Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
APRIL 2015 Provider news For participating physicians, dentists, other health care professionals, facilities and their office staff WHAt’S InSIde Click on a title below to read the article. ICD-10 readiness is critical ................. 1 About Provider News/Stay up to date ..... 2 AIM servicing provider enhancement ... 2 Pre-authorization list updates.............. 3 New joint and pain management program ............................................ 3 Physical Medicine Program changes......4 Reimbursement policy updates ............ 5 New reimbursement policies................6 Non-reimbursable services .................6 Medical policy updates .....................7-8 Medical and reimbursement policy reviews ....................................8 Coding Toolkit updates........................8 Monthly updates to medical and dental policies ...................................9 Clinical Practice Guidelines review.......9 Join our medical policy discussion ........9 Medication policy updates ................. 10 RegenceRx adopts OmedaRx name .......11 Obtaining current member cards.........11 Submit corrected claims electronically ....................................12 Administrative Manual updates ...........12 National Infant Immunization week .... 13 Peer-to-peer changes ....................... 13 Referring to in-network providers...... 13 This symbol indicates articles that include critical information. BridgeSpanHealth.com ICD-10 readiness is critical Implementation of the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) is fast approaching, with October 1, 2015 now just six months away. Are you ready to submit all medical claims with dates of service on or after October 1 using ICD-10 codes? If you have not already begun to prepare, start now by working with your billing staff, practice management vendor or clearinghouse; training your staff and practicing coding. Completion of ICD-10 readiness activities will help ensure your claims can be processed accurately and efficiently after the implementation. Below are some of the many resources available to help you get ready: • Idaho ICD-10 Collaborative: idahoicd10.org • ICD-10 Information Central on OneHealthPort: https://www. onehealthport.com/content/icd-10-information-central/ • ICD-10 Resources, including testing information, on the Utah Health Information Network (UHIN) website: uhin.org/icd-10 • Preparing for ICD-10 on the Availity website: availity.com/ resources/icd-10/icd-10-revenue-cycle-management/#testing • Road to 10, a CMS online tool designed to help small practices jumpstart their ICD-10 transition, plus webinars, flyers and other information: cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/index.html • In addition, our provider website provides many helpful resources, including how to register for free testing, answers to frequently asked questions and an ICD-10 flyer: Claims and Payment>Claims Submission>ICD-10 We appreciate that many providers and facilities are actively preparing for the upcoming transition. For those that have not yet begun, it is critical that you start your ICD-10 readiness activities now so you can avoid claims processing and payment issues that could put the financial health of your office or facility at risk. ■ 1 About Provider News This publication includes important updates for you and your staff, in addition to information about updates to policies and procedures, and notices we are contractually required to communicate to you. In the Table of Contents on page 1, this symbol indicates articles that include critical updates . In order to save you time, you can click on the titles to go directly to specific articles. You can also return to the Table of Contents from any page by clicking on the link at the bottom of each page. Issues are published by the first of the following months: February, April, June, August, October and December. Medical and Dental Policy Bulletin coming in May Beginning May 1, 2015, we will publish a monthly Medical and Dental Policy Bulletin as a supplement to this bi-monthly provider newsletter. This monthly bulletin will provide you with updates to medical and dental policies, including any policy changes we are contractually required to communicate to you. See the Monthly updates to medical and dental policies beginning in May article on page 9 for more information. Subscribe today It’s easy to subscribe to Provider News. Simply complete the subscription form available in the Library section of our provider website. Stay up to date View the What's New section on the home page of our website for the latest news and updates. AIM servicing provider enhancement Beginning May 1, 2015, servicing providers (free standing or hospital facilities that perform imaging procedures) can initiate radiology order number requests via Aim Speciality Health's (AIM’s) ProviderPortal, providerportal.com, for our Radiology Quality Initiative (RQI) program. Previously, servicing providers could only request a radiology exam authorization by phone. The ProviderPortal is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more about our RQI and Advanced Imaging Authorization programs on our website: Programs>Medical Management>Radiology Quality Initiative.