How to make your IVANS Medicare Submissions Less Painful

FISS, IVANS, whatever you call it, Medicare submissions don't seem to go as well as we would hope.  Slow often doesn't begin to describe the process.  It seems like the PasyDES (also known as Passport IP) just won't work.  It won't connect.  It hangs.  It . . . doesn't work.

First up, if you haven't already, get a VPN account and use the VPN connection  - see my previous post on this subject.  Alright, everyone's using the VPN?  Great - next, check that you have the latest AT&T Global Network Client.  OK, now that you're ducks are in a row, let's figure out which servers actually work.

1. Connect to AT&T and wait for Passport IP to open.  
2. Hit Escape and abort the connection attempt.
3. Go to Start -> Run -> and type cmd and click OK.  A command prompt will open.
4. Now ping the 1st Chicago server by typing ping 204.146.91.80 and then pressing enter.
5. Do you get a reply, or does it time out?  If it times out, you can try the next IP.  If it replies, congrats, you have a working server  - make a note of it and keep on trying until you get a second one.

Here are the server IP ranges:

 Chicago: 204.146.91.80 - .88

 Los Angeles: 204.146.91.148 - .154

 New York: 204.146.91.50 - .58

Don't give up until you have two of them!  Enter your two addresses into the Connection Setup window, and enjoy a connection that works!  If it begins to behave badly, you can repeat the process and find another working server.  Happy submitting!
Update 26-Aug-10
Ivans is doing away with the Passport IP system and is instead opting for a system called Lime.  They've used Blue Zone for a while, and the users have really liked it, so Ivans has repackaged Blue Zone in a Web interface and is calling it Lime - you may already be able to use it.
Connect with your AT&T Global Client (Ivans Connect), open you web browser then visit https://limecportal.ivans.com.  When prompted input your user ID and password - if it proceeds you know you have it.  If it doesn't work, call Ivans (or even better go to their Support Chat) and get a new contract.