Portrait of confident female surgeon. Healthcare worker is wearing surgical mask. She is against illuminated lights in operating room at hospital.
Philadelphia, Pa – June 2, 2020 – Independence Blue Cross (Independence) recently launched a comprehensive COVID-19 Provider Hub website. The site provides information on clinical and business initiatives taken by Independence to support doctors, hospitals, health systems, and other health care professionals during the pandemic.
The Provider Hub offers information related to:
Delivering care
Throughout the pandemic, Independence has helped make it easier for providers by updating policies and streamlining care to ensure that members have access to and coverage of COVID-19 testing and treatment. This section of the site includes information and links about these decisions.
Supporting practice operations
This section of the site highlights how Independence has been helping providers with administrative processes, such as:
- Not requiring prior authorization for acute, in-network, inpatient admissions from the emergency department for members with a COVID-19 diagnosis.
- Waiving prior authorization for transfers from acute in-network, inpatient facilities to post-acute in-network facilities (long-term acute care hospitals, rehabilitation or skilled nursing facilities) for any diagnoses.
- Extending prior authorizations for pending procedures for six months.
- Giving providers in value-based programs access to the PEAR portal and IndexProTM. These online tools offer enhanced information about trends in their patient care and how they can improve their performance through proactive outreach to their patients.
Working together
Independence is working with the health care community and public health officials throughout the pandemic to enhance regional access to testing, to develop shared COVID-19 protocols, and more. This section of the website highlights those initiatives.
Staying informed
Independence is keeping providers informed through this section of the website on news about current legislation, pending legislation, and legislator updates related to COVID-19 and its effects on health insurance coverage. There is also information on the website that provides the latest links to updates from Independence’s Provider News Center as well as general news, questions and answers, and messages from Independence CEO, Daniel J. Hilferty.
“We are proud of the strong relationships we have with providers, hospitals and health systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are proud to partner with the health care community in many ways so that they can focus on necessary patient care,” says Dr. Richard Snyder, chief medical officer and executive vice president, Facilitated Health Networks for Independence. “The goal of the Provider Hub website is to provide information about all the resources Independence has worked to offer providers during this unprecedented time.”
Media Contact:
Diana Quattrone
Diana.Quattrone@ibx.com
215-815-7828