■ Encourage everyone in your office to sign up. Share your feedback Is Provider News meeting your needs? Share your feedback by sending an email to provider_ [email protected]. ■ 2 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents Pre-authorization list updates In order to make our pre-authorization list easier to search by code, we have removed any PDF lists related to our Radiology Quality Initiative, Physical Medicine and Sleep Medicine Programs. We have, instead, created sections that show all the applicable codes that require authorization related to these programs. We have also noted the contact information when the authorization is required through CareCore National, LLC (CareCore) or AIM Specialty Health (AIM). We added clarifying concurrent review language under “Payment implications for failure to timely notify or pre-authorize services” section related to how we handle elective services that require pre-authorization that need to occur during the course of an inpatient admission. Under the “Notification timeframe reimbursement” section we have clarified “compelling evidence” and added a bullet that addresses when a surgery which requires pre-authorization occurs in an urgent/emergent situation. The following updates apply to our Pre-authorization List: PRoCeduRe/MedICAL PoLICy CodeS Genetic Testing; Hereditary Hearing Loss (Genetic Testing #36) Added CPT 81252, 81253, 81254 Effective March 1, 2015 Laboratory and Genetic Testing for Use of Added CPT 81401 5-Flourouracil in Patients With Cancer (Laboratory #64) Effective March 1 Genetic Testing; Rett Syndrome (Genetic Testing #68) Added CPT 81404, 81405, 81406 Effective April 1 Sacroiliac Joint Fusion (Surgery #193) Adding CPT 27280 Effective May 1 Our pre-authorization list is available in the Pre-authorization section of our website. Please review the list and pre-authorize services accordingly. ■ New joint and pain management program We are expanding our Physical Medicine Program effective for dates of service on or after July 1, 2015. The program will include an authorization process for interventional pain management and arthroscopy/arthroplasty. Our goal is to partner with affected providers to help our members prepare for procedures, navigate the health care system and engage in their care. We partnered with CareCore National LLC (CareCore) to administer this program, as a component of our overall Medical Management program. We will add specific CPT/HCPCS codes to our Pre-authorization List for joint and pain management to reflect authorization requirements for dates of service on or after July 1: • You will be required to contact CareCore to receive an authorization for all specified CPT/HCPCS codes via their website, carecorenational.com, or by phone at (855) 252-1115 and can begin requesting authorizations on June 15 for dates of service on or after July 1. • Failure to obtain authorization or notification for required services by the servicing provider will result in claim non-payment and will become a provider liability. Additional program details, including links to our pre-authorization list can be found on our website: Programs>Medical Management>Physical Medicine. ■ BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents 3 Upcoming Physical Medicine Program changes Thank you for your patience and willingness to work with us over the past year as we introduced and/or revised guidelines for our Physical Medicine Program. Our provider community and our members have provided valuable feedback that helps us create a better experience for you and your patients. As a result, we are adjusting the program, effective for authorization requests received on or after July 1, 2015, to deliver a more uniform experience regardless of the in-network provider seen. key RevISIonS to tHe PRogRAM ARe: • Chiropractic and physical therapy (PT) providers will no longer be assigned to a tier: A/B/C. • All providers will follow the same authorization process for initial notification and for submission of clinical documentation when medical necessity review is required. Providers will still be able to view their performance results relative to peers on the Practitioner Performance Summary dashboard. At this time, the dashboard on CareCore National, LLC's (CareCore's) website, carecorenational.com, allows providers to monitor how they perform on several efficiency measures relative to their peers. We recently asked providers to voluntarily begin submitting outcome data on their authorization requests. This will allow the collected outcome measures to eventually be added to the dashboard. Thank you for your participation and feedback as we partner to ensure members receive the care they need, when they need it at an affordable cost. View additional information about the Physical Medicine Program on our website: Programs>Medical Management>Physical Medicine. ■ • All additional authorization requests will require clinical submission and medical necessity review. - Initial authorization request (Notification) - Eligible for a six-visit episode of care (this is based upon our data showing average number of visits used) - PT providers will be eligible for additional visits in the episode of care, when a qualifying condition is presented (e.g., Post-Operative) and not based on the specific provider requesting authorization - Subsequent request for a new episode (new condition or gap in care of at least 60 days) - Eligible for a six-visit episode of care - PT providers will be eligible for additional visits for the episode of care based on a qualifying condition and not based on the specific provider requesting authorization (e.g., Post-Operative) - Subsequent request for an existing episode - Clinical submission for medical necessity review will be required 4 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents Reimbursement policy updates The following reimbursement policies will be updated effective July 1, 2015. The updated policies will be available on our website on April 2: Library>Policies and Guidelines>Reimbursement Policy. Modifier 62;Two Surgeons/Co-surgeons (Modifier #113) This policy will be revised as part of our annual review to clarify our reimbursement guidelines and when to bill assistant