Northstar Payer Ops Determination

Northstar payer-operations structured determination

You are handed one payer-operations work item and must return a single JSON object that exactly matches the task's answer_template.json. Every task in this family follows the same shape: read two payload files, pull the relevant records from a shared read-only environment, apply the decision rules for the item's family, and serialize the result.

The final numeric/enum values are case-specific — never carry values between tasks. This skill gives you the procedure and decision rules, not answers.

Step 1 — Read the contract before touching the network

Read both payload files first:

• input/payloads/task_context.json — gives the target business id (target_business_id / target.claim_id / business_id / queue_row_ids), the reporting_date (a.k.a. request_date / memo_date — this is "today" for every deadline and effective-date test), the service_domain/work_type, and any memo with explicit rules (e.g. a stated appeal window, a threshold, an ordered list of row ids).
• input/payloads/answer_template.json — the strict output contract. Extract, verbatim: the required_top_level_fields, every enum/choices list, each field's ordering rule, numeric precision, and null-vs-empty conventions. Treat additional_fields_allowed: false as prohibiting any extra key. Do not invent keys or enum values that are not listed.

Identify the task family from the target id prefix / request_type / service_domain (see references/task_families.md). The families are: UM nurse determination, pharmacy appeal + assistance, payment-integrity repricing, peer-to-peer close-out, finance margin queue.

Step 2 — Resolve environment access

The base URL in the payloads is a <TASK_ENV_BASE_URL> placeholder. Get the real connection details from environment_access.md (the only sanctioned source of network config), which supplies:

• the base URL (e.g. GDPEVO_ENV_BASE_URL=...),
• the bearer token and the exact Authorization: Bearer <token> header,
• the allow-listed endpoints.

Use only the listed endpoints and only that token. Do not read the environment's source files, generated data, SQLite/db files, manifests, or setup scripts — several prompts forbid it explicitly. The environment is read-only (writes are rejected); treat it as the single source of truth over any stale local copy.

Step 3 — Pull the records

Two interchangeable access paths (see references/data_model.md for the full schema):

• SQL — POST /sql/query with JSON body {"sql": "<SELECT ...>"}. The body key is sql (not query). Only SELECT / WITH / PRAGMA table_info run; results come back as {"columns":[...],"rows":[...],"row_count":N,"max_rows":500} (cap 500 rows — filter/paginate). Start with GET /api/tables (or PRAGMA table_info) to confirm columns before querying.
• REST — GET /api/cases/{case_id} returns a bundle (case + criteria with result and result_if_missing, authorizations, appeals, assistance_screen, claims). Also GET /api/cases, /api/policies[/{id}], /api/documents/{id}, /api/appeals, /api/rate-schedules, /api/portal.

Pull the target record and every related record the answer template references: request or claim lines, policy + policy_criteria, case_criteria, documents + document_facts, authorizations, appeals, assistance_screen, drug_trials, p2p_events, payment_benchmarks, service_margin, members/plans. Query by the exact target id — the environment also contains -TE- (test) and -D- (distractor) rows; never let a distractor row leak into an answer.

Step 4 — Apply the family decision rules

Follow references/task_families.md for the family you identified. Recurring principles that hold across all families:

• The environment usually records the graded result — case_criteria.result, authorizations.status/denial_reason, appeals.appeal_path/outcome, p2p_events.outcome/final_status, assistance_screen.assistance_status. Read those directly and cross-check them against the underlying facts; don't re-derive a grade the data already states.
• Current clinical records beat stale exports. documents.is_current = 1 are evidence; is_current = 0 (stale_export / legacy) are excluded. For rate schedules, the controlling benchmark is the one whose [effective_start, effective_end] window contains the service date and whose payer + plan_type + cpt_code + modifier + service_domain all match; expired/legacy schedules are the stale source you reject, and mismatched "Distractor" schedules simply don't match.
• Map to the template's vocabulary. Translate raw statuses into the exact enum the answer_template allows (e.g. all required criteria met → an "approve"/"approved" family of values; a not_met criterion whose result_if_missing = deny → an adverse/deny family; a gap whose result_if_missing = pend → a pend/request-information family).

Step 5 — Build basis_audit (present in every template, identical shape)

Four keys: source_precedence, controlling_record_ids, exception_record_ids, precedence_record_order.

• source_precedence — pick the one enum value that names your family's governing rule (mapping in references/output_contract.md).
• controlling_record_ids — the environment record ids that directly determine the result, in operational evidence order (the current documents / effective benchmark / graded criteria / disposition record that drove the outcome).
• exception_record_ids — the gap/exception records, in gap order: criteria or route gaps before stale or excluded records (missing-evidence criteria, then stale/expired/excluded document or schedule ids, charge-sensitive rows, etc.).
• precedence_record_order — the controlling and exception ids merged and re-sorted by source-precedence priority, highest first.

Use real record ids drawn from the environment, not invented ones.

Step 6 — Serialize and self-check

Emit JSON only — no markdown, prose, or comments around it. Before returning, verify against references/output_contract.md: every required key present, no extra keys when disallowed, every enum value in-list, every list ordered exactly as specified (ascending id / ascending CPT / alphabetical enum / claim-line order / the memo's row-id order), numbers at the required precision (currency to cents), and null (not "" or []) used only where the template says a value may be absent.

See the references/ files for the full data model, per-family recipes, and the output contract details.