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Provider Search

Here are some resources for locating an appropriate practitioner or provider when making a referral or authorization request.

e-referral Provider Search feature — Within the e-referral tool, you can search by provider name or national provider identifier. When you have a member selected and then go to select a provider, the system will indicate if the provider is "in" or "out" of network for that member. For more information, see:

e-referral User Guide (PDF)

Online provider search — bcbsm.com has an online provider search that allows you to look for affiliated providers by first selecting the member's Blue Cross or BCN product and then viewing the network choices by type of care and location. More detailed searches are possible by clicking on More Search Options. Once you have located the provider, you need to log in to e-referral to submit the referral request using the provider's name or NPI.

Online provider search

Referrals to the University of Michigan Health System and Henry Ford Health System — Referrals to these two health systems require using specialty group NPIs rather than referring to an individual practitioner.

Specialty Group NPIs (for referrals) (PDF)

Referrals to a hospital — When issuing a referral or outpatient authorization for a hospital, referring providers should enter the facility NPI in the e-referral Servicing Facility ID field.

Hospital NPIs (for medical referrals/authorizations) (PDF)

To ensure continued access for current e-referral users

You must login at least once every 180 days to keep you user ID active. If your user ID is not working, fax a request on company letterhead to 1-800-495-0812 asking for the ID to be reconnected. Include the user ID, your name and email address, and have it signed by the authorized individual in the office. For additional help, please call the Web Support Help Desk at 1-877-258-3932.

To sign up as a new e-referral user

Each prospective e-referral user must have a Provider Secured Services ID (sometimes referred to as a web-DENIS ID) and password to use the e-referral application.

If your office has access to Provider Secured Services but not e-referral, complete the appropriate Secured Access Application below — either Facility or Professional — and fax or mail the completed form to the fax number or address listed on the form. You do not need to complete the Use and Protection Agreement, because you previously completed the agreement to obtain access to Provider Secured Services.
If you don't currently have access to Provider Secured Services, follow the instructions below for your provider type to get access to e-referral:

Professional providers

Download the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) and complete the required fields on pages 2 and 3. Make sure you check the box on page 3 in the "e-referral" column next to the name of each person requesting e-referral access.
Download the Use and Protection Agreement (PDF) and complete the required fields.
Fax or mail the completed forms to the fax number or address listed on the forms.

Facility providers

Download the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) and complete the required fields on pages 2 and 3. Make sure you check the box on page 3 in the "e-referral" column next to the name of each person requesting e-referral access.
Non-hospital facilities should complete the Use and Protection Agreement (PDF)
Fax or mail the completed forms to the fax number or address listed on the forms.

Billing services

Download the Billing Service Secured Access Application (PDF) and complete the required fields. Make sure you check the box in the "e-referral Access (BCN only)" column next to the name of each person requesting e-referral access.
Download the Use and Protection Agreement (PDF) and complete the required fields.
Fax or mail the completed forms to the fax number or address listed on the forms.

To reassign a Provider Secured Services ID or deactivate an ID (for provider offices that currently have e-referral access but have had staff changes and need to reassign or deactivate a user ID)

If your office already has access to e-referral and one of the staff has left and you would like to reassign the ID please follow the instructions for reassignment (PDF).
If you would like to deactivate a Provider Secured Service ID please follow the instructions for deactivation.

To add or remove providers from the office or facility (for current e-referral users that need to add or remove practitioners from the scope of the user's access)

If your office already has access to e-referral and you have new providers on staff, please fill out the applicable form below.

To add or remove providers from the professional or facility's existing e-referral access, complete the e-referral Request for Group ID Changes (PDF).
To add or remove providers from the billing service's existing e-referral access, complete the e-referral Request for Group ID Changes for Billing Services and Service Bureaus (PDF).

News Archive

This archive contains messages that were previously posted in the e-referral News section. The content of these articles includes technical system issues that have been resolved or information that is now part of the regular Blue Care Network referral process.

BCN Care Management provider call volumes high

BCN Care Management is experiencing high call volumes. To avoid waiting on the phone line, providers should use BCN's e-referral system to submit or check the status of referrals or requests for clinical review. We encourage providers to call the Medical Information Specialist line at 1-800-392-2512 with urgent requests only.

How to access e-referral with Internet Explorer ^® 11

Some provider offices have recently upgraded their computers to Internet Explorer version 11. If you are using Internet Explorer 11 and you receive a message that you cannot use e-referral when you try to access the system, please follow these steps (PDF).

Updated BCN provider affiliations codes on e-referral

When using the e-referral Provider Search feature, results will include a Provider Network column with a list of provider affiliation codes. Specific BCN networks are associated with these codes, for example U = University of Michigan/U-M Premier Care/GradCare. Find the latest codes and networks (PDF).

Blue Care Network announces date for program changes for breast biopsy (excisional)

BCN previously communicated in the Nov.-Dec BCN Provider News, clinical review will be required for breast biopsy (excisional) and CCTA for BCN commercial and BCN Advantage HMO-POS ^SM and BCN Advantage HMO ^SM members effective Jan. 1, 2014. The effective date of these changes will be Jan. 6, 2014.

Blue Care Network announces date for program changes for contrast-enhanced computed tomography angiography of the heart and/or coronary arteries (CTA, CCTA)

BCN previously communicated in the Nov.-Dec BCN Provider News, clinical review will be required for a CTA or CCTA for BCN commercial and HMO-POS ^SM and BCN Advantage HMO ^SM members effective Feb. 1, 2014. The effective date of these changes will be Feb. 3, 2014.

Blue Care Network offers Behavioral Health informational webinars

Blue Care Network invites you to attend a webinar for outpatient behavioral health clinics, individual behavioral health providers and provider groups.

The webinars are scheduled for the following dates, with two sessions available each day:

December 2
December 3
December 4
December 6

Each day, there will be a morning session from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and an afternoon session from 3 to 4:30 p.m. To RSVP, download the invitation (PDF) and follow the directions at the bottom of the form.

For more information, please contact Christina Caldwell at 734-332-2949.

Determining medical necessity for BCN Advantage members: inpatient vs. observation stays

When BCN Advantage^SM members are admitted for inpatient care, the process that is used to determine whether their stay is medically necessary is different than the process Original Medicare uses.

Here are some guidelines that clarify how BCN Advantage determines medical necessity:

BCN Advantage uses InterQual^® criteria and BCN-developed Local Rules to make determinations of medical necessity for all BCN Advantage members.
BCN Advantage does not require physician certification of inpatient status to ensure that a member's inpatient admission is reasonable and necessary. For Original Medicare patients, however, this certification is mandated in the Original Medicare rule found in the Code of Federal Regulations, under 42 CFR Part 424 subpart B and 42 CFR 412.3.
When the application of InterQual criteria or BCN-developed Local Rules results in a BCN Advantage member's inpatient admission being changed to observation status, you should bill all services as observation (including all charges); you should not bill the services as ancillary only (TOB 0121).
The BCN Advantage clinical review process, as outlined in the Care Management and BCN Advantage chapters of the Blue Care Network Provider Manual, takes precedence over the Original Medicare coverage determination process. This applies to requests related to any inpatient vs. observation stay, including a denied inpatient stay billed as observation, inpatient-only procedures and the "two midnight" rule.

Additional information about InterQual criteria is available in the Care Management and BCN Advantage chapters of the Blue Care Network Provider Manual.

Enter to win a $250 gift certificate — Take the 2013 Care Management survey

Update: The survey period has now ended. Thank you to those who responded.

Blue Care Network Care Management Services wants to hear from you! How can we improve our services to better meet your needs and those of the BCN members you serve? Please take our online survey for a chance to win one of two $250 gift certificates. Survey responses must be submitted no later than December 31, 2013, to be eligible for the drawing. One entry per person. Winners will be chosen in January 2014. For more information, view the survey flier (PDF).

New questionnaires available for lumbar spine surgery

Effective Nov. 18, 2013, Blue Care Network updated the questionnaires for lumbar spine surgery that require clinical review.

The changes include but are not limited to:

Title changes for two of the lumbar spine surgery questionnaires.
Instructions for the question of whether the service is being performed for a pediatric patient less than 18 years of age to select "yes" and submit without completing the rest of the questionnaire for pediatric patients.
For the lumbar spine surgery questionnaire, trauma clarified as "acute" for questions seven through 10.
The CPT code of 22633 added to the lumbar fusion spine surgery questionnaire.
The CPT code of 22207 removed from requiring prior authorization.

The updated questionnaires are available on the e-referral Clinical Review & Criteria Charts page, under the Medical necessity criteria / benefit review section.

New questionnaires available for arthroscopy of the knee

Effective Nov. 18, 2013, Blue Care Network updated the questionnaires for arthroscopy of the knee that require clinical review.

The changes include but are not limited to:

Reference updates.
Instructions for the question of whether the service is being performed for a pediatric patient less than 18 years of age to select "yes" and submit without completing the rest of the questionnaire for pediatric patients.
For the questionnaire "Arthroscopy of the knee, (surgical), for chondroplasty," question six was updated to remove reference of the finding of crepitus.
For the questionnaire "Arthroscopy of the knee, (surgical), with meniscectomy or meniscus repair," the question related to the finding of a positive McMurray's test was removed.
For the questionnaire "Arthroscopy of the knee (diagnostic) and synovectomy (limited)," a question was added related to the finding of true knee locking.
For the questionnaire "Arthroscopy of the knee, (surgical), with lateral release," two questions were combined into one.

The updated questionnaires are available on the e-referral Clinical Review & Criteria Charts page, under the Medical necessity criteria / benefit review section.

2013 InterQual® acute care criteria take effect November 4

Blue Care Network's Care Management staff will begin using the 2013 McKesson Corporation Interim updates related to InterQual criteria for adult and pediatric care on Nov. 4, 2013, when making determinations on clinical review requests for members with coverage through BCN HMO products, BCN Advantage^SM HMO-POS and BCN Advantage HMO Focus^SM. These criteria apply to inpatient admissions and continued stay discharge readiness.

Other 2013 InterQual criteria were implemented beginning July 1, 2013. Changes to BCN's Local Rules were also implemented July 1.

You can find additional information about these criteria updates in the July-August 2013 issue of the BCN Provider News, on page 27.

Reminder: Blue Cross Complete member authorizations must now go through NaviNet

Effective September 1, 2013, all Blue Cross Complete member authorization requests must go through NaviNet. If you try to submit a request for a Blue Cross Complete patient in e-referral, you will see an error message in red near the top of the screen and your request will not be saved or authorized. For more information, please review the Blue Cross Complete Provider News (PDF) found on MiBlueCrossComplete.com/providers.

Blue Cross Complete authorization requests must go through NaviNet beginning September 1

Blue Cross Complete (Medicaid) member authorization requests can be entered into e-referral until midnight on August 31, 2013. Effective September 1, Blue Cross Complete member authorization requests must go through NaviNet. Users entering information into e-referral for Blue Cross Complete patients after August 31 will see an error message redirecting them to NaviNet and their information will not be saved or authorized in e-referral. For more information, please review the Blue Cross Complete Provider News found on MiBlueCrossComplete.com/providers.

Blue Care Network announces date for sleep management program changes

Clinical review is required for BCN commercial, BCN Advantage HMO-POS^SM and BCN Advantage HMO^SM members for all home, outpatient facility and clinic-based sleep studies. BCN previously announced that a non-diagnostic home sleep study will be required to be considered for coverage of a sleep study in the outpatient facility or clinic for adult members with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea without certain other comorbid conditions. The effective date of these changes will be August 5, 2013.

Blue Care Network announces questionnaire changes effective August 5

Blue Care Network is updating two questionnaires for procedures that require prior authorization. Updated questionnaires will be in effect August 5, 2013, for the following procedures:

Varicose Vein Treatment (Ligation, Stripping and Echosclerotherapy)
Endometrial Ablation

Updated sample questionnaires will be available by the effective date at ereferrals.bcbsm.com. Click on Clinical Review & Criteria Charts and look under Medical necessity criteria/benefit review requirements.

Lumbar spine surgery questionnaire updated effective July 29, 2013

Effective July 29, 2013, the procedure code *62287 will be removed from the lumbar spine questionnaire titled Lumbar Discectomy / Hemilaminectomy with or without Discectomy/Foraminotomy. However, prior authorization is still required for this procedure, which is considered experimental and investigational.

Blue Cross Complete announces changes effective August 1

Important changes are taking place August 1, 2013, that will affect how providers do business with Blue Cross Complete. These changes involve Blue Cross Complete claims, electronic payments, medical and pharmacy authorizations, some of the systems providers use and the phone numbers they call. We're making these changes because we want to make it easier for providers to do business with us as we prepare to grow as a Michigan Medicaid health plan and respond to changes that are coming with National Health Care Reform.

To announce these changes, we've created a special print publication called Blue Cross Complete Provider News. This publication was mailed June 25, 2013, to all contracted Blue Cross Complete providers.

Please contact your Blue Cross Complete provider representative for more information.

Blue Care Network announces delay in changes for sleep management

There has been a delay in changes announced previously for outpatient facility and clinic-based sleep studies. Changes were to be effective July 1, 2013. A nondiagnostic home sleep study will be required to be considered for coverage of a sleep study in the outpatient facility or clinic. This applies to adult members with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea without certain other comorbid conditions.

We will communicate an updated effective date in the near future.

Blue Care Network requires clinical review for BCN commercial and BCN AdvantageSM members for all home, outpatient facility and clinic-based sleep studies.

Blue Care Network announces changes for frenulum surgery

Blue Care Network no longer requires clinical review for frenulum surgery, effective July 1, 2013. Please see the BCBSM/BCN medical policy for Frenulum Surgery (Frenumectomy, Frenulectomy, Frenectomy, Frenotomy) for inclusionary and exclusionary guidelines. The medical policy is available on web-DENIS in BCN Provider Publications and Resources on the Medical Policy Manual page.

2013 InterQual^® criteria take effect July 1

Blue Care Network's care management staff uses McKesson Corporation's InterQual criteria when reviewing requests for Blue Care Network and BCN Advantage^SM members. InterQual criteria have been a nationally recognized industry standard for 20 years. Other criteria resources that may be used are BCN medical policies, the member's specific benefit certificate, and clinical review by the BCN medical directors for the most appropriate level of care.

McKesson Corporation's CareEnhance^TM solutions include InterQual clinical decision support tools. McKesson is a leading provider of supply, information and care management products and services designed to manage costs and improve health care quality.

BCN will begin using the following 2013 InterQual criteria on July 1, 2013:

Criteria/Version	Application
InterQual Acute – Adult and Pediatrics Exceptions-local rules	Inpatient admissions Continued stay discharge readiness
InterQual Level of Care - Subacute and Skilled Nursing Facility Exceptions-local rules	Subacute and skilled nursing facility admissions
InterQual Rehabilitation - Adult and Pediatrics Exceptions-local rules	Inpatient admissions Continued stay and discharge readiness
InterQual Level of Care – Long Term Acute Care Exceptions-local rules	Long term acute care facility admissions
InterQual Level of Care – Home Care Exceptions-local rules	Home care requests
InterQual Imaging	Imaging studies and X-rays
InterQual Procedures – Adult and Pediatrics	Surgery and invasive procedures
BCBSM/BCN medical policies	Services that require clinical review for medical necessity
Plan developed imaging criteria	Imaging studies and X-rays

Blue Care Network reimbursement for intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections

Intra-articular HA injections are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for relief of pain in patients 21 years and older with osteoarthritis of the knee who fail treatment with non-pharmacologic and conservative therapies (for example, acetaminophen or NSAIDs). There are currently six IA-HA products available for treatment. Based on current clinical evidence, differences in efficacy and safety between IA-HA preparations have not been demonstrated.

Blue Care Network's current reimbursement for each specific product is as follows:

HCPCS code for billing	Drug	Billing unit/qty	Reimbursement
J7321	Supartz	per dose	$100
J7323	Euflexxa	per dose	$100
J7326	Gel-One	30 mg	$300
J7324	Orthovisc	per dose	$87.5
J7325	Synvisc, One	1mg	$6.25

BCN does not require prior authorization for these drugs. Clinical claims editing will apply to ensure appropriate use, including but not limited to diagnosis, dosing limits and frequency of administration. This does not apply to BCN Advantage^SM and Blue Cross Complete members. Actual payments will be according to contract terms with the provider.

Osteoporosis: Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy — Reclast infusion questionnaire

Bisphosphonates are currently the most predominately prescribed therapy for osteoporosis. Because there is no reliable evidence demonstrating one bisphosphonate is more effective or safe over another, the generic form of Fosamax brings the most value for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

For members who do not have the option of oral therapy, Reclast is available as an intravenous bisphosphonate indicated for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Blue Care Network requires clinical review for all Reclast requests for both BCN commercial and BCN Advantage^SM members to ensure safe and appropriate use of the medication.

Coverage for Reclast requires documentation that adequate trials of oral bisphosphonates (such as generic alendronate) have been ineffective based on objective documentation, not tolerated despite taking it as recommended, or contraindicated.

A new Reclast questionnaire (PDF) has been placed on the e-referral website to allow for efficient processing of requests. When requesting authorizations for Reclast on e-referral, the system will prompt the submitter to complete a questionnaire to determine the appropriateness of the request. If clinical criteria are met, approval will be granted for one visit for Reclast 5mg yearly.

Blue Care Network announces questionnaire update for sleep management

Clinical review is required for Blue Care Network commercial and BCN Advantage^SM members for all home, outpatient facility and clinic-based sleep studies.

