number and version code before a health service is provided reducing the potential for claims rejections. The health numbers and version codes are keyed and batched into formatted files to be electronically submitted to the ministry. Eligibility is verified against the ministry’s database based on the date the file is submitted. A response file is returned to the user the next business day.

Excerpt above provided by Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/pub/ohip/ohipvalid_manual/ohipvalid_manual.pdf

Validate Health Card provides a more convenient and faster way to submit batch validations. Our batch service provides a response within the same day the file is submitted to our service. In order to use our batch service, a simple formatted CSV file must be created for submission.

Any information that is successfully submitted to the MOHLTC’s database is considered as one validation. If the health card number field is incomplete, our system will prompt the user to fix errors prior to submitting the form. If the version code or fee service code fields are left blank, the data will still be sent to the MOHLTC and will be considered as one validation. Please make sure to check all fields before validating the information.

If the user’s GoSecure ID and password is incorrect and the information is unable to be processed, the verification will not be considered successful and will not count. It is the user’s responsibility to maintain an active GoSecure ID and password at all times.

Specific regulations and limits apply to some services such as oculo-visual assessments, bone mineral density measurements or sleep studies. Validating for these services can be performed using VHC.

If an appropriate Time Limited Fee Schedule Code is entered, the system will provide either the date of service (DOS) for the most recent service and a fee service response code, or just the fee service response code.

In order for you to qualify for this service you must have an OHIP Billing Number and an associated GO Secure ID and Password. Your delegates’ GO Secure account can be also used by our service. Under your GO Secure roles, you must have “Health Service HCV”. If you do not have any of the these items, visit these links to register for a Billing Number and register for a GO Secure account.

In order for the service to access the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s database you must have a unique GO Secure ID and Password to ensure you are a verified health care provider. You or your delegates’ GO Secure ID and Password must match the health care provider’s billing number. All of your information is encrypted and is only used to access the MOHLTC database.

For more information read this INFOBulletin posted by the Ministry in June 2013 reiterating the necessity for users to have a proper GO Secure account as part of the MOHLTC security model:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/ohip/bulletins/8000/bul8120.pdf

For New GO Secure Users (Never registered under GO Net):

Please sign up for MC EDT GO Secure at: https://www.edt.health.gov.on.ca. Once you have completed the sign-up process you will be asked to enter two confidential Unique Identifiers that will be mailed to you from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Once you receive your Unique Identifiers via mail please select “New EDT User” when completing your MC EDT Enrolment.

For Previous GO Net Users (Migrating EDT Users):

If you are currently a user on EDT GO Net you can easily sign up for a MC EDT GO Secure Account at: https://www.edt.health.gov.on.ca. Once you have completed the sign-up process you will be asked to enter three confidential Unique Identifiers that will mailed to you from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Once you receive your Unique Identifiers via mail please select “Migrating EDT User” when completing your MC EDT Enrolment.

Once you have completed your registration, please to go your GO Secure Profile and select Your GO Secure Roles and ensure that you have Health Service HCV listed.

For the full MC EDT Reference Manual with step-by-step instructions please visit (Section 3.2.1) http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/publications/ohip/docs/mc_edt_reference_manual.pdf

To sign up for a OHIP Billing Number please visit: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/forms/ohip_fm.aspx

If you have any problems with MC EDT registration please contact the MOHLTC Service Support Contact Centre at 1-800-262-6524 or email at SSContactCentre.MOH@ontario.ca

Yes of course. GO Secure allows you to assign delegates to gain access to your account. It is your responsibility to adhere to all rules and regulations on sharing your username and password under the Ministry’s instructions. Please visit https://www.edt.health.gov.on.ca for more information on assigning delegates.

We understand that each clinic has different patient volume and variations of self-pay and OHIP billing patients. The best way to determine your subscription plan is to base it on the maximum number of health card validations you will encounter in your busiest month.

