We’ve updated medical record documentation guidelines for musculoskeletal procedures

In February 2023, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network and TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions LLC updated the guidelines for medical record documentation for musculoskeletal procedures as follows:

• Each entry in the office visit notes must include the author, the appropriate signature and the date.
• Surgical candidates must be seen by the surgeon during the four months before the date the procedure is performed.
• For established patients who have previously seen the surgeon in person, this can be a telemedicine visit or an in-person visit.
• For new patients or patients who haven’t previously seen the surgeon in person, this must be an in-person visit.

Note: Previously, candidates had to be seen by the surgeon during the three months before the date the procedure was performed.

See the updated requirements document titled GN-1002 Medical Record Documentation.** It’s available on the Musculoskeletal Services pages of our ereferrals.bcbsm.com website.

**Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network don’t own this document and aren’t responsible for its content.

TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions LLC is an independent company that manages authorizations for musculoskeletal surgical and related procedures for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.