BlueCard^® Out-Of-State Changes Effective September 15, 2008

Overpayments on Out-of-State Claims
As of September 1, 2008, we will no longer be able to process partial refund requests and will no longer request or be able to accept checks from providers for refunds on claims for out-of-state members only. All overpayment reconciliation will be reflected on electronic remittance advices and/or payment registers.

When an overpayment on a claim for an out-of-state member may have been made, providers must fill out and submit an Overpayment Notification Form  (instead of sending a check) for review to ensure that an overpayment did occur. Complete the form and mail or fax it to:

BCBSLA Correspondence        Fax (225) 297.2727
ITS Host Refunds                   Attn. Correspondence
P.O. Box 98029
Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9029

For more detailed instructions, see the Overpayment Notification Form. If you have questions about this process, please contact the Provider Services at 800.922.8866.

BlueCard (Out-of-State Claims) Processed in Facets Beginning September 15
We continue to replace Legacy, our central operating system, with an updated system called Facets. As of September 15, 2008, all claims received for out-of-state members will be processed in the new Facets claims operating system. This change may affect the approximately 300,000 members of the BlueCard Program who live in Louisiana.
Providers should notice little impact to claims processes with this change. However, please be aware that you may receive more than one type of payment register during this transition. If you have any questions, please contact Provider Services at 800.922.8866.

iLinkBLUE Enhancement Makes Checking BlueCard (Out-of-State) Claims Status Easier
The iLinkBLUE Claim Status functionality for BlueCard (out-of-state claims) is being enhanced for your convenience. In September 2008, a new menu option, “ITS Out-of-Area Claims” will be added to the Claims Research portion of iLinkBLUE.
The addition of this new option means that providers will no longer have to modify the contract number when researching out-of-state claims (i.e. remove prefix, add Z or zero in 10th position). You will enter the entire contract number, including the alpha prefix. With this enhancement, providers can conduct claim status inquiries more easily. Visit the iLinkBLUE message board often for important announcements like this and to get updates to our network manuals.