Past Issues

Florida is our home and we're concerned about the medical malpractice crisis facing many physicians. We know if the Florida legislature doesn't pass meaningful malpractice litigation reform, Floridians will lose physicians and medical services they count on today.

Our next-generation, PPO-style line of health insurance plans debuts in South Florida and West Coast areas beginning next month. BlueOptions’ July 1 launch covers employer groups with 51 or more employees in Bay, Broward, Charlotte, Dade, Hillsborough, Manatee, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

New blood pressure guidelines issued by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) place an additional 45 million Americans in a prehypertension category that reflects a higher risk than previously thought for heart disease and stroke.

Physicians can now complete the credentialing process with four health insurers simultaneously.

During this month, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is upgrading ClaimCheck,® the automated procedure code editing system used in professional claims processing. ClaimCheck is updated twice a year to keep pace with changes in coding procedures.

spacer spacer Correction The article in the May issue of BlueLine covering procedure codes that no longer require the routine submittal of medical records inadvertently included “W” codes.

Claims for patients covered through Publix, Eckerd or Winn-Dixie should be sent to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, as part of the BlueCard® Program.

As a physician, how you submit claims and check eligibility and benefits affects not only your staff’s administrative workload but also your bottom line.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida will move all commercial electronic claims to Availity,*® an independent, secure health care transaction gateway, by September 2003.

Support is a simple phone call away for Availity* users who need help. Just call 800-AVAILITY (282-4548) for general customer service and EDI inquiries or if you are an Availity user experiencing:

For most of your claims status and member eligibility and benefits questions, simply call 800-727-2227, follow the prompts, and you will be directed to the appropriate customer service department.