Hi Matt,
It's possible and I've done it. The problem with using Crystal Reports to do this your report must fit within the boxes properly otherwise your clearinghouse/insurance will reject it. The version I created could be printed to a plain Text or onto an actual HCFA form. I have to customize the spacing for each of my clients and test on the form. Each line and character has to match up almost precisely.
If your client orders new forms, it has to be aligned again because no 2 printing batches are exactly a like. I've tried underlaying an image of the CMS1500 on the report but in order for that, you have to be approved to generate the form. Using the proper shade of red, etc. Also have to have the back side printed so now it has to be 2 pages instead of 1.
So we settled with just the plain text, which some clearinghouses accepted and are able to map, and the printable version.
FYI, it took over a year to create the report because of the specifics of the different insurances and regions. It would be nice to have a "standard" for the form but we found all insurances want different things.
The major stumbling block I can see is formatting the Header and Footers. Because you can have only 6 procedures per page, you need to make sure the header and footers do not creep up or down. I had to create a formula to that would add blank rows if there were less than 6 procedures. If there are more than 6 procedures, then it has to generate a second form.
Because you want to use a subreport, you'll need to handle this in the group header and footer.
Good luck,
Brian
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