Two new sleep study codes for attended sleep studies in children younger than 6 years of age have been added to the Outpatient Treatment Setting Sleep Study Questionnaire. These codes — *95782 and *95783 — will also be reflected in the near future in the updated medical policy for Sleep Disorders, Diagnosis and Medical Management.

Detailed information about BCN's Sleep Management Program is available on the e-referral home page at ereferrals.bcbsm.com. Click on Sleep Management.

Global referrals automatically entered with new BCN minimum requirements effective May 3, 2013

Last fall, we announced changes to the global referral process for Blue Care Network and Blue Cross Complete, effective January 1, 2013.

Global referrals should be written for a minimum of 90 days.
For three chronic conditions — oncology, rheumatology and renal management — global referrals should be written for one year.

We have been manually correcting the end dates of referrals written for less than the required minimum days until system changes were in place.

Effective May 3, 2013, our system automatically corrects referrals that are not written for the 90- and 365-day requirements. If you attempt to enter a referral for less than the minimum requirement, you will receive a warning message and the system will automatically enter the correct minimum.

Radiology management program changes effective May 1, 2013

Updated appropriateness questionnaires for eight high-tech radiology procedures are now available. Click on Radiology Management for information about the Radiology Management program and a list of the updated questionnaires. Scroll down to the Resources section for a link to sample questionnaires for high-tech radiology procedures.

How to access e-referral with Internet Explorer ^® 10 or 11

If you're having issues accessing the new e-referral system, it may be your Internet browser. If you are using Internet Explorer 10 or 11, please follow these steps (PDF).

Blue Distinction Centers^®

Our centers of excellence program is called Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care^®.

The Blue Distinction Specialty Care designation recognizes health care facilities and other providers that demonstrate proven expertise in delivering safe, effective and cost-efficient care for select specialty areas. This program assists consumers in finding quality specialty care nationwide while encouraging health care providers to improve the overall quality and delivery of specialty care.

Blue Distinction Center programs include:

Bariatric surgery
Cardiac care
Cancer care
Cellular immunotherapy (CAR-T)
Fertility care
Gene therapy – ocular disorders
Knee and hip replacements
Maternity care
Spine surgery
Substance use treatment and recovery
Transplants

For more information, refer to:

Hospital Quality page
What is the Blue Distinction program?

More information on bariatric surgery for BCN members is available on the Bariatric Surgery page on this website.

Reminder: Medicare Advantage SNF claims will be denied when PDPM levels don't match the levels naviHealth authorized

Starting with dates of service on Oct. 1, 2019, naviHealth has authorized patient-driven payment methodology levels for skilled nursing facility stays for Medicare Plus Blue^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members. At that time, we communicated that you must include on claims the PDPM levels that naviHealth authorized or risk claim recoveries due to post-service auditing.

Previously, Blue Cross and BCN reviewed paid SNF claims on a quarterly basis to ensure that PDPM levels on claims matched the PDPM levels naviHealth authorized. We pursued payment recoveries when we found overpayments.

Starting in December 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will deny SNF claims when PDPM levels don't match the levels naviHealth authorized.

As a reminder, naviHealth:

Authorizes PDPM levels during the patient's SNF stay (from preservice through discharge) for dates of service on or after Oct. 1, 2019.
Authorizes PDPM levels based on medical necessity review and their proprietary naviHealth Predict functional assessment.
Works with SNFs to ensure billers submit proper PDPM levels for reimbursement.

For more information, see Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions for providers

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Some drugs not payable when administered by a health care professional to Blue Cross and BCN commercial members, starting April 1

For dates of service on or after April 1, 2021, the medications listed in this message will not be payable by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network when administered by a physician or other health care professional.

Currently, these drugs are payable under either the medical benefit or the pharmacy benefit. Starting April 1, these drugs are payable under only the pharmacy benefit.

Reason for the change

The drugs listed in this message can safely and conveniently be self-administered in the member's home and do not require administration by a health care professional.

Drugs affected by this change

Here are the drugs that are subject to this change:

Actimmune^® (interferon gamma-1b), HCPCS code J9216
Akynzeo^® (netupitant / palonosetron), HCPCS code J8655
Arcalyst^® (rilonacept), HCPCS code J2793
Banophen^™ / Ormir^™ / Pharbedryl^™ (diphenhydramine), HCPCS code Q0163
Emend^® (aprepitant), HCPCS code J8501
Imitrex^® (sumatriptan succinate), HCPCS code J3030
Granisetron HCl^® (granisetron hydrochloride), HCPCS code Q0166 / S0091
Marinol^® / Syndros^® (dronabinol), HCPCS code Q0167
Megestrol acetate^®, HCPCS code S0179
Pegasys^® (peginterferon alfa-2a), HCPCS code S0145
Pegintron^® (peginterferon alfa-2b) HCPCS code S0148
Promethazine HCl^® (phenadoz), HCPCS code Q0169
Regranex^® (becaplermin), HCPCS code S0157
Sensipar^® (cinacalcet), HCPCS code J0604
Varubi^® (rolapitant), HCPCS code J8670
Zofran^® / Zuplenz^® (ondansetron), HCPCS code Q0162 / S0119

There are no other changes that apply to the management of these therapies at this time.

Lists of requirements

To view requirements for drugs covered under the pharmacy benefit, see the Blue Cross and BCN Prior authorization and step therapy coverage criteria (PDF) document. This document is available from the following pages on this website:

Blue Cross Pharmacy Benefit Drugs
BCN Pharmacy Benefit Drugs

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see the Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO (commercial) members document.

We'll update the requirements lists with the new information prior to April 1, 2021.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Change: CareCentrix will manage prior authorizations for home health care for Medicare Advantage members for episodes of care starting on or after June 1, 2021

As reported in the December 2020 issue of The Record and in the January-February 2021 issue of BCN Provider News, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network have contracted with CareCentrix^® to manage authorizations for home health care services for Medicare Plus Blue^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members.

We're delaying the date on which CareCentrix will begin managing authorizations. CareCentrix will manage authorizations for home health care services for episodes of care starting on or after June 1, 2021.

For episodes of care that start before June 1, 2021, you don't need to submit prior authorization requests for home health care services.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

December and January holiday closures: How to submit inpatient authorization requests

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed on these dates:

Christmas Eve – Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020
Christmas Day – Friday, Dec. 25, 2020
New Year's Eve – Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020
New Year's Day – Friday, Jan. 1, 2021

Refer to the document Holiday closures: How to submit authorization requests (PDF) for instructions on how to submit authorization requests for inpatient admissions during the closure.

You can access this document on these webpages:

Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page
BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page

Here are the additional upcoming closures that will occur during 2021, so you can plan ahead:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
Good Friday – Friday, April 2, 2021, 2021
Memorial Day – Monday, May 31, 2021
Independence Day – Monday, July 5, 2021
Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 6, 2021
Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021
Day after Thanksgiving – Friday, Nov. 26, 2021
Christmas Holiday – Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021
Christmas Eve – Friday, Dec. 24, 2021
New Year's Holiday – Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021
New Year's Eve – Friday, Dec. 31, 2021

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight Dec. 19-20

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

AIM ProviderPortal out of service for maintenance on Dec. 19

The AIM ProviderPortal will be unavailable from 12:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, while AIM performs standard system maintenance.

The AIM call center won't be open during the maintenance window.

If you contact AIM during this time, they'll ask you to submit authorization requests after the maintenance window ends.

As a reminder, AIM manages the following services:

Select cardiology and radiology services for Blue Cross commercial, Medicare Plus Blue^SM, BCN commercial and BCN Advantage^SM members
Medical oncology and supportive care drugs for UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust PPO non-Medicare members, Medicare Plus Blue members, Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups, BCN commercial members and BCN Advantage members
In-lab sleep studies for Blue Cross commercial and Medicare Plus Blue members
Radiation oncology for UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust PPO non-Medicare members

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

We're expanding access to diabetes monitoring products for commercial members, starting Jan. 1, 2021

Starting Jan. 1, 2021, diabetes monitoring products, such as glucometers and test strips, lancets, continuous glucose monitors and insulin delivery devices, will be added to the pharmacy benefit for Blue Cross commercial and Blue Care Network commercial members.

Members will be able to obtain diabetes monitoring products or supplies through participating pharmacies or through durable medical equipment providers, as outlined below.

Through participating pharmacies

Select glucometers and continuous glucose monitors will be available through members' pharmacy benefit with no cost share.

Other diabetes supplies will be covered according to the drug list for the member's plan; the appropriate pharmacy cost share or copayment will apply.

Glucometers and continuous glucose monitoring products that are available with no cost share include:

OneTouch Verio Reflect^®
OneTouch Verio Flex^®
OneTouch Ultra^® 2
Contour^®
Contour Next
Contour Next One
Contour Next EZ
Dexcom G5^™ receivers and transmitters
Dexcom G6^™ receivers and transmitters

Through durable medical equipment providers

Members can also obtain diabetes monitoring products through a DME provider. The steps to locate DME providers vary depending on a member's plan:

Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups: These members must obtain their diabetes monitoring products through a Northwood, Inc. network provider starting Jan. 1. To find a Northwood network provider, members can do one of the following:
- Log in to their Blue Cross member account (through bcbsm.com or our mobile app) and click on Find a Doctor.
- Go to bcbsm.com/dmesupplies and click on Find a Doctor.
A Northwood icon appears next to each Northwood network provider.
Blue Cross commercial self-funded groups: To find a network provider, members can log in to their secure member account (through bcbsm.com or our mobile app) and click on Find a Doctor.
BCN commercial members: To find a J&B Medical Supply network provider, members can do one of the following:
- Log in to their secure member account (through bcbsm.com or our mobile app) and click on Doctors & Hospitals. They can then click on the durable medical equipment link.
- Call J&B Medical Supply at 1-888-896-6233.

What this change means

This change effects members as follows:

Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups: For these groups and members, we're moving to one provider, Northwood, beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

Starting Jan. 1, if members use a provider in the Northwood network, their medical copayment, cost share, coinsurance or deductible won't change.

However, if members use a provider outside the Northwood network on or after Jan. 1, they may pay a higher copay, cost share, coinsurance or deductible. Members can obtain diabetes supplies and prescriptions from a participating network pharmacy or from a provider through the Northwood network.

Blue Cross commercial self-funded groups: There's no change to how members obtain durable medical equipment. Members can continue to get diabetes supplies from the durable medical equipment provider they're using now under the pharmacy benefit.
BCN commercial members: J&B Medical Supply is the DME provider for BCN commercial members; there won't be a negative effect on members who currently receive diabetes monitoring supplies under the medical benefit. This change simply expands access by allowing members to get diabetes supplies and prescriptions from participating network pharmacies, in addition to the durable medical equipment providers they're using now.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Update: Starting March 1, changes coming to site-of-care-requirements for Blue Cross commercial and BCN commercial pediatric members

This message was originally posted on Dec. 1, 2020. On Dec. 8, we updated this message to correct the date through which pediatric members who begin therapy at a hospital outpatient location before March 1 are authorized to continue treatment at the current location.

Beginning March 1, 2021, site-of-care exemptions will no longer apply to pediatric Blue Cross commercial members and pediatric Blue Care Network commercial members for some drugs covered under the medical benefit.

This means all drugs that have site-of-care requirements for adult commercial members will have the same site-of-care requirements for pediatric commercial members starting March 1.

For these drugs:

Pediatric members who begin therapy at a hospital outpatient location before March 1 are authorized to continue treatment at the current location through Aug. 31, 2021. This will provide continuity of care and give members time to work with their providers during the transition period.
Pediatric members who begin therapy on or after March 1 must have an authorization that includes a site-of-care approval. Members should talk to their doctors before March 1 to arrange to receive infusion services at one of the following locations:
- Doctor's office or other health care provider's office
- Ambulatory infusion center
- The member's home
- Pediatric members who begin therapy on or after March 1 will be authorized to receive the first dose at a hospital outpatient facility.
- If a member requires treatment in a hospital outpatient setting, the provider must submit clinical documentation to establish medical necessity; the plan will review the documentation and make a determination.

Definition of pediatric members

Pediatric members are defined as one of the following:

15 years old or younger, regardless of weight
16 through 18 years old who weigh 50 kg or less

More about the authorization requirements

These authorization requirements apply only to groups that currently participate in the commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit.
Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests through the NovoLogix^® online tool. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

To learn how to submit requests through NovoLogix, do the following:

For BCN commercial members: Click BCN and then click Medical Benefit Drugs. In the BCN HMO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.
For Blue Cross commercial members: Click Blue Cross and then click Medical Benefit Drugs. In the Blue Cross PPO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.

Lists of requirements

To view requirements for these drugs, see the following drug lists:

Standard commercial medical drug program: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO (commercial) members (PDF) document
UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members: Medical Drug Management with Blue Cross for UAW Retiree Medical Benefit Trust PPO non-Medicare members (PDF)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program^® non-Medicare members: Utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program^® non-Medicare members (PDF)

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Reminder: TurningPoint musculoskeletal authorization program expanding in January

Starting Dec. 1, 2020, you can submit prior authorization requests to TurningPoint for orthopedic, pain management and spinal surgical procedures with dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021, for all of the following groups and individual members:

Blue Cross commercial - All fully insured groups, select self-funded groups and members with individual coverage
Medicare Plus Blue^SM - All groups and all members with individual coverage
BCN commercial - All fully insured groups, all self-funded groups and all members with individual coverage
BCN Advantage^SM - All groups and all members with individual coverage

For information about submitting authorization requests to TurningPoint, see "How do I submit authorization requests to TurningPoint" section of the Musculoskeletal procedure authorizations: Frequently asked questions for providers (PDF) document.

Spinal surgical and pain management authorizations transition from eviCore to TurningPoint

For dates of service before Jan. 1, 2021, eviCore healthcare^® manages:

Lumbar spine surgery authorizations for Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups, Blue Cross commercial members with individual coverage and Medicare Plus Blue
Pain management procedures for the groups and individual members listed at the top of this message

eviCore will accept retroactive authorization requests through April 30, 2021.

Training

Professional provider, facility and portal training webinars are available through mid-January. See the "TurningPoint musculoskeletal authorization program to expand in January" article in the November issue of The Record or on page 46 of the November-December issue of BCN Provider News (PDF).

More information

For more information about TurningPoint, see the following pages of this website:

Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services
BCN Musculoskeletal Services

To view the lists of codes for which TurningPoint manages authorizations, see the Musculoskeletal procedure codes that require authorization by TurningPoint (PDF) document.

For detailed information, see the Musculoskeletal procedure authorizations: Frequently asked questions for providers (PDF) document.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Waste avoidance program expansion starting March 1, 2021, for commercial members

To minimize drug waste, reduce unnecessary drug exposure and decrease the risk of adverse events, we're expanding our waste avoidance program to include additional drugs, effective March 1, 2021.

This change affects Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan commercial and Blue Care Network commercial members who receive these drugs:

Onpattro^®, HCPCS code J0222
Orencia^®,* HCPCS code J0129
Stelara^®, HCPCS code J3357
Stelara IV^®,* HCPCS code J3358
Soliris^®, HCPCS code J1300
Ultomiris^®, HCPCS code J1303

*In addition to Blue Cross commercial and BCN commercial members, the dosing strategy change for this drug applies to UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members.

When this change takes effect, dosing for these therapies will be based on weight and will be specific to:

The dosing guidelines of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and the manufacturer
Current medical best practices

This change will apply to members who start therapy and members whose authorizations are renewed on or after March 1. Members whose current authorizations for these drugs extend past March 1, 2021, can continue at their current dose until their authorization expires.

Members NOT affected by this change

This change doesn't apply to:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program^® members
BCN Advantage^SM members
Medicare Plus Blue^SM members

Lists of requirements

To view the requirements for these drugs, see the following drug lists:

Standard commercial medical drug program: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO (commercial) members (PDF) document
UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members: Medical Drug Management with Blue Cross for UAW Retiree Medical Benefit Trust PPO non-Medicare members (PDF)
FEP non-Medicare members: Utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program^® non-Medicare members (PDF)

We'll update these drug lists with this information about the change in dosing strategy prior to March 1.

Posted: December 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Peer-to-peer review request process to change Jan. 4 for inpatient medical hospital admissions

Effective Jan. 4, 2021, the process for requesting peer-to-peer reviews for inpatient medical hospital admissions will change. Here are the changes that go into effect on that date:

For Medicare Plus Blue^SM members, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will no longer accept peer-to-peer requests related to inpatient medical hospital admission denials.

Instead, facilities are encouraged to follow the two-level provider appeal process for Medicare Plus Blue to reevaluate the denial decision on an inpatient admission request. See the "Contracted MI Provider Acute Inpatient Admission Appeals" section in the Medicare Plus Blue PPO Manual (PDF).

For our Blue Care Network commercial, BCN Advantage^SM and Blue Cross commercial members, we'll still accept peer-to-peer review requests. However, facilities must submit these requests within seven days of the date the initial authorization request was denied.

We're updating documents

We're updating the document titled How to request a peer-to-peer review with a Blue Cross or BCN medical director (PDF) to reflect the changes in the process for all lines of business.

The updated document will be available starting Jan. 4 on these webpages:

BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria webpage - Look under the Referral and authorization information heading
Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria webpage - Located in both the Blue Cross PPO and Medicare Plus Blue PPO sections of the page

We're also updating the provider manuals to reflect the changes related to peer-to-peer-review request.