surgeon modifiers. In addition, we will not reimburse for an additional assistant surgeon on a procedure where reimbursement has been provided as co-surgeons. Urine Drug Testing (Medicine #106) This reimbursement policy will be updated with a title change (previously Drug Screening Qualitative and Quantitative) to include both drug screening and drug testing. We will also: • Add a daily unit maximum edit of ‘1’ to all HCPCS drug assay codes G6030-G6057 • Limit HCPCS G6030-G6057 to one unit per patient encounter; up to a maximum of two units regardless of the number of drugs, drug classes or drug panels tested • Require providers to bill HCPCS G codes G0431, G0434, G6030-G6058 instead of CPT codes 80300-80304, 80320-80377 and 83992 for both drug screening and drug testing We will be adding the non-reimbursable services edit to the following immunization codes on July 1: • HCPCS J3520, S0023, S0081, S5013, S5014 • CPT 90653, 90660, 90702, 90721, 90735, 90739 • HCPCS J0205, J0745, J0890, J1330, J1600, J1655, J1945, J3472, J7196, J7505, J7513, J8562, J8565, J9010, J9160, J9212, J9300, Q2034, Q2039, Q9954 The codes listed above describe products that are no longer produced by drug manufacturers and are, therefore, obsolete. Claims should be submitted with the correct product CPT or HCPCS code for what is being administered to be eligible for payment. For example, the FluMist trivalent formula, billed with CPT 90660 is no longer manufactured. Instead, the current FluMist quadrivalent is now reported under CPT 90672. We are also adding a statement to this policy indicating CPT 80300-80304; 80320-80377 and 83992 are no longer reimbursable. We require the use of the appropriate HCPCS G codes. See the information on the left regarding the Urine Drug Testing (Medicine #106) policy. View specific CPT and HCPCS codes that are considered non-reimbursable services in the Clinical Edits by Code List located on our website: Claims and Payment>Claims Submission>Coding Toolkit. ■ • Reimburse HCPCS G6058 when the initial qualitative screening indicates drug abuse, misuse or diversion or when the immunoassay (qualitative) test is not commercially available Non-Reimbursable Services (Administrative #107) This policy explains invalid services that are non-reimbursable. If billed, non-reimbursable services are not payable, are denied as a provider write-off and cannot be billed to our member. This policy applies to ambulatory surgical centers, physicians, laboratories, other qualified health care professionals, hospitals and other facilities. BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents 5 New reimbursement policies This policy applies to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. For more information, view these reimbursement policies on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines>Reimbursement Policy. ■ The following new policies are effective July 1, 2015. Ambulance Guidelines (Administrative #121) The policy is based upon CMS requirements and outlines our reimbursement guidelines for ground ambulance and air ambulance services, including: • HCPCS coding • Acceptable ambulance modifiers • What services are included in ambulance transportation Reimbursement of Medications for Facilities (Facility #102) Medications must be recorded in the patient’s Medication Administration Record (MAR) or the electronic version of the MAR to be eligible for reimbursement. Medications not documented in this manner are not reimbursable. Reimbursement for medications, regardless of route of administration, is governed by this policy. Drugs that are administered as part of a procedure are not separately reimbursable. Non-reimbursable services Our Non-Reimbursable Services (Administrative #107) reimbursement policy which explains invalid services that are considered to be non-reimbursable, is located on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines. If billed, non-reimbursable services are considered not payable, are denied as a provider write-off and cannot be billed to our member. View specific CPT and HCPCS codes that are considered non-reimbursable services in the Clinical Edits by Code List located on our website: Claims and Payment>Claims Submission>Coding Toolkit. ■ Anesthesia care documented in a graphic anesthesia record which denotes the anesthesia care given, the drugs and fluids administered and the patient’s responses to the anesthesia care are eligible for reimbursement based upon the terms of this policy. Implant Supplies (Facility #101) Our health plan considers reimbursement for a covered surgical implant procedure to include all related implant supplies that are necessary to perform the implant procedure. Implant supplies are not eligible for separate reimbursement. We will not reimburse implant supplies that include, but are not limited to: • Implant supplies or components that are dropped or opened and then found to be incorrect and not used. • Implants or implant components that are implanted then removed (e.g., implant screw removed and replaced when the wrong length of screw is used on a plate.) 