March 2023

Wellness and Member Education

We’re Providing In-home Test Kits for Colorectal Cancer Screening

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and a good time to talk about how treatable colon cancer is in its early stages. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is giving members and non-members access to a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), an in-home screening kit, to help them take preventive steps.

Provider Learning

Provider Learning Opportunities

BCBSIL offers free webinars and workshops for the independently contracted providers who work with us. A preview of upcoming training sessions is included in this month’s issue.

Cultural Awareness Webinars Offer Continuing Education Credit

We’re pleased to offer several webinars at no cost through Quality Interactions, a separate company that provides cultural awareness training to health care professionals. Course offerings feature topics such as how to recognize and respond to implicit bias. 

Focus on Behavioral Health

Quality Care: Screening for Depression

Screening patients for depression is an important part of outpatient visits. We created a video about depression screening tools, procedure codes and following up on positive screening results.

Utilization Management – Equity in Behavioral Health

Illinois House Bill 2595 (Public Act 102-0579), the Generally Accepted Standards of Behavioral Health Care Act of 2021, became effective Jan. 1, 2023. While there are no changes to our members’ benefits related to IL HB 2595, we’d like to spotlight some important reminders and resources that may be helpful to you. Read more on News and Updates.

Claims and Coding

BCCHP^SM and MMAI Member Claims That Don’t Require Attachments for Processing Must Be Submitted Electronically

If you provide care and services to any of our Blue Cross Community Health Plans^SM (BCCHP) or Blue Cross Community MMAI (Medicare-Medicaid Plan)^SM members, it’s time to switch to electronic claim filing, if you haven’t done so already.  

Remote Patient Monitoring Pilot Update: Program Ended Feb. 10, 2023

After launching a remote patient monitoring pilot in late 2021, BCBSIL decided to end the program on February 10. Three Illinois hospitals helped test this program, two in Chicago and one in Springfield, and we’re grateful for their assistance. Participants have been notified and no further action is needed. For announcements on upcoming initiatives and ways to get involved, continue to watch the News and Updates and upcoming issues of the Blue Review. 

Quality Improvement and Reporting

CAHPS^® Survey to Assess Medicare Advantage Members’ Experiences

Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sends the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey to a random sample of our Blue Cross Medicare Advantage^SM members from March through June. Members are asked to rate the last six months of care.

Help Close Gaps in Care for Group Medicare Advantage Members: Medical Records and Vendor Reminders

If we need medical records for Blue Cross Group Medicare Advantage (PPO)^SM members, you’ll receive requests from BCBSIL or our vendor, Change Healthcare, as part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield National Coordination of Care program. Please respond quickly to our requests, including requests related to risk adjustment gaps and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®) measures. In addition, you may receive requests from EXL Health for select inpatient, diagnosis-related claims for any out-of-area Blue Cross Medicare Advantage members.  

Notification and Disclosure

Procedure Code and Fee Schedule Updates

As part of our commitment to help inform our independently contracted providers of certain developments, BCBSIL has designated a specific section in the Blue Review to notify you of any significant changes to the physician fee schedules.

Reminder: CPT^® Codes May Change 

As a reminder, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes may change throughout the year due to changes (new, replaced or removed codes) implemented by the American Medical Association.

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