Guidelines for submitting clinical information

Follow these guidelines when submitting prior authorization requests for inpatient hospital admissions:

Submit the request once the clinical documentation meets InterQual^® criteria.
If InterQual criteria is not met, submit all the clinical documentation needed to support the medical necessity of the admission.

If a request is pended for clinical review, our clinicians will use the clinical information you've submitted to support a medical necessity determination.

How to expedite review of the authorization request

Here are some things you can do to expedite review of the authorization request and possibly avoid the need to request a peer-to-peer review:

Attach all pertinent clinical information from the medical record to the authorization request to validate that an inpatient setting is appropriate.
Submit only requests that have a complete set of clinical information.
Clinical documentation must include:
- The InterQual^® criteria subset you used to support the decision for inpatient admission
- The pertinent clinical information that validates the InterQual criteria points that are met
- The procedure code from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services inpatient surgical list you used to support the decision for an inpatient admission

Posted: November 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Clinical review requirements suspended until further notice for certain hospitals at higher inpatient bed occupancy

Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are temporarily suspending clinical review requirements for all non-elective medical cases for those hospitals most impacted by the pandemic.

Effective Nov. 25, 2020, and until further notice, the following changes apply to Michigan hospitals with a bed occupancy of 85% or higher*. These changes apply to all lines of business, including Blue Cross commercial, Blue Care Network commercial, Medicare Plus Blue^SM and BCN Advantage^SM:

Clinical review requirements for all non-elective medical cases will be suspended in hospitals with inpatient bed occupancy at 85% or higher.
*Blue Cross and BCN are evaluating hospital occupancy each Wednesday based on the previous week's data from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. This information can be found on the Statewide Available PPE and Bed Tracking webpage** on the Michigan.gov website (see the Patient Census chart at the bottom). Non-elective medical cases will auto-approve beginning on the Monday following Blue Cross and BCN's evaluation. Once a hospital falls below the 85% bed occupancy rate for three consecutive weeks, non-elective medical cases will no longer auto-approve. Please see the Temporary suspension of clinical review requirements document for hospitals who have the clinical review requirements suspended each week. This document can be found within Provider Secured Services by clicking Coronavirus (COVID-19). It is posted under the Utilization management section.
Admissions to skilled nursing facilities from the hospitals that qualify for accommodations based on bed occupancy will auto-approve the first three days.
Long-term acute care hospital and inpatient rehabilitation facility admissions from the hospitals who qualify for accommodations based on bed occupancy will receive expedited processing with most decisions made within two hours of the request for discharge during normal business hours. Clinical review is still required.

Note:

Non-elective admissions with suspended clinical review may be subject to a future audit.
Hospitals and facilities that qualify for accommodations based on bed occupancy must still submit a plan notification, so an authorization is in our system when we receive the claim. A plan notification is a request for authorization submitted through e-referral for which no clinical documentation is required.
Hospitals are encouraged to submit plan notifications through the e-referral system.
Skilled nursing facilities that receive an admission from a hospital that qualifies for accommodations based on bed occupancy are not required to submit clinical documentation until the continued stay review, starting on the fourth day of stay.
These changes do not apply to elective procedures or outpatient services. All other prior authorization requirements continue.
These temporary changes do not apply to FlexLink^® groups for which a third-party administrator makes authorization determinations. Facilities should check the back of the member's ID card to determine whether a third-party administrator needs to be contacted prior to an admission.

**Clicking this link means that you're leaving the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network website. While we recommend this site, we're required to let you know we're not responsible for its content.

Posted: November 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Nov. 26-27 holiday closure: How to submit inpatient authorization requests

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on these dates:

Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020
Friday, Nov. 27, 2020

Refer to the document Holiday closures: How to submit authorization requests (PDF) for instructions on how to submit authorization requests for inpatient admissions during the closure.

You can access this document on this website, on these webpages:

Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page
BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page

Here are the additional upcoming closures that will occur during 2020, so you can plan ahead:

Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31

Posted: November 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight Nov. 21-22

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: November 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Accessing the TurningPoint Provider Portal, registering for training and other important information

TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions LLC is expanding its surgical quality and safety management program for dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021.

This expansion affects all Blue Cross' PPO fully insured groups, select Blue Cross' PPO administrative service contract groups, all Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO members, all BCN HMO^SM members and all BCN Advantage^SM members.

We recently published newsletter articles that include information about:

The procedures that are affected by the TurningPoint program expansion
Accessing the TurningPoint Provider Portal
Submitting retrospective authorization requests for procedure codes for which authorization management will transition from eviCore healthcare^® or Medicare Plus Blue Utilization Management to TurningPoint
Registering for webinar training sessions

You can view the articles here:

TurningPoint musculoskeletal authorization program to expand in January (PDF) — on page 46 of the November-December issue of BCN Provider News
TurningPoint musculoskeletal authorization program to expand in January — in the November 2020 issue of The Record

In addition, we updated the following pages of this website and the documents to which these pages link for the changes that are coming on Jan. 1:

Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services
BCN Musculoskeletal Services

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Nov. 3 holiday closure: How to submit inpatient authorization requests

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for Election Day.

Refer to the document Holiday closures: How to submit authorization requests (PDF) for instructions on how to submit authorization requests for inpatient admissions during the closure.

You can access this document on this website, on these webpages:

Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page
BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page

Here are the additional upcoming closures that will occur during 2020, so you can plan ahead:

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26
Day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 27
Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Prior authorization requests for outpatient CAR-T therapy drugs for Medicare Advantage members

For dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021, outpatient CAR-T therapy drugs such as Yescarta^®, Kymriah^® and Tecartus^™ will be managed by Blue Cross or BCN under the medical benefit for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members. For dates of service prior to Jan. 1, 2021, CAR-T cell therapy is covered under Original Medicare.

You must submit prior authorization requests for outpatient CAR-T therapy drugs before providing the service.

Submit prior authorization requests, including all relevant clinical documentation, using one of these methods:

Enter the request in the NovoLogix^® online tool. For more information about entering requesting in NovoLogix, see the "NovoLogix" section below.
Fax the request to the Pharmacy Part B help desk at 1-866-392-6465.

Note: Prior authorization for CAR-T drugs is NOT managed by AIM Specialty Health^®.

If you have questions about this, please message us at MASRX@bcbsm.com.

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for all outpatient places of service when you bill these medications as a professional service or as an outpatient facility service:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

NovoLogix

For these types of drugs, submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications. If you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF).

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight Oct. 17-18

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Skyrizi^® and Tegsedi^® will be covered under the pharmacy benefit for Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM members, effective Oct. 8, 2020

We're changing how we cover Skyrizi and Tegsedi for our Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO (commercial) members.

Beginning Oct. 8, 2020, Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO plans will no longer cover the following medications under the medical benefit. Instead, they'll be covered under the pharmacy benefit.

Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa), HCPCS codes C9399, J3590
Tegsedi (inotersen), HCPCS codes C9399, J3490

Coverage for these drugs is moving to the pharmacy benefit because the drugs can be safely and conveniently self-administered in the member's home.

These drugs will continue to require prior authorization and are available through pharmacies that dispense specialty drugs, including AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Specialty Pharmacy.

We'll contact any member who is affected by this change and advise them to talk to their doctor about prescribing these medications for purchase from a pharmacy.

Providers who administer these medications to their patients on or after Oct. 8, 2020, will be responsible for the cost.

Are there any changes to the management for these therapies?

There are no changes to the management of these therapies.

Both Skyrizi and Tegsedi will continue to require prior authorization. For information about submitting prior authorization requests, see "Submitting prior authorization requests" below.
For Skyrizi, quantity limits continue to apply.
For Tegsedi, documentation requirements continue to apply.

Submitting prior authorization requests

Providers can submit prior authorization requests for these drugs as follows:

Electronically: Through CoverMyMeds^® or another free ePA tool, such as Surescripts^® or ExpressPAth^®. See Save time and submit your prior authorization requests electronically for pharmacy benefit drugs (PDF) for more information.
By phone: Call 1-800-437-3803.
By fax: Call the Pharmacy Clinical Help Desk at 1-800-437-3803 to obtain the pertinent medication request form, which you can then submit by fax.
- For Blue Cross' PPO members: Fax the medication request form to 1-866-601-4425.
- For BCN HMO members: Fax the medication request form to 1-877-442-3778.
By written request: Mail a written request to:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Attention: Pharmacy Services
Mail Code 512
600 E. Lafayette Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48226-2998

List of requirements

To view requirements for Skyrizi, Tegsedi and other drugs covered under the pharmacy benefit, see the Blue Cross and BCN Prior authorization and step therapy coverage criteria (PDF) document. This document is available from the following pages on the this website.

Blue Cross Pharmacy Benefit Drugs
BCN Pharmacy Benefit Drugs

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list is changing in January 2021

We're adding medications to the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members. The specialty medications on this list are administered by a healthcare professional in a provider office, at the member's home, in an off-campus outpatient hospital or in an ambulatory surgical center (place of service 11, 12, 19, 22 and 24).

For dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021, the following CAR-T medications will require prior authorization through the NovoLogix^® online tool:

Yescarta^® (axicabtagene ciloleucel), HCPCS code Q2041
Kymriah^® (tisagenlecleucel), HCPCS code Q2042
Tecartus^™ (brexucabtagene autoleucel), HCPCS code J9999

The following medication will also require prior authorization through NovoLogix for dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021:

Viltepso^™ (viltolarsen), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for all outpatient places of service when you bill these medications as a professional service or as an outpatient facility service:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

Important reminder

For these drugs, submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications. If you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

Posted: October 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Questionnaire updates in the e-referral system in September and October 2020

We use our authorization criteria and medical policies and your answers to the questionnaires in the e-referral system when making utilization management determinations on your authorization requests.

In September and October:

We're updating two questionnaires in the e-referral system.
We're removing one questionnaire from the e-referral system.

As questionnaires are updated or removed, we'll update or remove the corresponding preview questionnaires on this website.

Updated questionnaires

Endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal, for gastroesophageal reflux disease: On Sept. 27, 2020, we'll update the list of procedure codes for which providers must complete this questionnaire for BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members.
Starting Sept. 27, providers must complete this questionnaire for these procedure codes: *43191, *43192, *43193, *43195, *43196, *43197, *43198, *43200, *43201, *43202, *43214, *43231, *43233, *43235, *43237, *43238, *43239, *43241, *43242, *43248, *43249, *43250, *43253, and *43259

Providers will no longer need to complete the questionnaire for these procedure codes: *43180 and *43254.
Sacral nerve neuromodulation/stimulation: On Oct. 11, we'll update this questionnaire for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.

Removed questionnaire

On Sept. 27, we'll remove the Lumbar spine surgery, minimally invasive questionnaire for BCN Advantage members. The e-referral system will automatically approve requests for code G0276.

Preview questionnaires

You can access preview questionnaires on this website. The preview questionnaires show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires that open in the e-referral system. This can help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

To find the preview questionnaires:

For BCN: Click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.
For Medicare Plus Blue: Click Blue Cross and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. In the "Medicare Plus Blue PPO members" section, look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires - Medicare Plus Blue PPO" heading.

Authorization criteria and medical policies

The pertinent authorization criteria and medical policies are also available on the Authorization Requirements & Criteria pages.

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medical specialty drug prior authorization lists will change in November for certain members

For dates of service on or after Nov. 20, 2020, we're removing prior authorization requirements for one drug and adding prior authorization requirements for several drugs.

This affects BCN HMO^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN Advantage^SM and UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust PPO non-Medicare members.

Drug that will no longer require prior authorization

For dates of service on or after Nov. 20, we'll no longer require prior authorization for the following drug for Medicare Plus Blue, BCN Advantage and UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust PPO non-Medicare members:

Lartruvo^® (olaratumab), HCPCS code J9285

Drugs that will require prior authorization

For dates of service on or after Nov. 20, we're adding prior authorization requirements for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit as follows.

For BCN HMO, Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members: Providers will have to request prior authorization through AIM Specialty Health^® for the following drugs:
- Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin-blmf), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999, C9399
- Monjuvi^™ (tafasitamab-cxix), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999, C9399
For UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust PPO non-Medicare members: Providers will have to request prior authorization through AIM for the following drugs:
- Belrapzo^™ (bendamustine hcl), HCPCS code J9036
- Doxil^® (doxorubicin liposomal), HCPCS code Q2050
- Lipodox^® (doxorubicin liposomal), HCPCS code Q2049
- Herceptin^® (trastuzumab), HCPCS code J9355
- Imfinzi^® (durvalumab), HCPCS code J9173
- Imlygic^® (talimogene laherparepvec), HCPCS code J9325
- Mvasi^™ (bevacizumab-awwb), HCPCS code Q5107

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page* on the AIM website.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see the following documents:

For BCN HMO members
- Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF)
- Medical Oncology Program (PDF) list
For Medicare Advantage members: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)
For UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members: Medical Oncology Prior Authorization List for UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members (PDF)

We'll update these lists with the new information about these drugs prior to the effective dates.

*Clicking this link means that you're leaving the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network website. While we recommend this site, we're required to let you know we're not responsible for its content.

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

SNFs must register for and learn the e-referral system before submitting commercial SNF authorization requests through e-referral starting Dec. 1

Starting Dec. 1, 2020, skilled nursing facilities must submit authorization requests for Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM members through the e-referral system and not by fax.

Currently, SNFs are completing a form and submitting it by fax. Starting Dec. 1, you'll still need to complete the form, but you'll attach it to the request in the e-referral system instead of faxing it.

This requirement will apply to requests for admissions and requests for additional SNF days.

We've communicated about this before and now we're sharing these new details:

This change starts Dec. 1, 2020.
It's important for SNFs to use the online training tools to familiarize themselves with the e referral system.
We're offering supplemental webinar overviews of the e-referral system.

To prepare for this change, there are three important things you need to do right away.

Register now for access to the e-referral system
We encourage you to register now for access to the e-referral system. It takes some time to process registration requests and we want to make sure everyone has access before Dec. 1.
To register, follow the instructions on the Sign Up or Change a User webpage on this website.
Use the online tools to learn the e-referral system — before attending a webinar
Visit the Training Tools page of this website for:
- e-referral User Guide (PDF)
- Online self-paced learning modules (PDF)
It's important that you use the online tools to learn how to use the e-referral system before attending a webinar — especially:
- Checking member eligibility and benefits
- Submitting an inpatient authorization request
- Attaching a document to the authorization request
Sign up for a webinar overview of the e-referral system
To supplement what you learned through the online tools, we're offering webinars that are tailored to SNFs. Each webinar is 1 hour and 30 minutes and includes time for questions and answers.
Click on one of the links below to sign up for a webinar:

Date and time	WebEx link
Tuesday, November 10 10 to 11:30 a.m.	Click here to register
Wednesday, November 11 2 to 3:30 p.m.	Click here to register
Thursday, November 12 10 to 11:30 a.m.	Click here to register
Tuesday, November 17 2 to 3:30 p.m.	Click here to register
Wednesday, November 18 10 to 11:30 a.m.	Click here to register
Thursday, November 19 2 to 3:30 p.m.	Click here to register
Tuesday, December 1 10 to 11:30 a.m.	Click here to register
Wednesday, December 2 2 to 3:30 p.m.	Click here to register

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight September 19-20

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, September 19 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 20

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.(PDF)

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Avoid SNF claim denials for Medicare Advantage by matching PDPM levels on claims to the PDPM levels naviHealth authorized

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will begin denying skilled nursing facility claims when patient-driven payment model levels don't match the levels naviHealth authorized. Facilities can resubmit denied claims with the approved PDPM levels.

This applies to SNF claims for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members.

In a future web-DENIS message, we'll let you know the exact date on which we'll begin denying claims.

As a reminder, naviHealth:

Authorizes PDPM levels during the patient's skilled nursing facility stay (from preservice through discharge) for dates of service on or after Oct. 1, 2019
Works with skilled nursing facilities to ensure billers submit proper PDPM levels for reimbursement

For more information, see Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions by providers (PDF).

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Cardiac implantable device services will require authorization by AIM Specialty Health^® for many members

Starting Jan. 1, 2021, we're expanding the AIM Specialty Health cardiology program to include services that involve cardiac implantable devices.

What this means

For dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021, the following services will require authorization by AIM Specialty Health for these members:

For Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members:
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
For Medicare Plus Blue members only:
- Arterial ultrasound

You'll be able to submit authorization requests to AIM starting Dec. 14, 2020.

Authorization requests must be submitted prior to the service being performed.

Watch for more details

Watch for articles in upcoming issues of The Record and BCN Provider News, where we'll publish the procedure codes and other information.

Additional information

The webpages below have information about requesting authorization from AIM, including how to register for and use the AIM provider portal*:

On this website:
- Blue Cross AIM-Managed Procedures page
- BCN AIM-Managed Procedures page
At bcbsm.com/providers, on the Medicare Plus Blue Preauthorization and Utilization Management page

We'll update these webpages along with pertinent documents prior to Jan. 1, to reflect this change.

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Professional providers and facilities can now register for training on TurningPoint's clinical model and more

TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions LLC is expanding its surgical quality and safety management program for dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2021.

Professional providers and facilities can now register for training for the expanded program. Training will cover the TurningPoint clinical model and using the TurningPoint Provider Portal.

Training sessions are scheduled for various dates in November, December and January. To register for a training session and to learn more about the program expansion, see the following articles:

TurningPoint musculoskeletal authorization program to expand in January (PDF) - on page 33 of the September-October 2020 issue of BCN Provider News.
TurningPoint musculoskeletal procedure authorization program to expand in January - in the September 2020 issue of The Record.

