July 31, 2019
There are important changes to the preservice appeals process for your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) patients enrolled in BCBSOK’s Medicare programs.
Beginning November 1, 2019 eviCore healthcare (eviCore), an independent medical benefits management company, will no longer administer the appeals for denied and partially denied Medicare prior authorization requests. BCBSOK will assume responsibility for conducting the preservice appeals process, from preservice appeal intake the appeal determination. Evictors, however, will continue its role in administering the initial determination of prior authorization requests.
Note: The medical policies being used for preservice appeal reviews will not change. Remember when submitting a preservice appeal to always follow the directions included within the denial letter.
These changes are designed to streamline workflows and lead to an improved member and provider experience.
Use Availity® or your preferred vendor to check eligibility and benefits to determine if you are in-network for your patient and if prior authorization or prenotification is required. Refer to “Eligibility and Benefits” on the provider website for more information on Availity. You can also refer to the Clinical Resources / Prior authorization page on bcbsok.com/provider for assistance.
Use iExchange® for other services requiring prior authorization through BCBSOK. More information on iExchange or instructions on how to set up an iExchange account, can be found on the bcbsok.com/provider website under the provider tools/iExchange.
Payment may be denied if procedures are performed without authorization. If this happens, you may not bill your patients.
As a reminder, it is important to check eligibility and benefits prior to rendering services. This step will help you determine if benefit preauthorization is required for a particular member. For additional information, such as definitions and links to helpful resources, refer to the Eligibility and Benefits section on BCBSOK’s provider website.
Please note that verification of eligibility and benefits, and/or the fact that a service or treatment has been preauthorized or predetermined for benefits is not a guarantee of payment. Benefits will be determined once a claim is received and will be based upon, among other things, the member’s eligibility and the terms of the member’s certificate of coverage applicable on the date services were rendered. If you have questions, contact the number on the member’s ID card.
eviCore healthcare is an independent specialty medical benefits management company that provides utilization management services for BCBSOK. eviCore is wholly responsible for its own products and services. BCBSOK makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding any products or services provided by eviCore.
Availity is a trademark of Availity, L.L.C., a separate company that operates a health information network to provide electronic information exchange services to medical professionals. Availity provides administrative services to BCBSOK.
iExchange is a trademark of Medecision, Inc., a separate company that offers collaborative health care management solutions for payers and providers.
BCBSOK makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding any products or services offered by Availity, eviCore, AIM or Medecision. The vendors are solely responsible for the products or services they offer. If you have any questions regarding any of the products or services they offer, you should contact the vendor(s) directly.