6 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents Medical policy updates Listed below are summaries of recent changes to our medical policies. View all detailed policies on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines. This list does not include medications. neW oR uPdAted InveStIgAtIonAL oR MedICAL neCeSSIty PoLICy CRIteRIA ALLIed HeALtH Administrative Guidelines to Determine Dental versus Medical Services (#35) Clarified general anesthesia and facility criterion genetIC teStIng Assays of Genetic Expression in Tumor Tissue as a Technique to Determine Prognosis In Patients With Breast Cancer (#42) Updated criteria Evaluating the Utility of Genetic Panels (#64) Added new panel tests Genetic and Molecular Diagnostic Testing (#20) Changed criteria to include panel testing and added a list of required information for review Genetic Testing for Hereditary Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer (#02) Updated policy criteria with additional populations, including invasive and ductal carcinoma in situ being considered as breast cancer Genetic Testing for Hereditary Hearing Loss (#36) New policy KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF Mutation Analysis in Colorectal Cancer (#13) Added NRAS to investigational criterion LABoRAtoRy Laboratory and Genetic Testing for Use of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in Patients with Cancer (#64) Expanded policy to include genetic mutation testing (e.g., TheraGuide) MedICIne Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (#154) New policy New and Emerging Medical Technologies and Procedures (#149) Added CPT 0075T, 0076T, 0329T and C9742 to policy; Removed CPT 44705 and HCPCS G0455 from policy and moved to new Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (#154) policy MentAL HeALtH Applied Behavior Analysis for the Treatment of Autism (#18) Modified criteria and added a list of required information for review SuRgeRy Bariatric Surgery (#58) Clarified criteria regarding reoperation and gastric banding procedures Baroreflex Stimulation Devices (#183) Added heart failure as investigational; Noted member contract may apply to treatment of consequences of non-covered services Gastroesophageal Reflux Surgery (#186) Revised criteria regarding fundoplication in conjunction with paraesophageal hiatal hernia repair and achalasia Saturation Biopsy for Diagnosis and Staging of Prostate Cancer (#170) Clarified criterion definition of saturation biopsy as not limited to 20 or more core tissue samples Spinal Cord Stimulation (#45) (Formerly: Spinal Cord Added heart failure as investigational indication Stimulation for Treatment of Pain) continued on page 8 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents 7 Medical policy updates continued from page 7 neW oR uPdAted InveStIgAtIonAL oR MedICAL neCeSSIty PoLICy CRIteRIA effeCtIve JuLy 1, 2015 MedICIne Surgeries for Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Adults (#166) Defining "adult" as 18 and older; Adding hypoglossal nerve stimulation as investigational; Removing requirement for failure of maximum treatment of underlying disease tRAnSPLAnt Isolated Small Bowel Transplant (#09) Adding retransplant and updating criteria for patients who tolerate Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) to apply to any age Medical and reimbursement policy reviews Our medical and reimbursement policies are reviewed due to the following: • Updates from CMS • Regularly scheduled review • Changes in published scientific literature • Requests from physicians, other health care professionals or facilities • Addition, deletion or revision of codes published in the CPT, HCPCS and ICD-9-CM manuals ■ Coding Toolkit updates Our Coding Toolkit is a listing of our clinical edits and includes information specific to Medicare’s National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI). These coding requirements are updated and posted on a monthly basis in the Clinical Edits by Code List in the Coding Toolkit. In addition, our Correct Code Editor (CCE), also located in the Coding Toolkit, has additional CPT and HCPCS code pair edits that we have identified and are used as a supplement to Medicare’s NCCI. This supplemental list of code groupings in the CCE is updated quarterly in January, April, July and October. The Coding Toolkit is available on our website: Claims and Payment>Claims Submission>Coding Toolkit. As a reminder, we perform ongoing retrospective review on claims history that should be processed against our clinical edits. We follow our existing notification and recoupment process when we have overpaid based upon claims processing discrepancies and incorrect application of the clinical edits. View the notification and recoupment process on our website: Claims and Payment>Receiving Payment>Overpayment Recovery. Please remember to review your current coding publications for codes that have been added, deleted or changed and to use only valid codes. ■ 8 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents Monthly updates to medical and dental policies beginning in May Beginning May 1, 2015, we will begin publishing a monthly Medical and Dental Policy Bulletin as a supplement to the bi-monthly provider newsletter. This monthly bulletin will include updates to medical and dental policies, including any policy changes we are contractually required to communicate to you. This bulletin will be available by the first of each month and will be emailed to those who have subscribed. To subscribe, please complete the subscription form available on the home page of our website. You can view our monthly medical and dental policy updates along with current and previous issues of our bi-monthly newsletter online. Easily access them from the home page or Library section of our website: Library>News and Updates. ■ Join our medical policy discussions We welcome your input on our draft medical policies. Please consider completing the Contact Medical Policy Staff request form on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines>Medical Policy. Make sure to check the box to be contacted on a regular basis to review and comment on our policies, and we will send the draft policies to you for review. All feedback is confidential and will not be shared. Clinical Practice Guidelines review Clinical Practice Guidelines are systematically developed statements on medical and behavioral health practices that