Additional information

You can find information about TurningPoint on the Musculoskeletal Services pages on this website. Soon, we'll update these pages and the documents to which they link to reflect the changes that are coming on Jan. 1.

Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services page
BCN Musculoskeletal Services page

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Viltepso^™ will require authorization for commercial members effective September and October 2020

We're adding authorization requirements for Viltepso (viltolarsen), HCPCS code J3490, a medical benefit specialty drug, for the following members:

For BCN HMO^SM members: Viltepso will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after Sept. 1, 2020.
For Blue Cross' PPO members: Viltepso will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after Oct. 1, 2020.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network consider Viltepso to be investigational/experimental due to insufficient evidence of clinical benefit. We'll continue to consider this drug to be investigational/experimental until the results of clinical trials provide evidence of clinical benefit.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

To learn how to submit requests through NovoLogix, do the following from within this website:

For BCN HMO members: Click BCN and then click Medical Benefit Drugs. In the BCN HMO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.
For Blue Cross' PPO members: Click Blue Cross and then click Medical Benefit Drugs. In the Blue Cross PPO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.

More about the authorization requirements

These authorization requirements apply only to groups that currently participate in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO (commercial) members (PDF) document, which is available from these pages of this website:

Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy
BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy

We'll update the requirements list with this information prior to each effective date.

Posted: September 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Sept. 7 holiday closure: How to submit inpatient authorization requests

On Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for the Labor Day holiday.

Refer to the document Holiday closures: How to submit authorization requests for instructions on how to submit authorization requests for inpatient admissions during the closure.

You can access this document on these webpages:

Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page
BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page

Here are the additional upcoming closures that will occur during 2020, so you can plan ahead:

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3
Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26
Day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 27
Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31

Posted: August 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

IVIG dosing strategy is changing for the Medicare Part B medical specialty drug program, starting Dec. 7

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network require authorization for immune globulin products covered under the medical benefit for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members.

As part of the authorization process, we're updating our dosing strategy for intravenous and subcutaneous immune globulin therapy to minimize drug waste, reduce unnecessary drug exposure and decrease the risk of adverse events.

Effective Dec. 7, 2020, we'll calculate doses using adjusted body weight for members when:

The member's body mass index is 30 kg/m² or greater
The member's actual body weight is 20% higher than their ideal body weight

This applies to all Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members who start therapy on or after Dec. 7, 2020, when the therapy is administered by a health care professional in a provider office, at the member's home, in an off-campus outpatient hospital or in an ambulatory surgical center (sites of care 11, 12, 19, 22 and 24).

Members who currently receive immune globulin will continue to receive their current dose until their authorizations expire.

Important reminder

For these drugs, submit authorization requests through the NovoLogix^® online tool. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, if you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

Posted: August 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Tecartus^™ will require authorization for commercial members effective August and September 2020

We're adding authorization requirements for Tecartus (brexucabtagene autoleucel), HCPCS code J9999, a specialty drug covered under the medical benefit, for the following members:

For BCN HMO^SM members: Tecartus will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after Aug. 10, 2020.
For Blue Cross' PPO members: Tecartus will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after Sept. 1, 2020.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

To learn how to submit requests through NovoLogix, do the following from within this website:

For BCN HMO members: Click BCN and then click Medical Benefit Drugs – Pharmacy. In the BCN HMO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.
For Blue Cross' PPO members: Click Blue Cross and then click Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy. In the Blue Cross PPO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.

More about the authorization requirements

These authorization requirements apply only to groups that currently participate in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy
BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy

We'll update the requirements list with this information prior to each effective date.

Posted: August 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight August 15-16

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 15 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, August 16

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of our this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: August 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Effective Nov. 1, Blue Cross and BCN will have preferred hereditary angioedema medications for our commercial members

Currently, all hereditary angioedema, or HAE, medications require prior authorization for Blue Cross and Blue Care Network commercial members. Effective Nov. 1, 2020, Blue Cross and BCN will have preferred medications for HAE therapy for those members.

This means that:

We'll require our commercial members to use preferred HAE drugs for acute treatment and for preventive therapy that begins on or after Nov. 1, 2020.
For commercial members currently receiving a nonpreferred HAE drug:
- These members are authorized to continue their current therapy until through Oct. 31, 2020.
- We've proactively authorized therapy with the preferred medications from Nov. 1, 2020, through Oct. 31, 2021, to avoid any interruptions in care.
- We encourage you to discuss any concerns members may have as they transition to the preferred medications.

We'll be mailing letters to impacted members to notify them of these changes.

These changes apply to all Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM members.

Note: For HAE therapy covered under the medical benefit, the requirements outlined in this message apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program. Proactive authorizations for preferred therapy on the pharmacy benefit apply to members who have their pharmacy benefit with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or Blue Care Network.

Which medications are preferred?

Here's what you need to know about the medications:

For acute HAE treatment

Preferred medication: Icatibant (HCPCS code J1744)
Nonpreferred medications:
- Firazyr^® (brand icatibant, HCPCS code J1744)
- Berinert^® (c1 esterase inhibitor, human, HCPCS code J0597)
- Kalbitor^® (ecallantide, HCPCS code J1290)
- Ruconest^® (c1 esterase inhibitor, recombinant, HCPCS code J0596)

For HAE prevention

Preferred medications:
- Haegarda^® (c1 esterase inhibitor, human)
- Takhzyro^® (lanadelumab-flyo)
Nonpreferred medication: Cinryze^® (c1 esterase inhibitor, human, HCPCS code J0598)

Additional information

For additional information on requirements related to drugs for our commercial members, see:

Requirements for drugs covered under the medical benefit (PDF)
Requirements for drugs covered under the pharmacy benefit (PDF)

Posted: August 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Clinical documentation requirements for authorization requests related to musculoskeletal procedures managed by TurningPoint

A new Documentation requirements for musculoskeletal procedures (PDF) document is now available on the ereferrals.bcbsm.com website.

This document lists the clinical documentation that you must include when submitting authorization requests to TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions, LLC, for musculoskeletal procedures.

You can find this document and related documents on the following pages of this website:

The Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services page
The BCN Musculoskeletal Services page

As a reminder, TurningPoint currently manages inpatient and outpatient authorization requests for dates of service on or after July 1, 2020, as follows:

Joint procedures for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members
Spine procedures for BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.

Posted: July 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medical specialty drug prior authorization lists are changing in September for BCN HMO^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members

We're adding authorization requirements for three specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for BCN HMO, Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members.

For dates of service on or after Sept. 25, 2020, the following drugs will require authorization through AIM Specialty Health^®:

Zepzelca^™ (lurbinectedin), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999
Phesgo^™ (pertuzumab/trastuzumab/hyaluronidase-zzxf), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999
Nyvepria^™ (pegfilgrastim-apgf), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page* on the AIM website.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see:

BCN HMO: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF) and the Medical Oncology Program (PDF) list
Medicare Advantage: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)

We'll update these lists with the new information about these drugs prior to the effective dates.

Posted: July 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Uplizna^™ will have authorization and site-of-care requirements for commercial members effective August and October 2020

We're adding authorization and site-of-care requirements for Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon, HCPCS code J3590), a specialty drug covered under the medical benefit, for BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members:

For BCN HMO members: Uplizna will require authorization and have site-of-care requirements for members who begin therapy on or after Aug. 1, 2020.
For Blue Cross' PPO members: Uplizna will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after Oct. 1, 2020.

More about the authorization requirements

The authorization requirements apply only to groups that currently participate in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy
BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy

We'll update the requirements list with this information prior to each effective date.

Posted: July 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight July 18-19

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 19

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: July 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Effective Oct. 1, Nivestym^® and Zarxio^® are the preferred filgrastim products for all Blue Cross and BCN commercial and Medicare Advantage members

For dates of service on or after Oct. 1, 2020, the preferred filgrastim products for all Blue Cross and Blue Care Network commercial and Medicare Advantage members will be:

Nivestym (filgrastim-aafi; HCPCS code Q5110)
Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz; HCPCS code Q5101)

Note: For commercial members, the requirements outlined in this message apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. They don't apply to non-Medicare members covered through the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust. They also don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Patients should take the preferred drugs when possible

Here's what to keep in mind about the members who are prescribed these drugs:

Members starting treatment on or after Oct. 1 should use a preferred filgrastim product.
Members currently receiving a filgrastim product other than Nivestym or Zarxio should transition to Nivestym or Zarxio.
The filgrastim products other than Nivestym and Zarxio are:
- Neupogen^® (filgrastim; HCPCS code J1442)
- Granix^® (tbo-filgrastim; HCPCS code J1447)
  For commercial members, we'll notify those currently taking the nonpreferred drugs and encourage them to discuss treatment options with you.

Here are the authorization requirements for members starting or transitioning to the preferred drugs:

For Blue Cross' PPO members, the preferred drugs don't require authorization.
For BCN HMO^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members, the preferred drugs require authorization through AIM Specialty Health^®.

Request authorization for patients who must take the nonpreferred drugs

For members you feel need to take Neupogen or Granix rather than Nivestym and Zarxio, here are the requirements:

For Blue Cross' PPO members, authorization is required. Submit the authorization request through the NovoLogix^® online tool.
For BCN HMO, Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members, both step therapy and authorization are required. Submit the authorization request through AIM Specialty Health^®.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see:

Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF)
Medicare Advantage: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)

We'll update the requirements lists with the new information prior to Oct. 1, 2020.

Posted: July 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list is changing Aug. 21 and Sept. 28

We're adding medications to the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members. The specialty medications on this list are administered by a healthcare professional in a provider office, at the member's home, in an off-campus outpatient hospital or in an ambulatory surgical center (sites of care 11, 12, 19, 22 and 24).

For dates of service on or after Aug. 21, 2020, the following medications will require authorization through the NovoLogix^® online tool:

A gene therapy for hemophilia A
- Roctavian^™ (valoctocogene roxaparvovec, HCPCS code J3590)
Other medications
- Uplizna^™ (inebilizumab-cdon, HCPCS code J3590)
- Avsola^™ (infliximab-axxq, HCPCS code Q5121)*

For dates of service on or after Sept. 28, 2020, the following medications will require prior authorization through NovoLogix:

Ilaris^® (canakinumab, HCPCS code J0638)
Cutaquig^® (immune globulin subcutaneous (human) - hipp, HCPCS code J1599)
Xembify^® (immune globulin subcutaneous (human) - klhw, HCPCS code J1558)

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for the sites of care referenced above when you bill these medications as follows:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

Important reminder

For these drugs, submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, if you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application (PDF) form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

*Note: On March 16, 2020, we published a web-DENIS message and a news items on the ereferrals.bcbsm.com website stating that Avsola doesn't require authorization. However, for dates of service on or after Aug. 21, 2020, Avsola will require authorization.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

July 3 holiday closure: How to submit inpatient authorization requests

On Friday, July 3, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for the Independence Day holiday.

Refer to the document Holiday closures: How to submit authorization requests (PDF) for instructions on how to submit authorization requests for inpatient admissions during the closure.

You can access this document from this website, on these webpages:

Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page
BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page

Here are the additional upcoming closures that will occur during 2020, so you can plan ahead:

Labor Day, Monday, September 7
Election Day, Tuesday, November 3
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26
Day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27
Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24
Christmas Day, Friday, December 25
New Year's Eve, Thursday, December 31

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Avoid blocked inpatient authorization e-referral submissions by using the correct criteria

For a successful inpatient authorization submission in e-referral, please note the following

When submitting a non-elective medical admission in e-referral, providers should enter the following in the Inpatient Authorization drop-down menus:
- Type of Care: Direct, Elective, Emergency, Transfer or Urgent
- Place of Service: Inpatient Hospital
- Primary Procedure Code: *99221-99239
If a lumbar spinal fusion surgery has already been authorized by eviCore healthcare^® for Blue Cross' PPO and Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO members, and the provider believes the member should be admitted as inpatient, the facility should request an Inpatient Authorization in e-referral using the following drop-down menus:
- Type of Care: Direct
- Place of Service: Inpatient Hospital
- Primary Procedure Code: *99222

Submitting incorrect information for these lumbar spinal fusion procedures will result in an error message indicating that you are unable to submit the request and ask you to modify the Type of Care or CPT code.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Updated e-referral questionnaire to open June 28 for BCN and Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO

Starting June 28, 2020, an updated Vascular embolization or occlusion (TACE/RFA) questionnaire will open in the e-referral system. We'll also update the related preview questionnaire on this website.

The preview questionnaire shows the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaire that opens in the e-referral system. This will help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

We use our authorization criteria and medical policies and your answers to the questionnaires when making utilization management determinations on your authorization requests.

To find the preview questionnaire on this website:

For BCN: Click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.
For Medicare Plus Blue: Click Blue Cross and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. In the "Medicare Plus Blue PPO members" section, look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires - Medicare Plus Blue PPO" heading.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Reminder: We're experiencing issues with processing some Supartz FX^™ (sodium hyaluronate) claims for BCN Advantage^SM members

We continue to experience issues with processing some Supartz FX (sodium hyaluronate) claims for BCN Advantage^SM members.

We're still working to resolve the issues.

In the meantime, here's what you need to do:

For Supartz FX claims that were denied with a message of "NLX Authorization Not Found" (QH9), you don't need to do anything. We'll reprocess your claims for payment within 30 days.
For future Supartz FX claims, submit them as usual with the appropriate HCPCS code and the correct National Drug Code, or NDC, for BCN Advantage members. If the claims are denied, we'll reprocess them within 30 days.

We apologize for any inconvenience. When this issue has been resolved, we'll post a web-DENIS message and a news item on the ereferrals.bcbsm.com website to let you know.

Note: We first communicated about this issue on April 21, 2020, through a web-DENIS message and a news item on this website.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list is changing in July and August

We're making changes to the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members. The specialty medications on this list are administered by a healthcare professional in a provider office, at the member's home, in an off-campus outpatient hospital or in an ambulatory surgical center (sites of care 11, 12, 19, 22 and 24).

New authorization requirement

For dates of service on or after July 9, 2020, the following medication for wet age-related macular degeneration will require authorization through the NovoLogix^® online tool:

J3590, abicipar pegol

Authorization requirement removed

For dates of service on or after Aug. 1, 2020, the following medications for osteoporosis and other diagnoses involving bone health will no longer require authorization:

Boniva^® (J1740, ibandronate)
Aredia^® (J2430, pamidronate)

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for all outpatient sites of care when you bill these medications as a professional service or as an outpatient facility service:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB-04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

Important reminder

Submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications. For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, if you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight June 20-21

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 21

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

eviCore has updated corePath for physical and occupational therapy authorizations

Effective immediately, eviCore healthcare^® has made changes to the corePath^SM therapy authorization model for first authorization requests for new episodes of treatment. This change applies to:

Physical therapy providers in categories B and C
Occupational therapists in category B

Here's what changed

For providers in categories B and C: When initial authorization requests meet certain conditions, eviCore is approving a greater number of visits over a longer authorization duration period. The logic in eviCore's corePath model determines the number of visits and authorization duration based on the patient's condition and complexity.

For more information about how this affects occupational therapy providers, see eviCore's Physical Therapy Practitioner Performance Summary and Provider Category FAQs (PDF) document.* See the question titled "How does my category impact my authorization requirements for occupational therapy?"

Note: There haven't been any changes to the number of visits granted or the authorization duration period for providers in category A.

Additional information

You can find information about this change in the June 2020 issue of eviCore's provider newsletter.

To learn more about category assignments, see eviCore's Physical Therapy Practitioner Performance Summary and Provider Category FAQs (PDF) document.*

You can find additional information on this website:

On BCN's Outpatient PT, OT, ST page
On the Blue Cross eviCore-Managed Procedures page. Look in the "Medicare Plus Blue PPO members" section.

As a reminder, eviCore manages physical therapy and occupational therapy services for non-autism diagnoses for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and BCN Advantage^SM members. eviCore also manages physical therapy and occupational therapy services for adult BCN HMO members ages 19 and older with autism diagnoses.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

eviCore simplifies authorization process for radiation oncology, starting July 1, 2020

On July 1, 2020, eviCore healthcare^® will simplify the authorization process for radiation oncology by asking Clinical Decision Support questions, rather than their traditional clinical questions. This applies to authorizations for breast, prostate and non-small-cell lung cancer.

As a result, you'll need to answer far fewer clinical questions when submitting these authorization requests.

What you need to do

The steps to submit authorization requests to eviCore won't change. You'll follow the typical process of logging in to the eviCore portal at www.evicore.com*, initiating a request for Clinical Certification for Radiation Therapy and entering information about the member.

For breast, prostate and non-small-cell lung cancer, the system will prompt you to answer the CDS clinical questions. After answering the questions, you'll be presented with a list of treatment regimens that you can select from. There's also an option to enter a custom treatment regimen.

Additional information

eviCore manages authorizations for radiation oncology for most Blue Cross' PPO fully insured groups and for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members.

For more information, see the Blue Cross eviCore-Managed Procedures or the BCN eviCore-Managed Procedures pages of this website.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Determinations on requests for inpatient acute care admissions are based on InterQual^® criteria, not on the two-midnight rule

The Blue Cross / Blue Care Network Utilization Management department makes determinations on authorization requests for inpatient acute care admissions based on InterQual criteria, not on the two-midnight rule.

This applies to admissions of members covered by all our lines of business.

We're clarifying this because we recently received some questions from providers about the two-midnight rule.

