Providers acknowledge improvements in BlueCard^® process but want continued improvement, survey shows

Over the past three years, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has increased its effort to communicate details of the BlueCard^® program to health care providers and improve processing efficiencies. Blue Cross Market Research conducted a Provider Pulse survey on the BlueCard program last year to see how we’re doing.

Nearly all offices (94 percent) report that they see patients enrolled in out-of-state Blue plans. While there is more information and resources available to Michigan providers than ever before, our surveys continue to show that providers aren’t completely satisfied with how the program works.

Here are more detailed results:

• A majority of office managers are moderately to very knowledgeable about the BlueCard program and have noticed some improvements in the past two years. Twenty-nine percent say they’re very knowledgeable and 22 percent say their level of knowledge has improved a great deal over the past two years.
• Web-DENIS is the source of choice for office managers when they have a BlueCard claims question, followed by Provider Inquiry. Sixty percent say they turn to web-DENIS, while 40 percent use Provider Inquiry.
• Satisfaction with their information source is fairly high, with 62 percent saying they are very or somewhat satisfied.
• Regarding the “BlueCard connection” series in The Record, 25 percent say they read most or all these articles, while 26 percent say they only read it when it pertains to topics they’re interested in.
• Few office managers (only 14 percent) are aware that they can get medical record requests from out-of-area Blue plans sent directly to their office by mail or fax.
• Most office managers are aware of the availability of the Blue Card phone line to verify eligibility and benefits, but only about half are using it regularly.
• The majority (66 percent) of office managers say Blue Card claims processing is about the same as it has been for the past two years, while 28 percent say it’s much or somewhat better.

Blue Cross remains committed to continuing its efforts to make improvements to your BlueCard program experience, simplify the process and make information about the program easier to use.

Here are two quick tips:

• Each online provider manual includes a BlueCard chapter with links to many online tools to assist you when a member is enrolled with an out-of-state Blue plan. You can access the provider manuals from the BCBSM Newsletters and Resources section of web-DENIS.
• You can get medical record requests from out-of-area Blue plans sent directly to your office by mail or fax. Make sure that Blue Cross has your current billing office fax number and address to receive your requests in a timely manner.

For a future Record article, we plan to develop a one-page BlueCard document that provides an overview of what you need to know at a glance. In the meantime, be sure to check out our “BlueCard connection” series for answers to frequently asked questions. The articles are also available via links in the BlueCard chapter of the online provider manuals. You can access this month’s feature by clicking here.

Have a BlueCard question or concern? Let us know by sending an email to ProvComm@bcbsm.com and put “BlueCard Connection” in the subject line.