Blue Review
A newsletter for Medicaid providers

September 2019

Featured Tip

How Providers Impact Patient Satisfaction

The care you provide is critical and impacts Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores. CAHPS assesses patient satisfaction with their health care experiences, which is directly linked to key success metrics for individual providers and hospitals. Patient satisfaction impacts clinical outcomes, patient retention and reimbursement claims. Review examples of satisfaction categories and their best practices.

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Clinical Resources

HEDIS® 2020 Updates and Your Role in Impacting HEDIS Results

Changes have been made to the 2020 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) technical specifications. We want to inform you of the documentation standards proactively so you can make appropriate changes as necessary, which will positively impact your HEDIS audit results. HEDIS data is important because it helps identify gaps in care, particularly preventive care, in such important and chronic populations as patients with diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and lung disease.

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Education & Reference

BCBSTX and Magellan Healthcare® Provider Brown Bag Series in Austin, TX

On Sept. 25, Dr. Diane Felder, Medical Director of Magellan Healthcare, will be discussing how to manage psychotic patients and when to refer them to a behavioral health provider. Come be a part of this discussion. Details to attend this discussion are provided in the article.

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Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Updates

Providers No Longer Submit EVV Claims Directly to MCOs

Beginning Sept. 1, 2019, managed care-only Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS) program providers who submit EVV claims will be required to submit them to the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP). This applies to claims with a date of service of Sept. 1, 2019, and after. Providers will no longer send EVV claims directly to Managed Care Organizations (MCO). Please review additional information directly from the TMHP. Adobe Acrobat Icon

EVV Training Modules Now Available

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has developed an EVV toolkit to help with the expansion of EVV due to the 21st Century Cures Actsleaving_site Icon. All training toolkits can be found on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ (BCBSTX’s) EVV web page. Training offers basic information, FAQs and tips. More training will be rolled out in 2019.

HHSC Notifications — Stay in the Know!

Make sure you’re periodically reviewing the Texas HHSCleaving_site Icon website for new notices about EVV that you should be aware of. You can also read the most recent EVV updates on BCBSTX’s EVV web page.

Health & Wellness

Health Tips to Share

Help your patients live a healthier life by sharing relevant wellness information with them. You can print individual articles, or point your patients to the websites so they can review topics that interest them. Anyone can access the websites; no login required.

ConnectConnect invites users to get answers, share information and gain knowledge on topics like well-being and health coverage through blogs, videos and articles. Participants can create a profile and like posts, add their opinions in the comments and subscribe to content they’re interested in. Spanish content is available.

Have You Updated Your Provider Information?

Visit the BCBSTX provider website to update any changes to your address, telephone number, group affiliation, and/or any other material facts via the Provider Data Update Notification form. Also, update your information with Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership via their Provider Information Change form.

News and Updates

For the most up-to-date information, view the News and Updates section of the BCBSTX provider website.

Link to BCBSTX Medicaid Website

On this website, you will find links to the provider manual, Quick Reference Guide, services requiring prior authorization and other useful information.

Contact Us

Eligibility, Benefits, Provider Network Referrals and Claim Status
Medicaid (STAR) and CHIP Customer Service: 1-877-560-8055, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. CT
STAR Kids Customer Service: 1-877-784-6802, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. CT

For general questions and concerns:
Email: TexasMedicaidNetworkDepartment@bcbstx.com
Phone: 1-855-212-1615
Fax: 1-512-349-4848

For member outreach inquiries, BCBSTX’s Medicaid (STAR), STAR Kids and CHIP members may contact Zenaida Martinez Nava, Senior Outreach Specialist/Member Advocate at 1-512-349-4880. If the member is unable to reach Sonia, please contact Maria Izquierdo at 1-512-349-4887.

For BCBSTX Medicaid (STAR), STAR Kids and CHIP quality inquiries, please contact Kathleen Thompson, Director, Quality Improvement, at 1-512-349-4836.

For Electronic Visit Verification questions, please email BCBSTX_EVV_Questions@bcbstx.com.