Providers should do the following:

Refer to the InterQual criteria for the type of admission and to the associated Blue Cross and BCN Local Rules.
Note: The Local Rules are available on this website, on the Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page and the BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.
Disregard any information about the two-midnight rule that we may have published in past communications, since that information is no longer current.

We're updating the pertinent provider manuals to include a statement clarifying that we do not use the two-midnight rule in making determinations on authorization requests for inpatient acute care admissions.

Posted: June 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Updated: More COVID-19-related utilization management changes

We've updated this news item, which was first published on May 26, 2020. The new date on which clinical review is again required for acute care admissions with non-COVID-19-related diagnoses is June 13, 2020. (We had previously announced the date was June 1, 2020.) Please use this news item as the most current source of information on these changes.

Over the past few weeks, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network implemented utilization management changes aimed at supporting our providers during the COVID-19 emergency.

We're making additional utilization management changes at this time.

Here are the important things you need to know.

Temporary change ending: Waiving of clinical review requirements for acute care admissions with non-COVID-19 diagnoses

Starting June 13, 2020, clinical review is again required by Blue Cross / BCN Utilization Management for acute care admissions with non-COVID-19-related diagnoses. This means you'll need to submit clinical documentation along with your authorization requests.

Note: For admissions with COVID-19-related diagnoses, see the section titled "Changes extended temporarily," below.

Changes extended temporarily, through June 30, 2020:

For acute care admissions with COVID-19-related diagnoses, no clinical review is required. However, you must still continue to notify the plan (that is, you must submit an authorization request without clinical documentation).
For CT scans of the chest to rule out pneumonia diagnosis associated with COVID-19, AIM Specialty Health does not require clinical review for procedure codes *71250, *71260 and *71270. You only need to notify AIM Specialty Health^®.
For the first three days of admission to a skilled nursing facility for members transferred from acute care, Blue Cross / BCN Utilization Management and naviHealth do not require clinical review. However, you must notify Blue Cross / BCN (by submitting the authorization request with no clinical documentation) or naviHealth (by contacting navIHealth prior to transferring the member).

Starting July 1, 2020, you must submit clinical documentation along with your authorization requests for the acute care admissions, CT scans and SNF admissions described in this section.

Change in the duration of authorization approvals for elective and non-urgent services

For elective and non-urgent services:

All authorizations approved on or before May 25, 2020, will be valid through Dec. 31, 2020.
All authorizations approved on or after May 26, 2020, will also be valid through Dec. 31, 2020. Exception: For authorizations approved with an end date that goes beyond Dec. 31, the end date identified in the authorization approval will be honored.

This applies to authorizations approved for in-state and out-of-state providers on or after the following dates:

Blue Cross / BCN Utilization Management: March 13, 2020
AIM Specialty Health: April 6, 2020
eviCore healthcare: March 26, 2020

This doesn't apply to Flexlink^® groups for which a third-party administrator makes authorization determinations. Contact the third-party administrator on the back of the member's ID card for instructions.

Additional change: Turnaround time on post-acute care determinations

naviHealth will make a same-day determination on all Medicare Advantage post-acute care requests and, for certain admissions to SNFs, will implement an expedited review process. Due to increased workloads, naviHealth is no longer able to make a determination on these requests within two hours.

Both Blue Cross / BCN Utilization Management (for commercial members) and naviHealth (for Medicare Advantage members) will continue to assist providers in locating post-acute care providers, especially for difficult transitions.

More information

The information in this message has been added to the COVID-19 utilization management changes (PDF) document, which you can access on this website, on the Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page and the BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.

This information applies to the following members, unless otherwise noted:

Blue Cross' PPO (commercial)
BCN HMO^SM (commercial)
Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO (Medicare Advantage)
BCN Advantage^SM (Medicare Advantage)

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Vyepti^TM will have authorization and site-of-care requirements for commercial members effective May and July 2020

We're adding authorization and site-of-care requirements for Vyepti (eptinezumab-jjmr), a specialty drug covered under the medical benefit, for BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members.

Vyepti will require authorization and will have site-of-care requirements for members who begin therapy on or after the following dates:

BCN HMO members: May 28, 2020
Blue Cross' PPO members: July 1, 2020

Currently the HCPCS code for this drug is J3590. However, as of July 1, 2020, the HCPCS code will be C9063.

More about the authorization requirements

These requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy page
Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy page

We'll add the Vyepti information to the requirements list prior to the dates on which authorization is required.

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medical benefit specialty drug prior authorization lists are changing in July and August for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members

We're adding authorization requirements for four specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for Medicare Plus Blue PPO, BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.

For dates of service on or after July 24, 2020, the following drugs will require authorization through AIM Specialty Health^®:

Trodelvy^™ (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy, J3490, J3590, J9999)
Jelmyto^™ (mitomycin, J3490, J3590, J9999)
Darzalex Faspro^™ (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj, J3490, J3590, J9999)

For dates of service on or after Aug. 24, 2020, the following drug will require authorization through AIM:

Imlygic^® (talimogene laherparepvec, J9325)

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM ProviderPortal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page* on the AIM website.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see:

BCN HMO: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF) and the Medical Oncology Program (PDF) list
Medicare Advantage: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)

We'll update these lists with the new information about these drugs prior to the effective dates.

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

How to submit non-behavioral health inpatient authorization requests to Blue Cross and BCN during the May 25 holiday closure

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day.

See below for instructions on submitting non-behavioral health inpatient authorization requests during this closure. Note that all times are Eastern time.

IMPORTANT! For urgent requests, always call the after-hours number 1-800-851-3904 when other options are not available.

Type of request	What to do
Acute inpatient admissions and continued stays	Submit requests 24/7 through the e-referral system. If the e-referral system is not available: Blue Cross' PPO: Fax to 1-800-482-1713 Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO: Fax to 1-866-464-8223 BCN HMO^SM: Fax to 1-866-313-8433 BCN Advantage^SM: Fax to 1-866-526-1326 Note: You can also submit requests through the X12N 278 Health Care Services Review - Request for Review and Response electronic standard transaction.
Sick and ill newborns	Blue Cross' PPO: Fax to 1-800-482-1713 BCN HMO: Fax to 1-866-313-8433
Post-acute care admissions	Blue Cross' PPO: For UAW retiree contracts, fax to 1-866-915-9811 For other members, fax to 1-866-411-2573 BCN HMO: Fax to 1-866-534-9994. Refer to the document Post-acute care admissions: Submitting authorization requests to BCN (PDF). Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage: naviHealth manages these authorizations. Refer to the document Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions for providers (PDF)
Other requests	Blue Cross' PPO: Fax the following requests to 1-800-482-1713: Federal Employee Program^® members with contract eligibility issues Ineligible members or members with no contract

Reminder: We've suspended clinical review requirements through May 31, 2020, for acute care medical admissions and for transfers to skilled nursing facilities, due to the COVID-19 crisis. This means that all authorization requests for acute inpatient medical admissions and for the first three days of skilled nursing care following transfer from acute care will be approved without clinical review. However:

For all members being admitted to an acute care hospital, you still need to submit an authorization request, which will serve as plan notification.
For members being transferred from an acute care hospital to a SNF:
- For Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO members, you still need to submit an authorization request to the plan, which will serve as plan notification.
- For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members, you still need to notify naviHealth prior to transferring the member.

Requests submitted to the plan that are received via phone or fax on the May 25 holiday will be entered into the e-referral system by our Utilization Management staff on Tuesday, May 26. Your approval will be available in the system by Tuesday night.

For more information refer to the COVID-19 utilization management changes document.

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

As we communicated previously, TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions, LLC will manage authorizations for surgical procedures related to musculoskeletal conditions for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members for dates of service on or after July 1, 2020.

TurningPoint is offering webinar training sessions for professional providers and facilities. Here are some details about what the training sessions will cover:

The professional provider sessions will cover TurningPoint's clinical model and operational changes and a demonstration of using the TurningPoint Provider Portal to submit authorization requests. In addition, a portal-only training session is available for professional providers.
The facility provider sessions will cover TurningPoint's clinical model and operational changes.

Professional providers can start submitting authorization requests to TurningPoint on June 1, 2020, for dates of service on or after July 1, 2020. We're offering webinar training sessions before June 1 so you can be prepared for this change. We're also offering webinar training sessions after June 1.

Register for the webinars

Use the following links to register for webinars that will take place before June 1, 2020:

Professional providers can register for training here.
Facility providers can register for training here.

Use the following links to register for webinars that will take place after June 1:

Professional provider webinars can register for training here.
Professional providers can register for portal-only training here.
Facility providers can register for training here.

Additional information

To learn more, see the following articles:

Reminder: Providers need to submit authorization requests for all surgical procedures related to musculoskeletal conditions to TurningPoint - on page 23 of the May-June issue of BCN Provider News
Update: Providers must submit authorization requests to TurningPoint for musculoskeletal surgical procedures scheduled on or after July 1 for certain members - in the May issue of The Record

As a reminder, only professional providers can register for and access the TurningPoint Provider Portal at this time. Professional providers can request an authorization through the portal and then provide the appropriate facility with the authorization number. Facilities can view the status of an authorization request through the e-referral system 24 hours after TurningPoint makes a determination.

You can also find information about TurningPoint on the Musculoskeletal Services pages on this website:

Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services page
BCN Musculoskeletal Services page

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight May 16-17

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 17

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: May 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Recommendations for submitting authorization requests for medical oncology drugs to AIM

Here are some recommendations to follow when submitting authorization requests for medical oncology drugs to AIM Specialty Health^®:

Wait to submit the request until you have all the pertinent information, including but not limited to tumor testing results and information on tumor staging and prior therapy regimens.
Provide all the clinical information needed for clinical review, including the rationale for the requested regimen.
Ensure that the phone number you provide is an accurate one, so AIM can contact you to schedule a peer-to-peer consultation if they need more information to establish medical necessity.

When you follow these guidelines, the process of reviewing authorization requests goes more smoothly and takes less time.

The information in this message applies to all members whose plans require authorization of medical oncology drugs by AIM:

Medicare Advantage plans: Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM
Commercial plans: BCN HMO^SM and select Blue Cross' PPO groups

How to submit authorization requests

For medical oncology drugs, submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page on the AIM Specialty Health website.*

Lists of requirements

To see the requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, including medical oncology drugs, refer to:

For Medicare Advantage members: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)
For commercial members:
- Medical oncology prior authorization list for Blue Cross' PPO UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust members (PDF)
- Medical oncology prior authorization list for BCN HMO (commercial) members (PDF)

The specialty medications on these lists are administered in outpatient sites of care, including a physician's office, an outpatient facility or a member's home.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Updated: We're adding site-of-care requirements for Lemtrada and Tysabri for commercial members, starting May 1

We've updated this message, which was first published on Jan. 31, 2020. We added a link to the document Lemtrada and Tysabri site-of-care program: Frequently asked questions by providers, which contains additional program information and details on authorized administration sites in Michigan and elsewhere in the U.S..

Starting May 1, 2020, the medical drug site-of-care program is expanding for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members to include:

Lemtrada^® (alemtuzumab, HCPCS code J0202)
Tysabri^® (natalizumab, HCPCS code J2323)

Through April 30, 2020, members who receive these drugs in one of the following locations are authorized to continue treatment:

Doctor's office or other health care provider's office
Ambulatory infusion center
Hospital outpatient facility

Starting May 1, 2020, infusions of Tysabri and Lemtrada may not be covered at hospital outpatient facilities.* Before May 1, members should talk to their doctors to make arrangements to receive infusion services at one of the following locations:

Doctor's office or other health care provider's office
Ambulatory infusion center

*Based on Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, or REMS, program restrictions, administration of Lemtrada and Tysabri is limited to authorized locations. For Lemtrada, we'll restrict transitions to select locations that have safety protocols in place for adverse reactions. To aid in member transition, please refer to the document Lemtrada and Tysabri site-of-care program: Frequently asked questions by providers, which contains additional program information and details on authorized administration sites in Michigan and elsewhere in the U.S..

More about the authorization requirements

The authorization requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan members.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Requirements for drugs covered under the medical benefit - BCN HMO and Blue Cross PPO document located on our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website:

The Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage
The BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage

We've updated the requirements list with the new information about Lemtrada and Tysabri.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Hospitals must notify naviHealth before transferring Medicare Advantage members to SNFs

As communicated previously, we waived the requirement to obtain clinical review for the first three days of skilled nursing facility stays for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members transferred from acute care hospitals. This is in effect for transfers that take place from April 3 through May 31, 2020.

Hospitals are still obligated to notify naviHealth about transfers.

However, we're finding that some hospitals are transferring our Medicare Advantage members to SNFs without notifying naviHealth.

To avoid problems, we're clarifying what you need to do:

Notify naviHealth by submitting an authorization request but not attaching clinical documentation. You can do this through:
- CarePort Care Management (formerly known as Allscripts^®)
- nH Access^™, the naviHealth provider portal
- Calling 1-855-851-0843
- Faxing to 1-844-899-3730
Submit the following information to naviHealth with your notification:
- Name and contact information for person notifying the plan
- Patient demographics (name, date of birth, enrollee ID, etc.)
- Name of ordering physician
- Patient diagnosis
- Name of accepting SNF

We're asking SNFs to confirm that naviHealth has received the required notification for each member before they accept the transfer. Once naviHealth receives the notification, they'll provide a three-day authorization to transfer the patient to the SNF.

Failure to notify naviHealth means there's no authorization in our system when we receive the claim from the SNF.

We'll update the COVID-19 utilization management changes document with the details about the information you must send when notifying naviHealth.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

CHANGE: TurningPoint will manage musculoskeletal procedure authorizations with dates of service on or after July 1, 2020, for certain members

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we're delaying the date on which TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions, LLC will begin managing authorizations for spine and joint replacement surgeries and other related procedures. This applies to Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and BCN Advantage^SM members.

TurningPoint will manage musculoskeletal procedure authorizations for dates of service on or after July 1, 2020. You'll be able to begin submitting authorization requests to TurningPoint on June 1.

You don't need to do anything different until June 1. For dates of service prior to July 1, 2020, Medicare Plus Blue Utilization Management and BCN Utilization Management will continue to manage these authorizations, as they do today.

We're also delaying webinars for professional providers and facilities about TurningPoint's clinical model. For professional providers, these webinars will include a demonstration of their Provider Portal. Watch for web-DENIS messages about new webinar dates.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and we'll update our communications to reflect this change.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight April 18-19

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 19 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 20

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

What to do about e-referral error message

Providers are sometimes getting an "Unknown Error" message in the e-referral system. This error message is connected to the e-referral system software upgrade that occurred over this last weekend.

When you get this error message, you're unable to search or submit or otherwise move forward with the referral or the authorization request.

What to do

Refresh your browser window, re-enter the information and continue working. Most of the time, this will resolve the issue.

Working to resolve the issue

We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Sarclisa^® will require prior authorization starting May 15 for BCN HMO^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members

We're expanding the prior authorization program for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for BCN HMO, Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members.

For dates of service on or after May 15, 2020, Sarclisa (isatuximab-irfc, HCPCS code J3490, J3590, J9999) will require authorization through AIM Specialty Health^®.

How to submit authorization requests

For this drug, submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page* on the AIM website.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see:

BCN HMO: Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF)
BCN HMO: Medical Oncology Program (PDF) list
Medicare Advantage: Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members (PDF)

We'll update the requirements lists with the new information about Sarclisa prior to May 15.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

UPDATE: Changes to authorization durations for elective and non-urgent procedures, including PT, OT and ST, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we're delaying the date on which TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions, LLC will begin managing authorizations for musculoskeletal surgical and other related procedures. Providers won't be able to begin submitting requests to TurningPoint until June 1, 2020, so we removed information about TurningPoint from this message.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has mandated that providers postpone all elective and non-urgent procedures.

As a result and to reduce your administrative burden, we're making the following changes to authorization requests for elective procedures, including physical, occupational and speech therapy.

For requests that have already been approved: The approvals will be valid for 180 days from the date on which the authorization was approved.

This change applies to authorization requests that were approved on or after the following dates:

Blue Cross or BCN utilization management: March 13, 2020
AIM Specialty Health^® : April 6, 2020
eviCore healthcare^® : March 26, 2020
For requests that are received between now and May 31, 2020: If approved, authorizations will be valid for 180 days.

These changes are in effect through May 31, 2020, and apply to in-state and out-of-state providers, for all lines of business, including Blue Cross' PPO, BCN HMO^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM.

Exception: These changes don't apply to Flexlink^® groups for which a third-party administrator makes authorization determinations. Contact the third-party administrator on the back of the member's ID card for instructions.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

How to submit inpatient authorization requests to Blue Cross and BCN during the April 10 holiday closure and the e-referral weekend software upgrade

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed on Friday, April 10, for Good Friday. In addition, the e-referral system will be unavailable this weekend for a software upgrade.

See below for what to do during these occurrences. Note that all times are Eastern time.

IMPORTANT! For urgent requests, always call the after-hours number 1-800-851-3904 when the phone lines are not available.

