Do’s and don’ts when submitting commercial SNF requests using the e‑referral system

Starting Dec. 1, 2020, skilled nursing facilities were required to submit authorization requests for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan commercial and Blue Care Network commercial members through the e‑referral system and not by fax. You should fax the form only when the e-referral system isn’t available.
Here are important do’s and don’ts when submitting your requests through the e‑referral system:

• On requests for initial admissions:
• Do submit only one request for each member admitted. Don’t submit a duplicate request while waiting to get the response.
• Do include the admitting or attending physician in addition to the name of the facility.
•   On requests for additional days:
• Do add an extension line so we know you’re requesting the days. Follow the instructions in the e-referral User Guide for “Extending an Inpatient Authorization.”
• Don’t add more than one extension line.

• On all requests:
• Do complete the Skilled nursing facility assessment form and attach it to the request in the e‑referral system instead of faxing it.
• Note: On the form, do include the name and phone number of the person submitting the authorization request.
• Do complete each field. Don’t indicate “see attached” in lieu of completing the fields.
• Don’t request more than seven days.

Training resources for SNFs

It’s important to use the available training resources to familiarize yourself with the e‑referral system, especially:

• Checking member eligibility and benefits
• Submitting an inpatient authorization request (requests for admissions and requests for additional SNF days)
• Attaching a document to the authorization request

You can access a recorded webinar for SNFs and the webinar slides at ereferrals.bcbsm.com. Click on Training Tools and scroll down to find the e‑referral Overview for Skilled Nursing Facilities presentation section of the page and check out:

• Recorded webinar
• Presentation slides (PDF)

Next steps

If you haven’t done so already, there are two important things you should do right away.

1. Register now for access to the e-referral system
   We encourage you to register now for access to the e-referral system. It takes some time to process registration requests.
   To register, follow the instructions on the Sign up for e‑referral or change a user webpage on our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website.  


2. Use the online tools to learn the e‑referral system
   Visit the Training Tools page of our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website to access:
   • e-referral User Guide
   • Online Self-paced Learning Modules