Absolutely not. We offer you a pay-as-you-go service. Every month your subscription will auto-renew and will be charged to your account but you are free to cancel your subscription at any time.

Yes, your subscription will be automatically renewed. You will be charged by PayPal under the name *VALIDATEHC.

You are able to upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time. When you change your plan you will forfeit any unused validations that are in your current month’s plan. We recommend making changes to your plan one day prior to your next renewal date. Unfortunately there are no exceptions as this is the restriction stipulated by PayPal’s terms of service.

You will receive a message indicating that you have reached your limit. If this occurs, please consider upgrading your plan to continue VHC’s service. If you choose to leave your plan as is, you will resume access to VHC’s service at your next renewal date.

No. Our subscription plans are designed to accommodate extra validations in case of higher OHIP patient volume for a particular month. If you discover that you are running out of validations by the end of the month, please consider upgrading your plan. On your next renewal date your validation counter will be reset to zero.

All you need is a computer or a device with a browser that is connected to the Internet.

If the Ministry’s database is unresponsive our system will not be able to access the information. Please also check to see if your GO Secure ID and Password are up to date as this can also be the reason why you are unable to validate the health card. Please use IVR as a back up until the system is available.

**The MOHLTC’s database is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with scheduled downtime for maintenance every second Sunday of the month between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

If you require assistance, the best way to reach us is to send an email to support@validatehealthcard.com. We will do our best to respond within 24 hours of your request.

Yes! Any USB HID Swipe Reader that supports three tracks will work with our service. When purchasing your card reader please ensure that the following specifications include:

USB Human Interface Device (HID) with Tracks 1, 2, and 3

When you are on the Validate Health Card page all you need to do is swipe the card and the information will appear in the proper fields. There is no need to click the field first before swiping the card.

We recommend using MagTek Mini USB Swipe Reader with our service. This product can be purchased at:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=31_426&item_id=062803

To verify your Billing Number / GO Secure MOH ID please do the following:

1. Log into your GO Secure Account at https://www.edt.health.gov.on.ca
2. Select MC EDT Service
3. Click on Upload
4. You will see your MOH ID in the dropdown. The number should be 5 or 6 digits long
5. Please make sure that this number is the same as the Billing Number/MOH ID in your profile page

There are no setup fees associated with our service. We charge a monthly fee which ranges from $35-$70 depending on your patient volume.

$35 – Basic Plan will provide you with up to 100 validations per month
$50 – Premium Plan will provide you with up to 500 validations per month
$75 – Ultimate Plan will provide you with up to 1500 validations per month

If you do not see a plan that satisfies your needs or would like a free trial please email us at support@validatehealthcard.com so we can accommodate you.

For our subscription based service we accept payment through PayPal. As you navigate through our payment page you will be prompted to sign up for a PayPal account. Once you have completed your registration you are able to pay with most major credit cards or directly from your PayPal account.

No, we do not offer refunds. You may cancel the service at any time and you will not be charged thereafter. Once you cancel your subscription you will no longer have access to your current month’s service.

Yes. Validate Health Card underwent Conformance Testing administered by the Ministry Of Health and Long-Term Care in order to become a certified software vendor. Upon passing the Ministry’s testing we have been granted a Production Key which allows us to offer this service to health care providers in Ontario.

Validate Health Card understands the concerns health care providers have about protecting their data and patient information. These are the measures we take to ensure your information is safe:

Servers: Our servers are behind an enterprise-level firewall to prevent against hackers and denial of service attacks. They are located in a secure state-of-the-art facility.

Storage: Any sensitive information we collect is encrypted and stored in a database. If for some reason the database becomes compromised you can be sure that your information is incomprehensible.

Transmission of information: Since our service is web-based, we use SSL (Security Socket Layer) technology to ensure the information is sent over the Internet via a secure channel. This is the same security measure that the Ministry Of Health and Long-Term Care uses for MC EDT file transmission.