Date	What's happening	What to do (options in order of preference)
Friday, April 10 - Good Friday holiday closure and e-referral software upgrade begins	The e-referral system will be available but only until 6 p.m.	Before 6 p.m., submit requests using e-referral. After 6 p.m.: Wait until Monday at 6 a.m. to use e-referral. Fax requests using the information shown below.
Saturday, April 11 - e-referral software upgrade continues	The e-referral system will not be available at all.	Wait until Monday at 6 a.m. to use e-referral. Fax requests using the information shown below. Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.: Call inpatient Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM requests in to 1-866-807-4811. Call inpatient Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM requests in to 1-877-399-1673.
Sunday, April 12 - e-referral software upgrade continues	The e-referral system will not be available at all.	Wait until Monday at 6 a.m. to use e-referral. Fax requests using the information shown below.
Monday, April 13 - e-referral software upgrade ends	The e-referral system will be available starting at 6 a.m.	Submit requests using e-referral starting at 6 a.m.

Reminder: We've suspended clinical review requirements for acute care medical admissions and transfers to skilled nursing facilities through May 31, 2020, due to the COVID-19 crisis.

This means that all authorization requests for acute inpatient medical admissions and transfers to skilled nursing facilities will be approved without clinical review. However, you'll still need to submit an authorization request, which will serve as plan notification. Requests received via phone or fax on the April 10 holiday or over the weekend will be entered into the e-referral system by our Utilization Management staff on Monday. Your approval will be available in the system by Monday night.

For more information refer to the COVID-19 utilization management changes (PDF) document.

Fax numbers

Type of request	Line of business / fax number / other information
Acute inpatient admissions and continued stays	Blue Cross' PPO: Fax to 1-800-482-1713 BCN HMO: Fax to 1-866-313-8433 Medicare Plus Blue: Fax to 1-866-464-8223 BCN Advantage: Fax to 1 866 526 1326 Note: You can also submit requests through the X12N 278 Health Care Services Review - Request for Review and Response electronic standard transaction.
Sick and ill newborns	Blue Cross' PPO: Fax to 1-800-482-1713 BCN HMO: Fax to 1 866 313 8433
Post-acute care admissions	Blue Cross' PPO: For UAW retiree contracts, fax to 1-866-915-9811 For other members, fax to 1-866-411-2573 BCN HMO: Fax to 1-866-534-9994. Refer to the document Post-acute care admissions: Submitting authorization requests to BCN (PDF). Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage: naviHealth manages these authorizations. Refer to the document Post-acue care services: Frequently asked questions for providers (PDF).
Other requests	Blue Cross' PPO: Fax the following requests to 1-800-482-1713: Federal Employee Program^® members with contract eligibility issues Ineligible members or members with no contract

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

How to submit a plan notification for acute care hospital facility admissions and request for post-acute care admissions

On Thursday, April 2, we announced that clinical review requirements have been suspended through May 31 for all admissions to acute care hospitals and for transfers to skilled nursing facilities. For acute care hospital facility and transfers to post-acute care admissions, there is one step required - submitting a plan notification for each admission. Here's what you need to know about these plan notifications:

A plan notification is a request for authorization submitted through e-referral.
No clinical documentation is required with this submission. This includes any request that pends for review.

For inpatient hospital admissions for all lines of business: submit via e-referral.
For Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM post-acute requests: submit via e-referral or by fax.
For Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM requests: submit to naviHealth.

Some of these submissions will receive real-time approval. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will respond to requests that pend within two hours during normal business hours.
Some submissions sent after business hours or on weekends will receive real-time approval. Blue Cross and BCN will respond to requests that pend with approval the next business day.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Clinical review requirements suspended through May 31 for all admissions to acute care hospitals and for transfers to skilled nursing facilities

To enable inpatient medical facilities to prioritize patient care during this challenging time, we've already suspended the requirement for clinical review of acute care admissions of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network members with COVID-19-related diagnoses.

Based on the evolving nature of this crisis, we have approved several other actions, effective immediately:

Acute care hospitals: Clinical review requirements at all acute care hospitals for all diagnoses are suspended. This applies to all medical admissions.
Post-acute care facilities: Clinical review requirements for the first three days of all skilled nursing facility admissions are suspended for members who are transferring from an acute care hospital.

How to submit these requests

For acute care admissions, no clinical review is required.

There is an important notification step to take. Eligible facilities must submit a plan notification for each admission so that an authorization is in our system when we receive the claim. We strongly encourage facilities to submit plan notifications through our e referral system. When facilities use e referral, they won't wait on hold on the phone. We're updating the e-referral system to automatically approve these requests without clinical review. While we're updating the system, some requests may pend, in error. In those cases, our staff will provide approval to the facility within two hours of submission during normal business hours.

Note: We reserve the right to audit these admissions at a later date.

For post-acute care admissions:

There is an important notification step to take. For SNF admissions, we're suspending clinical review requirements for the first three days when patients are transferred from an acute care hospital. However, facilities must submit a plan notification for each admission so that an authorization is in our system when we receive the claim. Facilities are not required to submit clinical documentation until the continued stay review, starting on the fourth day of stay.
Inpatient rehabilitation and long-term acute care admissions still require clinical review. Blue Cross has adjusted our clinical review process to expedite these requests. A determination will be made within two hours, during normal business hours.
Continue to submit Blue Cross' PPO and BCN HMO^SM post-acute requests through the e referral system or by fax. A decision will be provided within 2 hours during normal business hours.
Continue to submit Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM SNF post-acute admission requests to naviHealth. A decision will be provided within 2 hours during normal business hours.

Important!

These changes are in effect through May 31, 2020, and apply to Michigan facilities, for all lines of business, including Blue Cross' PPO, BCN HMO, Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage.

Exception: These changes do not apply to Flexlink^® groups for which a third-party administrator makes authorization determinations. Facilities should check the back of the member's ID card to determine whether a third-party administrator needs to be contacted prior to an admission.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Use e-referral system while Blue Cross and BCN offices are closed on Tuesday, March 24

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices have extended the closure of their buildings for an additional day, through Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

How to handle requests related to medical services

During this office closure, use the e-referral system to:

Submit all referrals and authorization requests for medical services that are managed by Blue Cross or BCN Utilization Management
Attach clinical information to the case as needed
Check the status of these authorization requests

This applies to requests for all medical services, for all Blue Cross and BCN members.

While our offices are closed, our Utilization Management staff are not available to answer calls related to medical requests.

However, if a case pends and you need a decision in an emergency or an urgent situation, call the Utilization Management after-hours phone at 1-800-851-3904.

Our Utilization Management offices will reopen on at 8:30 am Eastern time on Wednesday, March 25.

For instructions on how to submit requests through the e-referral system and attach clinical information to the case, refer to the e-referral User Guide (PDF). You'll find additional information about the e-referral system and about referral and authorization requirements on this website.

Peer-to-peer reviews on medical cases to be completed but no new ones scheduled during closure

Peer-to-peer reviews on medical cases scheduled for March 24 will be completed. However, no new medical peer-to-peer reviews will be scheduled until we reopen on March 25.

How to handle requests related to behavioral health services

During this office closure, use the e-referral system to submit authorization requests for behavioral health services as well.

Behavioral Health department staff members are available to discuss a case, if needed. To reach a staff member:

Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO: Call 1-888-803-4960.
BCN HMO^SM (commercial): Call 1-800-482-5982.
BCN Advantage^SM: Call 1-800-431-1059.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance overnight March 21-22

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 21 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 22

Note: All times are Eastern time.

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. Here's additional information:

On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. It may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed.
We expect the system to be available during the remaining time over the weekend, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Use e-referral system while Blue Cross and BCN offices are closed on March 20 and 23

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices are closed on the following days:

Friday, March 20, 2020
Monday, March 23, 2020

How to handle requests related to medical services

During this office closure, use the e-referral system to:

Submit all referrals and authorization requests for medical services that are managed by Blue Cross or BCN Utilization Management
Attach clinical information to the case as needed
Check the status of these authorization requests

This applies to requests for all medical services, for all Blue Cross and BCN members.

While our offices are closed, our Utilization Management staff are not available to answer calls related to medical requests.

However, if a case pends and you need a decision in an emergency or an urgent situation, call the Utilization Management after-hours phone at 1-800-851-3904.

Our Utilization Management offices will reopen on at 8:30 am Eastern time on Tuesday, March 24.

Peer-to-peer reviews on medical cases to be completed but no new ones scheduled during closure

Peer-to-peer reviews on medical cases scheduled for March 20 and 23 will be completed. However, no new medical peer-to-peer reviews will be scheduled until we reopen on March 24.

How to handle requests related to behavioral health services

During this office closure, use the e-referral system to submit authorization requests for behavioral health services as well.

Behavioral Health department staff members are available to discuss a case, if needed. To reach a staff member:

Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO: Call 1-888-803-4960.
BCN HMO^SM (commercial): Call 1-800-482-5982.
BCN Advantage^SM: Call 1-800-431-1059.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Authorization requirements eased for COVID-19-related services

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are temporarily reducing some authorization requirements to make it easier for providers - both contracted and noncontracted - to deliver COVID-19-related testing and treatment services to our members.

Some of our contracted vendors are also easing authorization requirements.

See a description of these changes in the document COVID-19 utilization management changes (PDF), which you can access on this website. Do one of the following:

Click Blue Cross and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria.
Click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria.

Look for the document on those pages.

The changes described in this document apply to the plans listed below, for any members who are subject to authorization requirements:

Blue Cross' PPO (commercial)
BCN HMO^SM (commercial)
Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO
BCN Advantage^SM

We encourage you to check the COVID-19 utilization management changes document from time to time; we'll update it as new information becomes available.

Additional information about the COVID-19 coronavirus is available on our "Coronavirus information updates for providers" page, which you can access by logging in to Provider Secured Services and then doing one of the following:

Clicking BCN Provider Publications and Resources
Clicking BCBSM Provider Publications and Resources and then clicking Newsletters and Resources

Finally, click the blue Coronavirus information updates for providers box.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

In April, we're making changes to coverage for infliximab biosimilar products for Medicare Advantage members

In April, we're removing authorization requirements for certain infliximab biosimilar drugs and designating preferred infliximab biosimilar drugs for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members.

Removing authorization requirements

For dates of service on or after April 3, 2020, we'll no longer require authorization for the following infliximab biosimilars for Remicade^® for Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members:

Q5103 Inflectra^®
Q5104 Renflexis^®

Designating preferred biosimilar drugs

Starting April 20, 2020, we'll designate the following drugs as preferred infliximab biosimilar products for Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members:

J3590 Avsola^™
Q5103 Inflectra
Q5104 Renflexis

As part of our shared commitment to keeping health care affordable for all, we encourage you to switch members to one of the preferred infliximab biosimilar products before April 20.

Important! Remicade won't be considered a preferred biosimilar and will continue to require authorization for Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members.

List of requirements

We'll update the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue PPO and BCN Advantage members with these changes prior to the effective dates.

The specialty medications on this list are administered in outpatient sites of care, a physician's office, an outpatient facility or a member's home.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

naviHealth is taking measures to keep Medicare Advantage members safe in response to COVID-19

naviHealth is taking measures to keep Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members safe in post-acute care settings in response to coronavirus disease, or COVID-19.

In an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, naviHealth will conduct all care coordination activities remotely, effective immediately. Care coordinators will use telepresence and other remote capabilities to attend meetings and communicate with patients, families of patients and post-acute care personnel.

Care coordinators will continue to perform all typical care coordination activities, including discharge planning.

In post-acute care settings where care coordinators have been working remotely, you won't notice any changes. In settings where care coordinators have been working onsite, they'll return when it's deemed safe to do so.

For more information, see the email message with the subject "COVID 19 - Keeping Patients Safe" that naviHealth sent to post-acute care providers on March 12. naviHealth sent this message to the leaders within interdisciplinary teams at skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term acute hospitals.

Please direct any questions to your naviHealth Provider Relations Manager.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list is changing in June

We updated this message on March 16, 2020, to remove J3590 Avsola from the list of drugs that will require authorization starting June 15. Avsola won't require prior authorization.

For dates of service on or after June 15, 2020, the following medications will require prior authorization through NovoLogix ^®:

J1428 Exondys 51^®
J3490 Vyondys 53^™
J3490 Givlaari^®
J3590 Tepezza^™
J3590 Vyepti^™

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for all outpatient sites of care when you bill these medications as a professional service or as an outpatient facility service:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

Important reminder

For these drugs, submit authorization requests through the NovoLogix online tool. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications. Also note:

For Medicare Plus Blue, if you have a Type 1 (individual) NPI and you checked the "Medical Drug PA" box when you completed the Provider Secured Access Application form, you already have access to NovoLogix. If you didn't check that box, you can complete an Addendum P form to request access to NovoLogix and fax it to the number on the form.
For BCN Advantage, if you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

No software upgrade on March 8-9 for e-referral system

The e-referral system software upgrade most recently planned for March 8-9, 2020, will not occur on those dates after all. This means the e-referral system will be available for your use on those dates.

We don't yet know the dates on which the software upgrade will occur, but we'll announce the new dates as soon as we know them.

The only e-referral system downtime currently planned for March 2020 is this one:

Routine monthly maintenance: The system will be unavailable from 10 p.m. Saturday, March 21 to 10 a.m. Sunday, March 22.
Note: The e-referral system will not be available at all during these routine maintenance times. On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. and may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed. During the remaining time over the weekend, we expect the system to be available, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: March 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Professional providers and facilities can now register for training on TurningPoint's clinical model and more

Professional providers and facilities can now register for training. For professional providers, the training will cover TurningPoint Healthcare Solution's clinical model and working in the TurningPoint Provider Portal. For facilities, the training will cover TurningPoint's clinical model and facility-specific information.

Webinar training sessions are available on various dates in April.

Professional providers can register for training here.
Facility providers can register for training here.

Note: Only professional providers can register for and access the TurningPoint Provider Portal at this time. Professional providers can request an authorization through the portal and then provide the appropriate facility with the authorization number. Facilities can view the status of an authorization request through the e-referral system 24 hours after TurningPoint makes a determination.

To learn more, see the following articles:

TurningPoint begins managing authorizations for musculoskeletal surgical procedures with dates of service on or after June 1 - on page 37 of the March-April issue of BCN Provider News.
TurningPoint to manage authorizations for musculoskeletal procedures with dates of service on or after June 1 for certain members - in the March issue of The Record

As we communicated previously, TurningPoint will manage authorizations for surgical procedures related to musculoskeletal conditions for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members for dates of service on or after June 1, 2020.

You can also find information about TurningPoint on the Musculoskeletal Services pages on this website:

Blue Cross Musculoskeletal Services page
BCN Musculoskeletal Services page

Posted: February 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Updated: Palforzia^™ and Tepezza^™ will have authorization and site-of-care requirements for commercial members effective March and May 2020

We updated this message to correct the HCPCS code for Palforzia.

We're adding authorization and site-of-care requirements for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members for the following drugs:

Palforzia (peanut [Arachis hypogaea] allergen powder-dnfp, HCPCS code J3590)
Tepezza (teprotumumab-trbw, HCPCS code J3590)

For BCN HMO members

We'll require authorization for Palforzia and Tepezza for members who begin therapy on or after March 1, 2020.
We'll add Tepezza to the site-of-care program for BCN HMO members effective March 1, 2020.

For Blue Cross' PPO members

We'll require authorization for Palforzia and Tepezza for members who begin therapy on or after May 1, 2020.

More about the authorization requirements

These requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy page
BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy page

We'll update the requirements list for the drugs listed above prior to the effective dates for the changes.

Posted: April 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list is changing in April

For dates of service on or after April 1, 2020, the following medications will require authorization through AIM Specialty Health ^®.

J3490, J3590, J9999 Padcev^™
J3490, J3590, J9999 Enhertu^®
J3490, J3590, J9999 Ziextenzo^®

How to bill

For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage, we require authorization for all outpatient sites of care when you bill these medications as a professional service or as an outpatient facility service:

Electronically through an 837P transaction or on a professional CMS-1500 claim form
Electronically through an 837I transaction or by using the UB04 claim form for a hospital outpatient type of bill 013x

How to submit authorization requests

For these drugs, submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page on the AIM Specialty Health website*.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members document.

Posted: February 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system may be slow or problematic after data center move

Here's what to do to resolve problems if you can't log in to the e-referral system over the next few days:

Contact the Web Support Help Desk at 1 877 258 3932.
Clear your browser history and cookies and restart your browser.
Submit your authorization requests by phone or fax. Refer to the document e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF) for the phone and fax numbers to use for various types of requests.

Here's some additional information you may find useful:

Feb. 8 through 10, we moved the data center out of which the e-referral system is operated. The move went well, but the e-referral system is still stabilizing.
You can get to the document e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF) from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience with the e-referral system. We are working hard to resolve the problems and we expect the system to be working smoothly soon.

Posted: February 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Interventional pain management services for *64451 and *64625 require authorization starting May 1 for all Blue Cross and BCN members

For dates of service on or after May 1, 2020, interventional pain management services associated with procedure codes *64451 and *64625 require authorization by eviCore healthcare.

This applies to all Blue Cross and Blue Care Network members with plans subject to eviCore healthcare authorization requirements:

Blue Cross' PPO
Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO
BCN HMO^SM
BCN Advantage^SM

We've updated the document titled Procedures that require clinical review by eviCore healthcare (PDF) to reflect this new requirement.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to eviCore in one of these ways:

Preferred: Use evicore's provider portal at www.evicore.com.**
Alternative: Call eviCore at 1-855-774-1317.
Alternative: Fax to eviCore at 1-800-540-2406.

Additional information

For more information, refer to the document titled eviCore Management Program: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).

You can find this document and other resources on this website:

The BCN eviCore-Managed Procedures webpage
The Blue Cross eviCore-Managed Procedures webpage

Posted: February 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance three times in February 2020

The e-referral system will be unavailable for use during three planned downtimes in February. Typically, the system is unavailable during its routine monthly maintenance but in February, we're also moving the data center and upgrading the system's software.

