ANSI X12 837P - 5010 BHT Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction

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May 08, 2026

The BHT (Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction) segment identifies the start of a single business transaction within the ANSI X12 837 Professional healthcare claim file. In the 837 transaction, the BHT segment establishes the transaction purpose, identifies the type of hierarchical structure being transmitted, and provides a transaction set reference number and creation date/time.

The BHT segment appears near the beginning of the transaction set immediately after the ST segment and before the hierarchical loops begin. It helps clearinghouses and payers understand how the transaction is organized and how it should be processed.

In the 837 Professional transaction, the BHT segment is mandatory and appears once per ST/SE transaction set. Even when multiple claims exist within a single transaction set, there is still only one BHT segment associated with that transaction envelope. However, a single GS/GE functional group may contain multiple ST/SE transaction sets, each with its own separate BHT segment and transaction-level information.

This allows submitters to organize claims into multiple transaction sets within the same functional group, often grouped by payer, billing provider, claim type, or internal batch processing requirements.

Sample 837P (5010) – BHT Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction

> Beginning of Hierarchical Transaction
  • ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*SENDERID       *ZZ*RECEIVERID     *250918*0535*^*00501*000000011*1*P*:~
  • GS*HC*SENDERCODE*RECEIVERCODE*20250918*0535*10022*X*005010X222A1~
    • ST*837*0001*005010X222A1~
    • BHT*0019*00*0001*20250918*0535*CH~
    • ... (submitter, receiver, billing provider, subscriber, and claim detail segments) ...
    • SE*39*0001~
    GE*1*10022~
  • IEA*1*000000011~

In this example:

  • BHT01 contains the Hierarchical Structure Code (0019) indicating an information source, subscriber, dependent hierarchical structure.
  • BHT02 identifies the Transaction Set Purpose Code (00) indicating an original transaction.
  • BHT03 contains the Submitter Transaction Identifier, which is assigned by the sender for tracking purposes.
  • BHT04 and BHT05 contain the transaction creation date and time.
  • BHT06 identifies the Claim or Encounter Identifier. For professional claims, this is typically CH.

Reminder: The BHT segment establishes transaction-level processing information used throughout the 837 file. Invalid structure codes, incorrect purpose codes, or improperly formatted date/time values may result in transaction rejection by the clearinghouse or payer.

HIPAA Guide – 837P [5010]

[Mandatory]

Segment Field Name Definition
BHT 01 Hierarchical Structure Code Identifies the hierarchical structure of the transaction.
Code Definition
0019 Information Source, Subscriber, Dependent
BHT 02 Transaction Set Purpose Code Identifies the purpose of the transaction.
Code Definition
00 Original
18 Reissue
BHT 03 Originator Application Transaction Identifier Unique identifier assigned by the submitter to identify the transaction set.
Recommendation: Because the BHT segment exists once per ST/SE transaction set, many implementations reuse the ST02 Transaction Set Control Number as the value for BHT03. This helps maintain transaction-level traceability and simplifies troubleshooting and reconciliation.
BHT 04 Transaction Set Creation Date Date the transaction set was created in CCYYMMDD format.
BHT 05 Transaction Set Creation Time Time the transaction set was created in HHMM format.
BHT 06 Claim or Encounter Identifier Identifies the type of transaction.
Code Definition
CH Chargeable
RP Reporting - Encounter/Non Adjudication of a Claim
Important: The values within the BHT segment are commonly used for transaction tracking, auditing, batch management, and clearinghouse validation.

Note: Each ST/SE transaction set contains a single BHT segment used to identify and track that transaction within the 837 file.

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