Refer our members only to network DME suppliers

When obtaining durable medical equipment, or DME, for our members, you must use suppliers who are part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or Blue Care Network supplier network. Your contract with us obligates you to do this. The only exceptions are for emergencies or for other situations described in the policies we publish.

Here are two guidelines to keep in mind:

• Don’t refer to DME suppliers who are outside of our network.
• You must determine whether a particular DME supplier participates with the member’s plan before referring a member to the supplier.

How to identify a network DME supplier

For certain Blue Cross commercial members, you can find a network DME supplier by using the Find a Doctor tool on bcbsm.com. This applies only to Blue Cross commercial members who either:

• Have coverage through the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System, or
• Are Ford or General Motors salaried employees

For other members, use a supplier that’s part of the Northwood, Inc., network. This applies to:

• Blue Cross commercial members who don’t have coverage through one of the groups referred to above
• Medicare Plus Blue℠ members
• BCN commercial members
• BCN Advantage℠ members

To identify a supplier in the Northwood network, call Northwood at 1‑800‑393‑6432.

What happens when you use an out‑of‑network DME supplier
When you use out‑of‑network DME suppliers, members may be responsible for additional out‑of‑pocket costs. They may also be subject to balance billing by the suppliers because the suppliers aren’t in the Blue Cross or BCN network or aren’t following medical necessity requirements for replenishing supplies.

Our goal
Our goal is to partner with you to ensure that our members have convenient access to appropriate high‑quality, cost‑effective DME supplies that meet their clinical needs and that are covered by the plan they have.