In this brief article, you'll learn how we at TheraThink always handle eligibility and benefits verification as well as claims filing for new patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans filing from an out of state plan.  We'll teach you what questions to ask and how to always file correctly for these tricky plans!

Filing to out of state Blue Cross Blue Shield plans can be a huge pain! But we have some specific, repeatable advice that will help you dramatically reduce your headache handling Out of State Blue Card billing.  If you want to skip the pain completely, consider trying our insurance billing service exclusively for mental health providers.  We take care of this nightmare for you.

The steps are simple and there are just three:

1. Verify eligibility and benefits via a phone call
2. Verify the local claims filing address
3. File claims to your local plan

Verify Eligibility And Benefits for Out Of State Blue Card Plans

Not as hard as you think, but honestly, this is a pain in the butt and this is why many providers end up hiring TheraThink (we turn these around in two days for free).

We have a wonderfully specific guide on how to verify eligibility and benefits for mental health outpatient providers (click anywhere). But quickly, the basics:

* Call and get a rep on the phone (always)
* Hit 0 or say representative until it works
* Ask to verify your network status — “am I in network with your insurance panel? Here’s my NPI and Tax ID”
* Ask the rep to verify mental health outpatient benefits
* Tell them that you will be filing claims in your local state — “Services will be rendered in _____”
* If they quote you a coinsurance or deductible, check out guide about understanding them here

And the next part is critical!

Verify The Local State Claims Address for Filing

This is especially important if you have multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield companies in your home state.

You might have Anthem Blue Cross, for instance, or Regence Blue Shield, or Blue Cross Blue Shield, and to make matters worse the mental health policy for that insurance company might be “subcontracted” (claims are sent to and handled) by a different insurance company.

So this is of critical importance!

Ask them “Where do I file claims in _____ State?” and “Please tell me the claims address” and finally, if you file claims electronically, ask “Can you let me know the payer ID?”

This information will make sure that you are sending out of state Blue Cross Blue Shield claims to the right claims office every time.  We provide this service, of course.

IMPORTANT: You Always File Out of State Blue Cross Blue Shield Claims To Your Local Blue Cross Blue Shield!

Trust us! 99.9% of the time you do this! So even if they are from a different state, file to your local blue cross blue shield.

And hell, don’t just trust me, loook at the back of the card — it always instructs you to do just this! (But really, trust us, we’ve filed tens of thousands to Blue Card plans)!

If your state has multiple brands (WA, CA, OR, NY, NJ, to name just a few) then you’ll want to ask for the exact address to file to.  Ask them where out of state claims should be filed.

Again, this can be a huge time-suck, calling and being transferred over and over.  We provide free eligibility and benefits verification as part of our billing service so you can skip insurance phone calls.

File Claims To Your Local BCBS Plan!

Now you’re ready to file. Congratulations!

Easier than you thought, right?

What’s Most Important..

Is that you make sure to verify the local blue cross blue shield plan and claims address to file to, especially if the claims are subcontracted to a mental health specific plan.

Still Hate Insurance Billing?

We’re happy to help. Drop us a line via our contact page or a call. We’ll get you sorted in no time. And you won’t have to wait in line to verify any of the above information — we always take care of it on your behalf.