Past Issues

It’s hurricane season and weather experts expect an active one. Hurricanes and other natural disasters can cause a business interruption. Knowing in advance how to handle emergency situations will help minimize disruptions so that your patients can continue to receive the care they need.

Availity, L.L.C., is an independent company formed as a joint venture between Navigy, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., and HUM-e-FL, Inc., a subsidiary of Humana, Inc.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida’s philanthropic affiliate, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida,SM has awarded 54 grants to various nonprofit organizations with a health or education focus since its 2001 inception.

Our next generation of health insurance plans debuted this summer in South Florida and West Coast areas. BlueOptions’ July 1 launch covered employer groups with 51 or more employees in Bay, Broward, Charlotte, Dade, Hillsborough, Manatee, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

For most claims status eligibility and benefits questions, simply call 800-727-2227, follow the prompts, and you will be directed to the appropriate customer service department. No need to call multiple numbers for member and claim information.

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

The Manual for Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers, a comprehensive Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Health Options reference guide, now is available on our website, www.bcbsfl.com.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida has made system changes as of June 28, 2003, designed to improve the accuracy and speed of payment on institutional claims over 15 lines or with total charges over $99,999.99.

Our online Fast Tracker quick reference guides were designed with you in mind to help make doing business with us easier. They offer a convenient way to access information for commonly performed services.

The BlueCard Program was developed to support the processing of claims for out-of-area Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) members. All BCBS plans participate in the program. In 2002, more than 80 million claims were processed system-wide through BlueCard.

We are pleased to provide the first issue of BlueLine’s new quarterly publication, HospitalNews, which is dedicated to issues important to hospital administration.

To ensure our communications and education materials are beneficial to you, we want to know what issues you’d like us to address.