Blues to discontinue paper remittance advices

By the end of 2013, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will no longer print and mail paper remittance advices, or vouchers. Watch future issues of this newsletter for the date when paper remittance advices will end.

Participating providers and facilities, as well as Michigan enrolled nonparticipating providers who are not using electronic funds transfer, are impacted. Out-of-state providers and facilities who are paid through the Medicare crossover process will continue to receive paper remittance advices.

These changes are part of the actions we are taking as a result of the federally mandated EFT-ERA Operating Rule requirements. These rules are a component of the Administrative Simplification provisions specified in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This part of health care reform is meant to reduce administrative costs associated with health care through standardization, enhancing ease of doing business between insurers and providers, and promoting the growth of online recordkeeping. Discontinuing paper remittance advices will also:

• Reduce the amount of paper you have to manage
• Introduce you to the search benefits of online remittance advices
• Eliminate problems associated with multiple mailings of checks and paper vouchers, including the incidental disclosure of protected health information by mail when addresses change and are not updated in our system.
• Allow us to all be more environmentally friendly
• Help keep health coverage affordable

How to search for remittance advices online

All Michigan health care providers and those outside of the state who have a contract with BCBSM or BCN have the ability to access online remittance advices for the Blues. To view them, providers must sign up for Provider Secured Services. Then go to bcbsm.com/vouchers to find the steps for locating a voucher or remittance advice online. You can access up to three years of remittance advice history with the ability to search by check number, EFT trace number, period of time or for a specific patient.

Sign up for electronic funds transfer

All professional providers should already be signed up for electronic funds transfer. If you are not, you must sign up for Provider Secured Services first. Then you can register for EFT to begin receiving electronic payments from the Blues. EFT gives you faster access to your payments and there is no cost to participate.

Not all BCBSM hospitals and facilities have access to EFT today, but will be able to register by the end of 2013. Watch for more information in future issues of The Record and BCN Provider News.

Where to go for help

If you need help accessing online remittance advices or signing up for Provider Secured Services or electronic funds transfer, contact your BCBSM provider consultant or BCN provider representative. For technical assistance, you can also call the BCBSM Web Support Help Desk at 1-877-258-3932 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The information in this document is based on preliminary review of the national health care reform legislation and is not intended to impart legal advice. The federal government continues to issue guidance on how the provisions of national health reform should be interpreted and applied. The impact of these reforms on individual situations may vary. This overview is intended as an educational tool only and does not replace a more rigorous review of the law’s applicability to individual circumstances and attendant legal counsel and should not be relied upon as legal or compliance advice.