help physicians and other health care professionals make decisions about appropriate health care for specific conditions. View these guidelines on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines. The following practice guidelines were recently reviewed and had no changes: • Perinatal Care • Depression: Screening and Treatment • Preventive Services Guidelines for Adults • Preventive Services Guidelines for Children and Adolescents BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents 9 Medication policy updates Listed below is a summary of upcoming changes to our medication policies. View all policies in the Medication Policy Manual, available on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines. This list does not include other medical policy updates. The formularies or preferred medication lists for our products are available at omedarx.com. If CMS has designated a medication as product not available (PNA) for ninety days, we consider it a non-reimbursable service (NRS) and not eligible for reimbursement. We review medication codes quarterly and update any drugs with a PNA code status to NRS. Since medical offices or facilities may have small quantities already in stock, we provide the 90-day timeframe to allow for use of any existing medication supply. View our Non-Reimbursable Services (Administrative #107) reimbursement policy in the Reimbursement Policy Manual available on our website: Library>Policies and Guidelines. Also, read the related Reimbursement policy updates article in this issue. New medication policy effective July 1, 2015: MedICAtIon PoLICy deSCRIPtIon of neW PoLICy on exIStIng MedICAtIon • Fabrazyme , agalsidase beta (dru391) Limiting administration to non-hospital outpatient settings (e.g., provider’s office, infusion centers, home infusion) for Idaho, Oregon and Washington members. Administration in a hospital outpatient setting will be considered not medically necessary. ® • Lumizyme , alglucosidase alfa (dru392) ® Medication policies changing effective July 1: MedICAtIon PoLICy deSCRIPtIon of neW PoLICy on exIStIng MedICAtIon Prolia , denosumab (dru223) Limiting administration to non-hospital outpatient settings (e.g., provider’s office, infusion centers, home infusion) for Idaho, Oregon and Washington members. Administration in a hospital outpatient setting will be considered not medically necessary. Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid Derivatives (dru351): Intra-articular hyaluronic acid derivatives are considered not medically necessary or investigational for all uses, including, but not limited to: ® • 1% sodium hyaluronate (Euflexxa®) • Osteoarthritis of the knee • high molecular weight hyaluronan (Orthovisc®) • Osteoarthritis of joints other than the knee • hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc , Synvisc-One , Gel-One®, Monovisc®, Hyalgan®, Supartz®) ® ® • Cosmetic indications such as wrinkles In the February 2015 issue of this newsletter, we notified you of changes that limit the administration of specific medications to non-hospital outpatient settings effective May 1, 2015. We have since removed this language from the following policies, but all other policy updates remain in place: • Kalbitor®, ecallantide (dru375) • Cinryze®, C1 Inhibitor (human) (dru172) • Ruconest®, recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor (dru373) • Berinert®, plasma-derived C1 esterase inhibitor (dru374) 10 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents RegenceRx adopts OmedaRx name As of April 1, 2015, all Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services for our members will operate solely under the OmedaRxTM brand, and the RegenceRx brand will retire. We expect this to have a minimal impact on our providers and members: • Member cards and customer service numbers remain the same. • Staff and services remain the same for our members and providers. • All prescription-related correspondence will continue to be branded as BridgeSpan. • Medication policies, prior authorization information and other provider materials that have been available on the RegenceRx website will be available on the OmedaRx website, omedarx.com. Obtaining current member cards is critical Remember, your patients’ member card information can change throughout the year. Therefore, it is critical that you always ask for your patients’ most current member card when they come into your office or facility for care. Our member cards include important information that will help you determine: • Who to contact for assistance • Current member identification numbers • The provider network, product and/or types of coverage your patient has Please make a photocopy of the front and back of the member card at each visit and place it in the patient's file. You can also access our free, secure web portals on our website’s home page. Sign in to: • Verify the member number • Verify patient coverage, benefit types and eligibility effective dates • View real-time deductible, coinsurance maximum, and dental and medical multi-year accumulation amounts • View detailed patient benefit information, including office visit copays and major medical information (Note: Copay amounts for your patients may change upon plan renewal. Please verify the copay amount prior to your patient’s visit.) View more information on our website: Claims and Payment>Identifying Members. ■ BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents 11 Submit corrected claims electronically Did you know that corrected claims must be submitted electronically? We require any claim that has a change or correction to any information (e.g., the amount charged, procedure or diagnostic code[s], date[s] of service, member name, etc.) to be submitted electronically along with