Here are the three planned downtimes for the e-referral system in February 2020:

Data center move: The system will be unavailable from 3 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, to 7 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.
Routine monthly maintenance: The system will be unavailable from 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, to 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.*
*The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. On Sunday, the system will be available by 9 a.m. and may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed. During the remaining time over the weekend, we expect the system to be available, although you may experience minor performance issues.
Software upgrade: The system will be unavailable from 2 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, to 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do (PDF).

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: February 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

We're adding site-of-care requirements for Lemtrada and Tysabri for commercial members, starting May 1

Starting May 1, 2020, the medical drug site-of-care program is expanding for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members to include:

Lemtrada^® (alemtuzumab, HCPCS code J0202)
Tysabri^® (natalizumab, HCPCS code J2323)

Through April 30th, 2020, members who receive these drugs in one of the following locations are authorized to continue treatment:

Doctor's office or other health care provider's office
Ambulatory infusion center
Hospital outpatient facility

Starting May 1, 2020, infusions of Tysabri and Lemtrada won't be covered at hospital outpatient facilities.* Before May 1, members should talk to their doctors to make arrangements to receive infusion services at one of the following locations:

Doctor's office or other health care provider's office
Ambulatory infusion center

*Based on Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, or REMS, program restrictions, administration of Lemtrada and Tysabri are limited to authorized locations. We'll post information about in-state and nationally authorized administration sites to this website soon to aid in member transition; we'll provide an update when this information is available.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Requirements for drugs covered under the medical benefit - BCN HMO and Blue Cross PPO (PDF) document located on this website:

The Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage
The BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage

We'll update the requirements list for the drugs listed above prior to May 1, 2020.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Updated e-referral system questionnaires will be released for BCN and Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO on Feb. 2, 2020

In the January-February issue of BCN Provider News (page 41) and in the January issue of The Record, we listed the questionnaires that we expected to release in the e-referral system by Jan. 26, 2020.

Most of the questionnaires listed in the articles were updated on Dec. 8, 2019. However, we had to postpone the release of the following questionnaires to Feb. 2:

Breast reduction - We'll combine the Breast reduction, adult and the Breast reduction, adolescent questionnaires for BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members into a single questionnaire for both adult and adolescent BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.
Spinal cord stimulator or epidural or intrathecal catheter (trial or permanent placement) — We'll replace this questionnaire with the following three questionnaires:
- Spinal cord stimulator - For BCN HMO members
- Spinal cord stimulator - For Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members
- Intrathecal catheter — For Medicare Plus Blue, BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members

We'll also update the following questionnaire on Feb. 2:

Sleep studies - Opens only for BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members

Here's some additional information you need to know:

We'll update the preview questionnaires, authorization criteria and medical policies on this website for the questionnaire updates soon.
We use our authorization criteria and medical policies and your answers to the questionnaires when making utilization management determinations on your authorization requests.
For all of these services, you'll soon be able to access preview questionnaires on this website. The preview questionnaires show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires that open in the e-referral system. This can help you prepare your answers ahead of time. To find the preview questionnaires:

For BCN: Click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.
For Medicare Plus Blue: Click Blue Cross and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. In the "Medicare Plus Blue PPO members" section, look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires - Medicare Plus Blue PPO" heading.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Reblozyl^® will have authorization and site-of-care requirements for commercial members effective February and April 2020

We're adding authorization and site-of-care requirements for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit to include Reblozyl (luspatercept-aamt, HCPCS code J3590) for commercial members:

For BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members: Reblozyl will require authorization and have site-of-care requirements for members who begin therapy on or after Feb. 1, 2020.
For Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members: Reblozyl will require authorization for members who begin therapy on or after April 2, 2020.

More about the authorization requirements

The authorization requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

The Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage
The BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage

We'll update the requirements list for the drug listed above prior to the effective dates for the changes.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

We're removing zoledronic acid drugs from the Medicare Part B medical specialty drug prior authorization list in March

We're removing medications from the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO and BCN Advantage^SM members. These specialty medications are administered in outpatient sites of care, a physician's office, an outpatient facility or a member's home.

For dates of service on or after March 2, 2020, the following medications for osteoporosis, bone metastases due to solid tumors and other diagnoses involving bone health will no longer require authorization:

J3489 zoledronic acid (Reclast^®, Zometa^®)

Important reminder

NovoLogix allows you to quickly submit authorization requests. It offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications. Also note:

For Medicare Plus Blue, if you have a Type 1 (individual) NPI and you checked the "Medical Drug PA" box when you completed the Provider Secured Services Application form, you already have access to NovoLogix. If you didn't check that box, you can complete an Addendum P form to request access to NovoLogix and fax it to the number on the form.
For BCN Advantage, if you have access to Provider Secured Services, you already have access to enter authorization requests through NovoLogix.

If you need to request access to Provider Secured Services, complete the Provider Secured Access Application form and fax it to the number on the form.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, please see the Medical Drug and Step Therapy Prior Authorization List.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Attend a training session on changes to the Practitioner Performance Summary and utilization management categories for physical therapy providers.

Orientation sessions will be led by eviCore healthcare to help providers understand the changes to the Practitioner Performance Summary and utilization management categories that will be effective on April 1 for physical therapy providers. This is effective for Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO, BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM providers.

We'll cover:

The new model for provider tiering
Updated training material related to the PPS scores and reconsideration process

Dates (all Eastern Standard Time)

Online sessions require advance registration

Feb. 3, 1 p.m.
Feb. 4, 1 p.m.
Feb. 5, Noon

How to register

Please read the following instructions to register for and participate in a session:

Once you have selected a provider specific session, please go to http://eviCore.webex.com/*
Click on the menu bar on the far left hand side, then choose "Webex Training"
Under Live Sessions, click the "Upcoming" tab, then enter the desired topic name exactly as below and search: PPS and Utilization Management Categories for BCBSM/BCN
Click "Register" next to the sessions with the date and time you wish to attend
Complete the registration information

Keep the registration email you receive so you'll have the link to the Web conference and call-in number for your session.

Questions?

Contact the Web Support team by email at portal.support@evicore.com or call 1-800-646-0418.

(Option 2)

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Radiation therapy services for A9590 require authorization starting April 1 for all Blue Cross and BCN members

For dates of service on or after April 1, 2020, services associated with HCPCS code A9590 (iodine i-131, iobenguane, 1 millicurie) require authorization by eviCore healthcare.

This applies to all Blue Cross and Blue Care Network members with plans subject to eviCore healthcare authorization requirements:

Blue Cross' PPO
Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO
BCN HMO^SM
BCN Advantage^SM

We've updated the document titled Procedures that require clinical review by eviCore healthcare to reflect this new requirement.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to eviCore in one of these ways:

Preferred: Use evicore's provider portal at www.evicore.com.*
Alternative: Call eviCore at 1-855-774-1317.
Alternative: Fax to eviCore at 1-800-540-2406.

Additional information

For more information, refer to the document titled eviCore Management Program: Frequently Asked Questions.

You can find this document and other resources on this website:

The BCN eviCore-Managed Procedures webpage
The Blue Cross eviCore-Managed Procedures webpage

*Blue Cross and BCN don't own or control this website.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Avsola^™ and Givlaari^™ will have authorization and site of care requirements for commercial members effective February and March 2020

We're adding authorization and site of care requirements for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for the following drugs for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members:

Avsola (infliximab-axxq, HCPCS code J3590)
Givlaari (givosiran, HCPCS code J3490)

For BCN HMO members

We'll require authorization for Avsola and Givlaari for members who begin therapy on or after Feb. 6, 2020.
Avsola and Givlaari will be added to the site of care program for BCN HMO members, effective Feb. 6, 2020.

For Blue Cross' PPO members

We'll require authorization for Avsola and Givlaari for members who begin therapy on or after March 1, 2020.

More about these requirements

These requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

The Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage
The BCN Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage

We'll update the requirements list for these drugs prior to the effective dates for the changes.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

e-referral system out of service for maintenance Jan. 18-19

Here's the next planned downtime for the e-referral system:

From 10 p.m. on Saturday, January 18 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 19

The e-referral system will not be available at all during these times. On Sunday, the system will be available by 10 a.m. and may be available earlier if maintenance tasks are completed. During the remaining time over the weekend, we expect the system to be available, although you may experience minor performance issues.

To see more planned downtimes and to learn how to handle requests while the system is down, review the list of e-referral system planned downtimes and what to do.

You can get to this list anytime from any page of this website. Scroll down the left navigation pane and look for the blue tile at the bottom.

We're providing this information so you can plan ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while the e-referral system is down.

Posted: January 2020
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network

Reminder: BCN covers Cologuard tests only for members age 50 or older

As a reminder, BCN covers the fecal DNA analysis known as Cologuard^® only for members who meet the criteria outlined in the medical policy titled Analysis of Human DNA in Stool Samples as a Technique for Colorectal Cancer Screening. (PDF)

This applies to BCN commercial and BCN Advantage members.

According to the medical policy, Cologuard tests are eligible for coverage only for members who:

Are between 50 and 75 years of age
Note: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colon and rectal screening for patients 50 through 75 years of age. Screening in patients above age 75 should be an individualized decision made in consultation with an attending physician or other qualified health professional.
Are at average risk for colorectal cancer
Are asymptomatic (have no signs or symptoms of colorectal disease, including but not limited to lower gastrointestinal pain, blood in the stools, positive fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test)
Have not had a Cologuard test in the prior three years

We're publishing this information because we've recently received claims from providers for Cologuard tests for members under age 50. Those claims were denied.

You can access this medical policy as follows:

Visit bcbsm.com/providers.
Scroll down and click Quick Links.
Click Out-of-state providers.
Click Medical policy, precertification and preauthorization router.
Click Medical Policies.
In the Policy / Topic Keyword field, type "fecal DNA."
Click the search icon.
Click to open the Medical Policy - Analysis of Human DNA in Stool Samples as a Technique for Colorectal Cancer Screening document.

Posted: December 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Updated questionnaires available in the e-referral system on Dec. 20

We use our authorization criteria, our medical policies and your answers to the questionnaires in the e-referral system when making utilization management determinations on your authorization requests.

Starting Dec. 20, 2020, updated questionnaires will open in the e-referral system for certain procedures. In addition, updated preview questionnaires, which show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires, will be available on this website.

Questionnaire updates

We're updating the following questionnaires:

Biofeedback (non-behavioral health) for BCN commercial members
Biofeedback (non-behavioral health) for BCN Advantage members

For both questionnaires:

You'll need to complete them for procedure codes *90901 and *90912.
You'll no longer need to complete them for procedure code *90911.

Preview questionnaires

You can access preview questionnaires on this website. This can help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

To find the preview questionnaires, click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.

Authorization criteria and medical policies

The pertinent authorization criteria and medical policies are also available on the Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.

Posted: December 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Update: New and updated questionnaires available in the e-referral system on Nov. 22

Starting Nov. 22, 2020, new and updated questionnaires will open in the e-referral system for certain procedures. In addition, the new and updated preview questionnaires, which show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires, will be available on the ereferrals.bcbsm.com website by the end of November.

New questionnaire

A new Ventricular assist devices questionnaire will open in the e-referral system for adult BCN Advantage^SM members for these procedure codes: *33990 and *33991.

Updates to existing questionnaires

We're updating and renaming the Mastectomy for male gynecomastia questionnaire for Blue Care Network commercial and BCN Advantage members. The new name for the questionnaire is Surgical treatment for male gynecomastia.

We're also updating the Artificial heart, total questionnaire.

This questionnaire will open only for BCN commercial members. You'll no longer need to complete this questionnaire for BCN Advantage members.
You'll need to complete this questionnaire for these procedure codes: *0051T, *0052T, *0053T, *33927, *33928, *33929, *33975, *33976, *33979, *33981, *33982, *33983, *33990, *33991.
You'll no longer need to complete this questionnaire for these procedure codes: *33992, *33993.

Preview questionnaires

You can access preview questionnaires on this website. This can help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

To find the preview questionnaires, click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.

Authorization criteria and medical policies

The pertinent authorization criteria and medical policies are also available on the Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.

Posted: November 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Update: Questionnaire updates in the e-referral system on Oct. 25

This message was originally posted on Oct. 12, 2020. On Oct. 20, we updated this message to reflect that we'll be updating two additional questionnaires on Oct. 25.

On Oct. 25, 2020, we'll update the following questionnaires in the e-referral system for BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members:

Breast implant management
Breast reconstruction
Breast reduction
Orthognathic surgery

Preview questionnaires

You'll be able to access updated preview questionnaires within this website. The preview questionnaires show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires that open in the e-referral system. This can help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

To find the preview questionnaires, click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.

Authorization criteria and medical policies

The pertinent authorization criteria and medical policies are also available on the Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.

Posted: October 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Update: Starting Sept. 1, BCN requires authorization for elective pediatric feeding programs (S0317)

We're updating an earlier message to clarify that providers should use S0317 with elective inpatient and outpatient pediatric feeding programs. Please use this message as your source of information about BCN's pediatric feeding program authorization requirements.

For dates of service on or after Sept. 1, 2020, services provided through pediatric feeding programs (S0317) require authorization.

This applies to:

BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members
Elective inpatient and elective outpatient programs

Submitting authorization requests

Providers should submit authorization requests through the e-referral system. Here's what to do:

Use S0317 when submitting requests for both inpatient and outpatient programs.
For elective inpatient requests, do not add the length-of-stay procedure code. Use only the S0317 code when submitting authorization requests.

Claim submission for elective inpatient programs

For inpatient authorization requests that BCN approves, the length-of-stay procedure code will be added to the case so that you'll be able to bill a regular inpatient admission for reimbursement purposes. Bill the inpatient admission as you normally would. Do not bill elective inpatient pediatric feeding programs with the S0317 code.

Criteria

The criteria used to make determinations on these authorization requests are included in the Pediatric Feeding Programs medical policy (PDF), which was effective May 1, 2020.

We referred to this medical policy in the May-June 2020 (PDF) issue of BCN Provider News, in an article titled "Medical Policy Updates" (page 12).

Additional information

We're updating the following documents to reflect this new authorization requirement:

BCN Referral and Authorization Requirements (PDF)
Procedures codes that require authorization by BCN (PDF)

These documents are available on the Authorization Requirements & Criteria page in the BCN section of this website. Look under the "Referral and authorization information" heading.

Posted: September 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

New e-referral system upgrades

Blue Care Network made improvements to the e-referral system making it easier for you to submit authorization requests. These changes went into effect on July 27, 2020.

Here's what changed:

We're blocking duplicate referrals to prevent unnecessary pends in the system.
We're allowing only the member's assigned primary care physician to submit certain requests.
Specialists can submit authorization requests for services only if there's a global referral on file for the member. Please see Page 19 of the e-referral User Guide for rules when a global referral is required.

These changes were announced in an article on Page 35 of the July-August 2020 BCN Provider News. (PDF)

You can access our e-referral changes webinar recording previously held in July to learn more. To find the on-demand training:

Log in to Provider Secured Services
Go to BCN Provider Publications and Resources
Click on Learning opportunities under Other Resources

The e-referral User Guide (PDF) and eLearning modules have also been updated on the Training Tools page to reflect these changes.

Posted: August 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

During the COVID-19 emergency, we're extending global referrals through at least Dec. 31 for BCN HMO^SM members

Blue Care Network is implementing another utilization management change aimed at supporting our providers during the COVID-19 emergency.

Change in the duration of global referrals for elective and non-urgent services

Here's what's changing for global referrals submitted for BCN HMO (commercial) members on or after March 13, 2020:

For referrals with end dates in 2020, the end date will automatically be extended to Dec. 31, 2020.
For referrals with end dates after Dec. 31, 2020, the end date specified in the e-referral system will apply.

This applies to global referrals submitted by both in-state and out-of-state providers.

This doesn't apply to BCN Advantage^SM, Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO or Blue Cross' PPO members, because global referrals are not required for those members.

More information

We'll add this information to the COVID-19 utilization management changes document, which you can access on this website, on the Blue Cross Authorization Requirements & Criteria page and the BCN Authorization Requirements & Criteria page.

You can also find this document on our public website at bcbsm.com/coronavirus and through Provider Secured Services.

Posted: August 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

New e-referral questionnaires to open June 14 for BCN HMO^SM

Starting June 14, 2020, new questionnaires will open in the e-referral system for certain procedures. In addition, new preview questionnaires will be available on this website.

We're replacing the Pregnancy termination 1 - Medically necessary or elective questionnaire with the following two questionnaires for adult BCN HMO members:

Pregnancy termination 1 - Medically necessary. Applicable procedure codes are: *01966, *59100, *59840, *59841, *59850, *59851, *59852, *59855, *59856, *59857, *59866, S0190, S0191, S0199, S2260, S2265, S2266, S2267.
Pregnancy termination 3 - Elective. Applicable procedure codes are: *01966, *59100, *59840, *59841, *59850, *59851, *59852, *59855, *59856, *59857, *59866, S0190, S0191, S0199, S2260, S2265, S2266, S2267.

We'll make preview questionnaires available for the new questionnaires soon. To find the preview questionnaires, click BCN and then click Authorization Requirements & Criteria. Scroll down and look under the "Authorization criteria and preview questionnaires" heading.

The preview questionnaires show the questions you'll need to answer in the actual questionnaires that open in the e-referral system. This will help you prepare your answers ahead of time.

