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BLUECONNECT
Providers
February 2024
In This Issue
► February news: Executive summary
► Arizona Priority Care to provide payment services
► History of vs acute condition: Claim coding requirements
► Annual update of AZ Blue fee schedules
Continuity of Care for Dignity Health patients
February news: Executive summary
Starting April 1, we’re welcoming back Arizona Priority Care (AZPC) to support some of our 2024 Medicare Advantage HMO members. If you’re participating in the Blue Advantage network, please be sure your teams are aware of this update and are checking the back of the member ID card for the applicable contact information for prior auth requests, inpatient admission notification, claim filing, claim status, and remits. For more details, see the article in this edition or check out our revised 2024 MA overview.
Quality coding: Our Risk Assessment team has compiled important information for your coding and billing teams to help them understand when to code for an active or acute condition and when to use the post-acute “history of” codes. Getting this right can save administrative time and ensure the patient’s condition is accurately represented. Please forward the article to your teams—it’s a great resource. 
Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans: Do you have patients with our new ACA StandardHealth with Health Choice plan? The member ID prefix for this plan is IAZ, and provider support is handled by the ACA Health Choice team. For resources, your teams can visit standardhealthhc.com. We also offer a provider introduction and this overview of all of our ACA plans. 
Reminders
• Our Coding Advisor Program began this month. You may receive a letter from Optum® on our behalf sharing information and recommendations for your coding experts. 
• Check out our Prefix page to view or download the 2024 prefix list. 
• Our Gold Card Program can help save administrative time.
• Have you and your staff taken the Stigma-Free AZ Pledge? Join the effort to help reduce stigma around behavioral health care. 
CEU opportunities (at no cost)
1. You’re invited! Register now for the March 6 Arizona Community Grand Rounds session: Leading with Kindness. Stephen Swensen, M.D., a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), will share an evidence-based approach to optimizing personal fulfillment in healthcare settings, offering healthcare professionals a path to creating more kindness for themselves, their patients, their co-workers, and their organizations. Dr. Swenson is a recognized expert and speaker on leadership and burnout. In addition to his work with IHI, he is also a transformational fellow at the NARBHA Institute and a former medical director of leadership and organization development at the Mayo Clinic. REGISTER NOW. 
2. Have you and your staff enrolled in the complimentary American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) “Essentials” course (5.5 CME/CE credits)? See the recommendation from Dr. Cara Christ, AZ Blue CMO, after she took the course. It’s all about becoming more effective in preventing, treating, and even reversing the progression of chronic disease. We believe this course is a great investment in your staff and your patients. Use promo code ESS-BCBSAZ when you register.  
3. You can still join the Mountain ECHO Academy virtual “all-teach, all-learn” educational sessions! They’re held on the first, second, and third Monday of the month, through May 2024 (one CEU per session).

Substance Use Disorders – first Mondays, noon-1 p.m.
Trauma in Children – second Mondays, noon-1 p.m.
Social Determinants of Health – third Mondays, noon-1 p.m.
 
REGISTER at Mountain ECHO–BCBSAZ Health Choice (healthchoiceaz.com).
4. Special opportunity for behavioral health providers who work with patients living with or at high risk for diabetes: Free CEUs from the American Diabetes Association®  for access to learning programs, discussions, and patient education resources. Learn more and REGISTER NOW.    
AZ Blue provider portal tips
• Checking eligibility and benefits: Use the member ID prefix that is valid for the date of service. Alternatively, you can use the “Name” search option.
• Accessing online remits: Using a narrower date range (stay within the same calendar year) can optimize your search results. 
For more information about these updates, contact us at 602-864-4231 or 1-800-232-2345, ext. 4231, or reach out to your Provider Relations Contact. 
In This Issue
► February news: Executive summary
► Arizona Priority Care to provide payment services
► History of vs acute condition: Claim coding requirements
► Annual update of AZ Blue fee schedules
Continuity of Care for Dignity Health patients
Optum is a trademark of Optum, Inc. in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Optum is a separate, independent company that provides services to AZ Blue network providers and members.

American Diabetes Association is a trademark of American Diabetes Association, Inc.

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