standard medical and dental claims. Decrease claims processing time In two quick steps, you can submit a corrected claim in an electronic format: 1. In the 2300 Loop, the CLM segment (claim information), CLM05-3 (claim frequency type code) must indicate one of the following qualifier codes: - "7" – REPLACEMENT (Replacement of Prior Claim) - "8" – VOID (Void/Cancel of Prior Claim) 2. The 2300 Loop, the REF segment (Claim Information), must include the original claim number issued to the claim being corrected. Note: The original claim number is listed on your electronic claims receipt confirmation report or on the electronic remittance advice. If you use a software vendor for electronic transactions, please share this information with them. They can then advise you where, in their particular software, these two fields reside. Administrative Manual updates On April 1, 2015, the following sections of the manual will be updated. Care Management: • Changed RegenceRx name and website to OmedaRx • Updated Physical Medicine Program to include upcoming pain and joint management • Changed peer-to-peer timeframe from 10 to 15 calendar days and added clarifying language Facility Guidelines: • Idaho, Oregon and Utah: - Removed outdated content - Added ambulatory surgical center content - Documented existing processes in the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) section • Washington: - Removed outdated content - Revised the rental/purchase guidelines section - Updated ambulatory surgical center facility accreditation language Our manual sections are available to view and print in the Library section of our website. ■ Additional information is available on our website: Claims and Payment>Claims Submission and Benefit Coordination. ■ 12 BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents National Infant Immunization Week – April 18-25, 2015 National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual event to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases. Since 1994, local and state health departments, national immunization partners, health care professionals, community leaders and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have worked together during NIIW to highlight the positive impacts of vaccinations on the lives of infants and children, and to call attention to immunization achievements. Please encourage your patients at every visit to follow the recommended immunization schedule, and emphasize to parents and caregivers the importance of routine and timely vaccination. For more information, please view these helpful resources: • CDC’s website includes immunization schedules to order or print, recommendations to consult, and tools to download at cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules. • CDC’s NIIW page includes information about NIIW, including promotional and educational resources, at cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/index.html. • Scientific AmericanTM recently published an article, How to get more parents to vaccinate their kids at scientificamerican.com/article/how-to get-more-parents-to-vaccinate-their-kids. • A guide for Talking with Parents about Vaccines for Infants: Strategies for Health Care Professionals is available at cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/ patient-ed/conversations/downloads/talk-infants-color-office.pdf. Peer-to-peer changes The timeframe for requesting a peer-to-peer discussion has changed from 10 to 15 calendar days from the letter determination date and before an appeal has been initiated. A peer-to-peer discussion is a telephone conversation between the provider requesting coverage of the service and a BridgeSpan medical director. This process is intended to be a dialogue about a utilization management determination (pre-authorization) before services are performed. Contact Customer Service to request a peer-to-peer discussion. Note: A peer-to-peer discussion does NOT take the place of an appeal. More details about peer-to-peer discussions are located in the Care Management section of our Administrative Manual on our website: Library>Administrative Manual. ■ BridgeSpanHealth.com Click here to return to the table of Contents Referring to in-network providers saves members money As a reminder, except in cases of an emergency, you must refer members to participating in-network medical and dental providers. By making referrals to in-network providers and facilities, you help your patients make more informed choices about how they spend their health care dollars. By staying in-network, your patients will: • Minimize their out-of-pocket expenses • Receive the highest level of medical and dental benefits • Ensure that they have convenient access to quality services Referrals to non-participating providers should only be made after notifying the member in writing that services may not be covered or may result in higher out-of-pocket costs. Use the Find a Doctor link on our website to locate in-network providers. Locate providers by name, location or specialty type. 13 Our Customer Service team is dedicated to helping you and can be reached at 1 (855) 522-8894. As a participating provider, you also have access to our Provider Relations team who will assist you and your staff with questions and claims issues. Visit the Contact Us section of our website for a complete list of phone numbers and email addresses. editors Kathy Neys Hove, Publications Editor and Writer Sara Perrott, Managing Editor, Writer Paula Russell, Writer and Designer Sheryl Johnson, Writer BridgeSpan Health Company is a Qualified Health Plan issuer on Washington Healthplanfinder, Cover Oregon, Your Health Idaho, and the Utah Individual Marketplace. © 2015 BridgeSpan Health Company BridgeSpanHealth.com 14