Posted: June 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Some Blue Care Network transitional care fax numbers discontinued starting June 1

Starting June 1, 2020, the following BCN transitional care fax numbers will be discontinued:

1-866-652-8985
1-866-578-5482

If you're currently faxing transitional care authorization requests or clinical documentation - or any other documentation - to those numbers, you must submit those materials using a different method starting June 1.

Here's what you need to know.

Home health care services

For home health care services such as nursing visits and physical, occupational and speech therapy provided by a home health care facility in a members' home:

For BCN HMO^SM and BCN Advantage^SM members covered through the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust (group number 00278806), don't submit anything to us. Neither referral nor authorization is required for traditional home health care services. This applies to both contracted and noncontracted providers.
For BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members not covered through the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, submit home health authorization requests only for these providers:
- Noncontracted providers: Call these requests in to BCN Utilization Management at 1-800-392-2512.
- Contracted providers who don't belong to the provider network associated with the member's plan: Submit these authorization requests through the e referral system.

Note: For other contracted providers, don't submit referrals or authorization requests. Neither is required.

Home enteral feedings

For all BCN members, authorization is required for enteral feeding services. Submit authorization requests through the e-referral system and complete the questionnaire that opens.

Note: Authorization is not required for either total parenteral nutrition or intradialytic parenteral nutrition services. This applies to both contracted and noncontracted providers and to all BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.

Fax number for transitional care services

Once the two fax numbers mentioned above are discontinued, the only fax number for BCN transitional care services will be 1-866-526-1326. Providers should use that fax number to submit authorization requests for home health care and home enteral feedings only when the e-referral system is unavailable.

Posted: April 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

We're experiencing issues with processing some Supartz FX^™ (sodium hyaluronate) claims for BCN Advantage^SM members

We're currently experiencing issues with processing some Supartz FX (sodium hyaluronate) claims for BCN Advantage members.

We're working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, here's what you need to do:

For Supartz FX claims that were denied with a message of "NLX Authorization Not Found" (QH9), you don't need to do anything. We'll reprocess your claims for payment within 30 days.
For future Supartz FX claims, submit them as usual with the appropriate HCPCS code and the correct National Drug Code, or NDC, for BCN Advantage members. If the claims are denied, we'll reprocess them within 30 days.

We apologize for any inconvenience. When this issue has been resolved, we'll post a web-DENIS message and a news item on the ereferrals.bcbsm.com website to let you know.

Posted: April 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Submit requests for swallow services to BCN, not to eviCore healthcare

In this message, we're clarifying:

That BCN Utilization Management manages authorizations for outpatient swallow services for BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and BCN Advantage^SM members
That swallow services are handled separately from speech therapy, which is managed by eviCore healthcare
How to request approval for these services

Here's what you need to know.

Submit requests for swallow services to BCN

Requests for outpatient swallow services must be submitted to BCN Utilization Management through the e-referral system or by calling 1-800-392-2912.

Here are the requirements for these services:

Swallow evaluations (procedure code *92610) and swallow studies (procedure codes *92611 through *92617) require plan notification.
Swallow therapy (procedure code *92526) requires authorization. Determinations are made based on medical necessity review. You must submit clinical information along with the authorization request.

Refer to the e-referral User Guide for instructions on how to submit plan notifications and authorization requests using the e-referral system.

Submit requests for speech therapy to eviCore

Swallow evaluations, studies and therapy are handled separately from speech therapy, which is managed by eviCore healthcare.

Submit authorization requests for outpatient speech therapy to eviCore in one of the following ways:

Recommended: Use the eviCore healthcare provider portal at www.evicore.com.**
Alternatives: Call eviCore at 1-855-774-1317 or fax to eviCore at 1-800-540-2406.

We'll update our documents

We'll update the following documents to clarify the requirements for swallow services:

BCN Referral and Authorization Requirements
Procedure codes that require authorization by BCN

Posted: January 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Authorization requirements are changing for home health, TPN and IDPN services for BCN members

Authorization requirements are changing for home health, total parenteral nutrition and intradialytic parenteral nutrition services for Blue Care Network members.

Here's what's changing.

Home health services

For traditional home health care, including services such as nursing visits and physical, occupational and speech therapy, the following changes are occurring:

For BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and BCN Advantage^SM members covered through the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, home health no longer requires authorization. This was effective in December 2019 and applies to both contracted and noncontracted providers.
For BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members not covered through the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, home health requires authorization for these providers:
- Noncontracted providers. Call these authorization requests in to BCN Utilization Management at 1-800-392-2512.
- Providers who are contracted with BCN but who do not belong to the provider network associated with the member's plan. Submit these authorization requests through the e-referral system.

TPN and IDPN services

TPN and IDPN services won't require authorization for BCN members starting Feb. 3, 2020. This applies to both contracted and noncontracted home infusion providers and to all BCN HMO and BCN Advantage members.

Additional information

In February 2020, we'll update the Care Management chapter of the BCN Provider Manual to reflect the changes related to home health, TPN and IDPN. Look in the section titled "Guidelines for transitional care."

We'll also remove the Home care form and the TPN Nutrition Assessment / Follow-up Form from our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website.

These changes don't affect enteral nutrition services, which continue to require authorization. Submit authorization requests for enteral nutrition through the e-referral system and complete the questionnaire that opens.

Posted: January 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

How to submit inpatient authorization requests to BCN during upcoming holiday closure

On Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

During this office closure, follow the guidelines outlined below when submitting inpatient authorization requests for BCN HMO^SM (commercial) and BCN Advantage^SM members.

Acute initial inpatient admissions. Submit these authorization requests as well as concurrent reviews through the e-referral system, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the e-referral system is not available, you can fax requests for inpatient admissions and continued stays to BCN HMO (commercial) at 1 866 313 8433 and to BCN Advantage at 1 866 526 1326.

Note: These requests may also be submitted through the X12N 278 Health Care Services Review - Request for Review and Response electronic standard transaction.

Refer to the document Submitting acute inpatient admission requests to BCN for additional information.

Post-acute initial and concurrent admission reviews.

For BCN HMO (commercial) members, submit these requests by fax at 1-866-534-9994. Refer to the document Post-acute care admissions: Submitting authorization requests to BCN.
For BCN Advantage members, naviHealth manages these authorizations. Refer to the document Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions for providers.

Other authorization requests. The types of requests listed below must be submitted by fax. Fax BCN HMO (commercial) requests to 1-866-313-8433. Fax BCN Advantage requests to 1-866-526-1326.

Authorization requests for sick or ill newborns
Requests for enteral and total parenteral nutrition

Additional information. You can also call the BCN after-hours utilization management hotline at 1-800-851-3904 and listen to the prompts for help with the following:

Determining alternatives to inpatient admissions and triage to alternative care settings
Handling expedited appeals of utilization management decisions

Note: Do not use the after-hours utilization management phone number to request authorization for routine inpatient admissions.

As a reminder, when an admission occurs through the emergency room, we ask that you contact the primary care physician to discuss the member's medical condition and coordinate care prior to admitting the member.

Posted: January 2020
Line of business: Blue Care Network

Corrected SNF claims for Medicare Plus Blue^SM members: Some claims denied due to untimely filing will automatically process for payment after Feb. 2, 2021

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network recently reviewed paid skilled nursing facility claim records with dates of service from June 1 to Sept. 30, 2019, for Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage^SM members. The purpose of the review was to verify that the billed services matched the services naviHealth authorized.

If we identified duplicate, overbilled or unverified services on paid claims, you received a letter notifying you that you have 90 days to submit corrected claims that align with the services naviHealth authorized.

However, when you submit corrected claims for Medicare Plus Blue members, you'll receive a denial due to untimely filing. This occurs because our systems are set up to automatically issue denials for claims that are submitted more than one year since the date of service.

You don't need to take any action as a result of the denial. We're identifying these claims and will process them for payment after Feb. 2, 2021.

This issue doesn't affect submissions of corrected SNF claims for BCN Advantage members.

As a reminder, naviHealth manages authorization requests for Medicare Plus Blue and BCN Advantage members admitted to post-acute care on or after June 1, 2019. For more information about naviHealth, see the Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions for providers document.

Posted: December 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Update: Oncology management program for Blue Cross commercial members will not include use of S codes (S0353 and S0354)

In a September 2020 Record article, we reported that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan expanded its oncology management program administered by AIM Specialty Health^® to include all fully insured commercial members starting Dec. 1, 2020.

As the result of an update to the program, providers are ineligible for enhanced reimbursement for Blue Cross commercial fully insured members when choosing an AIM Cancer Treatment Pathway regimen when one is clinically appropriate. These services are billed using codes S0353 and S0354.

All other program benefits outlined in the article will apply to services for Blue Cross commercial fully insured members.

This change doesn't apply to Medicare Plus Blue^SM, Blue Care Network commercial and BCN Advantage^SM members, or to UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust non-Medicare members. For those members, all program benefits still apply, including the enhanced reimbursement.

Posted: December 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Medical specialty drug prior authorization list will change in January for Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups

For dates of service on or after Jan. 18, 2021, we're adding prior authorization requirements for the following specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit for Blue Cross commercial fully insured groups:

Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin-blmf), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999, C9399
Monjuvi^™ (tafasitamab-cxix), HCPCS codes J3490, J3590, J9999, C9399

Providers will have to request prior authorization for these drugs through AIM Specialty Health^®.

How to submit authorization requests

Submit authorization requests to AIM using one of the following methods:

Through the AIM provider portal*
By calling the AIM Contact Center at 1-844-377-1278

For information about registering for and accessing the AIM ProviderPortal, see the Frequently asked questions page* on the AIM website.

More about the authorization requirements

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

For additional information on requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see the Blue Cross and BCN utilization management medical drug list (PDF) and the Medical oncology prior authorization list (PDF).

We'll update these lists to reflect these changes prior to the effective dates.

Posted: November 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Starting Dec. 1, some drugs covered under the medical benefit will require authorization for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program^® non-Medicare members

For dates of service on or after Dec. 1, 2020, providers will have to request authorization from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for some drugs covered under the medical benefit for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program non-Medicare members. Authorization will be required only when members receive the drugs in Michigan.

The drugs that will require authorization are listed in the Utilization management medical drug list for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program non-Medicare members (PDF) document.

Note: For dates of service prior to Dec. 1, 2020, authorization isn't required for drugs covered under the medical benefit for Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP non-Medicare members.

What you need to do

Request authorization from Blue Cross for members affected by this change.
Verify that members have active coverage on the date of service and that medications and services are covered under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP.

Resources

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP has its own policies for drugs that require authorization. The policies are available on the Medical Policies page of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program website.

In mid-October, we'll make available the list of medical benefit drugs that require authorization for Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP non-Medicare members. Look for the list on the Blue Cross Drugs covered under the medical benefit page of this website.

Look for additional information in web-DENIS messages and in future issues of The Record.

How to submit authorization requests

You can submit authorization requests using one of the following methods:

By fax: Starting Nov. 1, you can submit authorization requests by fax. For information about the forms you'll use to submit authorization requests, contact the Pharmacy Clinical Help Desk at 1-800-437-3803.
Online through the NovoLogix^® online tool. Starting Dec. 1, 2020, you can submit authorization requests through NovoLogix. The tool offers real-time status checks and immediate approvals for certain medications.

To learn how to submit requests through NovoLogix, click Blue Cross from within this website and then click Medical Benefit Drugs. In the Blue Cross PPO (commercial) column, see the "How to submit authorization requests electronically using NovoLogix" section.

Additional information

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

This list above applies only to Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP non-Medicare members.

For requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit for other Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members and for BCN HMO^SM (commercial) members, see the following pages of this website:

Blue Cross Drugs Covered Under the Medical Benefit
BCN Drugs Covered Under the Medical Benefit

Posted: September 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO expands prior authorization program to genetic, molecular testing

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will expand its prior authorization program with eviCore healthcare later this year to include genetic and molecular testing services for our Medicare Plus Blue PPO members who reside in Michigan and use Michigan providers.

Providers will need to request prior authorization for these services from eviCore.

The expansion of prior authorization is intended to eliminate the use of certain tests that are not medically necessary to improve patient care and manage health care costs.

We'll provide more details about these changes in future issues of The Record. We'll also announce opportunities for training on the prior authorization expansion on web-DENIS.

Posted: July 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

We're adding site-of-care requirements for Avsola^™, Reblozyl^® and Tepezza^™ for Blue Cross' PPO members, starting July 1

On July 1, 2020, we're adding site-of-care requirements for the following specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit, for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members:

Avsola (infliximab-axxq, HCPCS code J3590)
Reblozyl (luspatercept-aamt, HCPCS code J3590)
Tepezza (teprotumumab-trbw, HCPCS code J3590)

Currently, J3590 is the HPCS code for Avsola, Reblozyl and Tepezza. On July 1, 2020, these drugs will be assigned to the following HCPCS codes: Avsola Q5121, Reblozyl J0896 and Tepezza C9061.

These drugs already require authorization.

What you need to do by July 1

For Blue Cross' PPO members starting new courses of treatment with these drugs: Encourage them to select one of the following infusion locations (instead of an outpatient hospital facility):
- A doctor's or other health care provider's office
- An ambulatory infusion center
- The member's home, from a home infusion therapy provider
For Blue Cross' PPO members who currently receive infusions of these drugs at a hospital outpatient facility: Check the directory of participating home infusion therapy providers and infusion centers to see where the member may be able to continue infusion therapy.
If the infusion therapy provider can accommodate the member, they'll work with you and the member to make this change easy. The member may also contact you, as the ordering practitioner, directly for help with the change.
For Blue Cross' PPO members who aren't candidates to receive these drugs at a site other than an outpatient hospital facility: You must fax documentation that supports this medical necessity to the Pharmacy Clinical Help Desk. These requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. See the Inquiries about drugs covered under the medical: Frequently asked questions for providers document for information about contacting the Help Desk.
If members receive these drugs at an outpatient hospital facility without approval from Blue Cross, the members will be responsible for the full cost of the drugs.

More about the authorization requirements

The authorization requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

We'll update the requirements list for these changes prior to July 1.

Posted: June 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

We'll pay only inpatient facility claims for Zulresso^TM starting July 1, for Blue Cross' PPO members

Starting July 1, 2020, we'll pay only inpatient facility claims for Zulresso (C9055) for Blue Cross' PPO members.

We'll deny Blue Cross' PPO claims that indicate a place of service other than an inpatient facility.

This applies only to Michigan (in-state) providers.

Posted: March 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

We're adding site-of-care requirements for Adakveo^® and Givlaari^® for Blue Cross' PPO members starting April 1

The site of care program for specialty drugs covered under the medical benefit is expanding starting April 1, 2020. This applies to Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) members for the following drugs:

Adakveo (crizanlizumab-tmca, HCPCS code C9053)
Givlaari (givosiran, HCPCS code C9056)

What to do by April 1

Providers should encourage Blue Cross' PPO members to select one of the following infusion locations instead of an outpatient hospital facility by April 1:

A doctor's or other health care provider's office
An ambulatory infusion center
The member's home, from a home infusion therapy provider

If Blue Cross' PPO members currently receive infusions for these drugs at a hospital outpatient facility, providers must:

Obtain prior authorization for that location
Check the directory of participating home infusion therapy providers and infusion centers to see where the member may be able to continue infusion therapy

If the infusion therapy provider can accommodate the member, they'll work with the member and the member's practitioner to make this change easy. The member may also contact the ordering practitioner directly for help with the change.

More about the authorization requirements

The authorization requirements apply only to groups that are currently participating in the standard commercial Medical Drug Prior Authorization Program for drugs administered under the medical benefit. These changes don't apply to members covered by the Federal Employee Program^® Service Benefit Plan.

Authorization isn't a guarantee of payment. Health care practitioners need to verify eligibility and benefits for members.

List of requirements

For a list of requirements related to drugs covered under the medical benefit, see the Requirements for drugs covered under the medical benefit - BCN HMO and Blue Cross PPO (PDF) document located on this website, on the Blue Cross Medical Benefit Drugs - Pharmacy webpage.

We'll update the requirements list for these drugs prior to April 1.

Posted: March 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

How to submit inpatient authorization requests to Blue Cross during upcoming holiday closure

On Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network corporate offices will be closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

During this office closure, follow the guidelines outlined below when submitting inpatient authorization requests for Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) and Medicare Plus Blue^SM PPO members.

Type of service	Blue Cross' PPO (commercial) requests	Medicare Plus Blue requests
Acute initial inpatient admissions	Submit requests 24/7 through the e-referral system. If the e-referral system isn't available: For Blue Cross' PPO requests, fax to 1-800-482-1713 or call 1-877-399-1673. For Medicare Plus Blue requests, fax to 1-866-464-8223 or call 1-866 807 4811. Or, you can submit requests through the X12N 278 Health Care Services Review - Request for Review and Response electronic standard transaction.
Post-acute initial and concurrent admission reviews	Follow the current process: For UAW retiree contracts, fax requests to 1-866-915-9811. For other members, fax requests to 1-866-411-2573.	Submit requests to naviHealth. Refer to the document Post-acute care services: Frequently asked questions for providers.
Other inpatient services	Fax the following types of requests to 1-800-482-1713: Authorization requests for sick or ill newborns Federal Employee Program members with contract eligibility issues Ineligible members or members with no contract	Not applicable
On-call line and for urgent inpatient requests only	Call 1-800-851-3904.

Find additional resources on this website.

Posted: January 2020
Line of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan