Healthcare and mental healthcare professionals have a vital role in improving health and wellbeing in our communities by identifying and treating racial trauma and injustice experienced by the individuals we serve. At Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem), we are committed to addressing racism in our society through open discussions about trauma, injustice, and inequality. These conversations are critical to improving the well-being of all Americans and the communities in which we live and serve.

 

We can impact the injustice of racism together.

Anthem has partnered with Motivo*, the first HIPAA-compliant digital platform that connects mental health therapists and clinical supervisors, to engage providers and associates in conversations on racial injustice, trauma, and inequality. Together, we are continuing to evolve the conversation and digging deeper on a quarterly basis to keep the dialogue going.

 

Our racial equity forums focus on:

• Exploring how racism impacts health outcomes.
• Discussing how to identify racism in your practice and how to be an ally to your patients.
• Recognizing implicit bias (we all have it!) and how it affects the care provided to your patients.
• Understanding the impact of prolonged exposure to racism on people of color.
• Providing you with actionable resources to recognize and reduce racism that may exist in your practice.

Since October 2020, Anthem has sponsored four virtual forums: Racial Trauma in America, The Road to Allyship: Playing Your Part in Racial Equity, In Pursuit of Racial Equity: Deconstructing Bias Forum, and Exploring the Impact of Racial Trauma on the Health & Wellbeing of Children.

 

 

Please save the date for our next forum:   

Equity, COVID, and Holidays: Coping with grief

December 8, 2021
4:00-5:30 PM EST

 

Register today!

 

Continuing education credits are available for those who sign up and participate!

 

Registration information will be sent closer to the date of the forum.

 

The first step in doing your part in addressing racism is to recognize that it exists.

These conversations may feel uncomfortable at first, and that’s ok – this is how we will make progress together in creating a more just and equitable society.

 

 

*Motivo is an independent company providing a virtual forum on behalf of Anthem.

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Effective January 1, 2022, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) will no longer be covered under the medical benefit as durable medical equipment for certain Anthem fully insured groups. For these members, CGMs will only be covered under their pharmacy benefits. This applies to both new prescriptions and refills.

 

We will notify affected members via mail. Members who need to transfer CGMs from their medical benefit to their pharmacy benefit will need a new prescription from their provider.

 

Note that some [brand] groups will retain their medical DME coverage for CGMs and these members will have the option of using either the medical or pharmacy benefit. Generally, members receive their CGMs faster when obtained using their pharmacy benefit, so we encourage the use of the pharmacy benefit.

 

If you have questions, please contact Provider Services.

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More than 42 million Americans reach for cigarettes regularly, but almost 70 percent of them say they want to quit. What gives? Maybe the traditional ways to quit smoking, such as going cold turkey or wearing a nicotine patch haven’t worked for them in the past. Thankfully, there are plenty of new ways to kick the smoking habit. Here are five approaches to share with patients who are trying to quit.

Download a Quit Smoking App

There are plenty of downloadable quit smoking apps ready to coach patients along the way. Many former smokers recommend the LIVESTRONG MyQuit Coach, a free app available on iTunes.

Start a Quit Reward Fund
According to a study from The New England Journal of Medicine, putting money on the line can help smokers quit. Researchers found 15.7% of people successfully quit for at least six months when they were offered an $800 reward. Patients can set aside their own money as a deposit that they get back when they successfully quit.

Ask Human Resources about Resources
Many employers offer smoking cessation programs, which offer cash rewards, savings on insurance or other perks for not taking a puff. According to the American Lung Association, up to 57% of their smoking cessation program participants reported quitting smoking by the end of the program. Freedom From Smoking®, offered by American Lung Association is an often recommended program.

Quit Smoking with Meditation
For many smokers, the act of lighting up is automatic. But a Yale University study found meditating and practicing mindfulness can cancel that relationship and slash cravings. Recommend a mobile app like Stop Smoking – Mindfulness Meditation App to Cessation Smoking Support.

Consider Medication
Over-the-counter nicotine patches are designed to lessen withdrawal symptoms and have been a go-to for decades. But if those haven’t worked prescription medications can reduce cravings or make smoking less enjoyable.

 

Measure Up! Medical Assistance with Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation (MSC) HEDIS® measure looks at members 18 and older to assess different facets of providing medical assistance with smoking and tobacco use cessation:

• Advising smokers and tobacco users to quit
• Discussing cessation medications
• Discussing cessation strategies

 

Measure adherence is determined by member response through the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health Plan Survey.

 

Sources:https://quitsmokingcommunity.org/the-6-best-quit-smoking-apps/https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/livestrong-myquit-coach-dare/id383122255?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414293#t=articleDiscussionhttp://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1712&context=ymtdlhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stop-smoking-mindfulness-meditation/id621443244?mt=8http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/whats-best-way-quit-smoking-201607089935http://www.lung.org/support-and-community/corporate-wellness/help-employees-stop-smoking.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

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Each year, the CDC encourages healthcare professionals, patients, and families to learn more about antibiotics by promoting U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW). Highlighting the importance of improving antibiotic prescribing and use, USAAW brings these lifesaving drugs to the forefront.

 

With a focus on helping to fight antibiotic resistance, USAAW asks you to Be Antibiotic Aware¹ and share this information with your patients:

1. Antibiotics can save lives. When a patient needs antibiotics, the benefits outweigh the risks of side effects or antibiotic resistance.
2. Antibiotics aren’t always the answer Everyone can help improve antibiotic prescribing and use.
3. Antibiotics do not work on viruses, such as those that cause colds, flu, bronchitis, or runny noses.
4. Antibiotics are only needed for treating infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics, including many sinus infections and some ear infections.
5. Antibiotics will not make patients feel better if the illness is a virus. Respiratory viruses usually go away in a week or two without treatment.
6. If antibiotics are needed, they should be taken exactly as prescribed. Provide information about potential side effects, including those that could result in treatment.
7. Antibiotics are critical tools for treating life-threatening conditions.

 

Each year in the United States, more than 2.8 million infections occur from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More than 35,000 people die as a result.

 

Measure up: Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment for Acute Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis (AAB)

This HEDIS® measure looks at the percentage of members ages 3 months and older with a diagnosis of acute bronchitis/bronchiolitis that did not result in an antibiotic dispensing event. Visit the NCQA website for exceptions.

Description	CPT®/HCPCS/ICD-10
Acute Bronchitis	ICD-10: J20.3, J20.4, J20.5, J20.6, J20.7, J20.8, J20.9, J121.0, J21.1, J21.8, J21.9
Online assessments	CPT: 98970, 98971, 98972, 99422, 99423, 99457 HCPCS: G0071, G2010, G2012, G2061, G2062, G2063
Telephone visits	CPT: 98966, 98967, 98968, 99441, 99442, 99443

To learn more about antibiotic prescribing and use, visit cdc.gov/antibioticuse.

HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

 

1CDC www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use

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The HEDIS® Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) reporting methodology encourages the exchange of the information needed to provide high-quality healthcare services. 

The ECDS Reporting Standard provides a method to collect and report structured electronic clinical data for HEDIS quality measurement and improvement. 

Benefits to providers:

• Reduced burden of medical record review for quality reporting
• Improved health outcomes and care quality due to greater insights for more specific patient-centered care

ECDS reporting is part of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA’s) larger strategy to enable a Digital Quality System and is aligned with the industry’s move to digital measures. 

 

Click here to learn more about NCQA’s digital quality system and what is means to you and your practice.

ECDS Measures

The first publicly reported measure using the HEDIS® Electronic Clinical Data System (ECDS) reporting standard is the Prenatal Immunization Status (PRS) measure.  Health plans used the measure in HEDIS Measurement Year 2020 and reported the results in June 2021.

For HEDIS Measurement Year 2022, the following measures can be reported using ECDS: 

• Childhood Immunization Status CIS-E*
• Immunizations for Adolescents IMA-E*
• Breast Cancer Screening BCS-E
• Colorectal Cancer Screening COL-E
• Follow-Up Care for Children Prescribed ADHD Medication ADD-E
• Metabolic Monitoring for Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotics APM-E*
• Depression Screening and Follow-Up for Adolescents and Adults DSF-E
• Utilization of the PHQ-9 to Monitor Depression Symptoms for Adolescents and Adults DMS-E
• Depression Remission or Response for Adolescents and Adults DRR-E
• Unhealthy Alcohol Use Screening and Follow-Up ASF-E
• Adult Immunization Status AIS-E
• Prenatal Immunization Status PRS-E (Accreditation measure for 2021)
• Prenatal Depression Screening and Follow-Up PND-E
• Postpartum Depression Screening and Follow-Up PDS-E

 

Of note, NCQA added the ECDS reporting method to three existing HEDIS measures: Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening and Follow-up Care for Children Prescribed ADHD Medication. Initially, the ECDS method will be optional which provides health plans an opportunity to report using the ECDS method while transitioning to ECDS only in the future.

*Indicates that this is the first year that the measure can be reported using ECDS

HealthITgov: https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/health-information-exchange

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Each year, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) performs a review of a sample of our members’ medical records as part of the HEDIS® quality study. HEDIS® is part of a nationally recognized quality improvement initiative and is used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and several states to monitor the performance of managed care organizations.

 

For 2021, Anthem will begin requesting medical records in January 2022. No special authorization is needed for you to share member medical record information with us, since quality assessment and improvement activities is a routine part of healthcare operations.

 

HEDIS® review is time sensitive, so please submit the requested medical records within the timeframe indicated in the initial HEDIS® request document.

 

Ways to submit your records:

• Remote EMR Access Service – New!
  As we published in the September edition of Provider News, we now offer the Remote EMR Access Service to providers to submit member medical record information to Anthem. If you are interested in more information, please contact us at Centralized_EMR_Team@anthem.com.
• Upload to our secure portal: Medical records can be uploaded to Anthem’s secure portal using the instructions in the request document.
• Fax: Medical records can be faxed to Anthem using the instructions in the request document.
• Mail: Medical records can be mailed to Anthem using the instructions in the request document.

 

We appreciate the quality of care you provide to our members. Your assistance is crucial to ensuring our data is statistically valid, auditable and accurately reflects quality performance.

 

HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

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In an ongoing effort to promote accurate claims processing and payment, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) prefers the referring physician name and national provider identifier (NPI)to be included on professional home infusion therapy services claims in field 17 and 17a on CMS1500 claim forms.

Providers should report the referring physician information in accordance with the Anthem guidelines in the EDI Companion Guide for electronically submitted claims.

If you have questions regarding this process, please contact your local network consultant.

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Beginning with dates of service on or after December 1, 2021, Anthem will be implementing revised claims editing logic tied to Excludes 1 notes from ICD-10-CM 2020 coding guidelines. To help ensure the accurate processing of claims, use ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines when selecting the most appropriate diagnosis for member encounters. Please remember to code to the highest level of specificity. For example, if there is an indication at the Category level that a code can be billed with another range of codes, it is imperative to look for Excludes 1 notes that may prohibit billing a specific code combination.

 

For assistance in determining proper coding guidance, the following site should be helpful: cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm

 

One of the unique attributes of the ICD-10 code set and coding conventions is the concept of Excludes 1 notes. An Excludes 1 note indicates that the excluded code identified in the note should not be billed with the code or code range listed above the Excludes 1 note. These notes appear below the affected codes – if the note appears under the Category (first three characters of a code), it applies to the entire series of codes within that category. If the Excludes 1 note appears beneath a specific code (3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characters in length) then it applies only to that specific code. 

In ICD-10-CM, when a category includes an Excludes 1 note, it outlines what codes should NOT be billed together.  Examples of this code scenario would include but are not limited to the following:

• Reporting Z01.419 with Z12.4
  • Z01.41X (encounter GYN exam w/out abnormal findings) has an Excludes 1 note below that includes Z12.4.
  •   Z12.4 (encounter for screening malignant neoplasm cervix)
• Reporting Z79.891with F11.2X
  • Z79.891 (long-term use of Opiates) has an Excludes 1 note after it for F11.2X. F11.2X (Opioid dependence)
• Reporting M54.2 with M50.XX
  • M54.2 (Cervicalgia) has an Excludes 1 note below it for M50.XX (cervicalgia due to intervertebral disc disorder)
• Reporting M54.5 with S39.012X and/or M54.4x
  • M54.5 (low back pain) has an Excludes 1 note below it which includes; S93.012X (strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of lower back), M54.4X (low back pain) M51.2X (lumbago due to intervertebral disc disorder)
• Reporting J03.XX with J02.XX, J35.1, J36, J02.9
  • J03.- (Acute tonsillitis) has an Excludes 1 note below it which includes; J02.- (acute sore throat),   J35.1 (hypertrophy of tonsils), J36 (Peritonsillar abscess)
• Reporting N89 with R87.62X, D07.2, R87.623, N76.XX, N95.2,  A59.00
  • N89 (Other inflammatory disorders of the vagina) has an Excludes 1 note below the category for
  • R87.62X(abnormal results from vaginal cytological exam), D07.2 (vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia),
  • R87.623(HGSIL of vagina), N76.XX inflammation of the vagina), N95.2 (senile [atrophic] vaginitis),
  • A59.00 (trichomonal leukorrhea)

Finally, if you believe an Excludes1 note denial is incorrect, please consult the ICD-10-CM codebook to verify appropriate use of the billed codes and provide supporting documentation through the normal dispute process as to why the billed diagnoses codes are appropriately used together.

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We recently offered a series of CME webinars on a variety of topics. If you missed any of them, you can still register for the recorded webinars and earn CME credits. The webinars offer best practices to overcome barriers in achieving clinical quality goals and attaining better patient outcomes. We also expect to offer more live CME webinars in the coming weeks.

 

• Learn strategies to help you and your care team improve your performance across a range of clinical areas.
• Apply the knowledge you gain from the webinars to improve your organization’s clinical quality.

 

Attendees will receive one CME credit upon answering required questions at the conclusion of each webinar.

 

Register here for our upcoming live and on-demand clinical quality webinars!              

 

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Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) covers annual wellness visits and well-woman visits at 100% with no member cost-sharing when provided by in-network providers for members that have ACA-compliant plans. Beginning January 1, 2022, Anthem will encourage some ACA-compliant individual and small group plan members to schedule annual wellness visits or well-woman visits with their physician within the first 90 days of the plan renewal.

Some providers currently require patients to schedule wellness visits or well-woman visits at least one year past their most recent visit. This practice helps ensure a patient does not exceed more than one wellness visit per calendar year. Beginning January 1, 2022, providers can perform the annual wellness visit or well-woman visit for these members, even if it has been less than one year since the last wellness visit. The claim for the wellness visit or well-woman visit will be processed as a preventive care service covered at 100% as long as it is billed accordingly.  

Please note this benefit may not apply to all health plans. Providers should continue to verify eligibility and benefits for all members prior to providing services or receiving member copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance.

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The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) Blue High Performance Network (BlueHPN®) is part of a national network of high performance networks created in collaboration with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.  

 

Beginning January 1, 2022, Georgia’s BlueHPN will include new service areas in Savannah, Columbus, and Augusta, in addition to the already active Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area network.   

Member ID cards and other plan material will feature one small change for 2022: BlueHPN is now a single word rather than two.   

 

While many national employers may offer BlueHPN plans, some large and small employer groups in Georgia also choose plans with access to the BlueHPN network. As has been true in 2021, you may see patients accessing the BlueHPN through either a national employer plan, Blue Connection plan, or large or small group employer health savings account (HSA) plans with an Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) network. Under EPO plans, out-of-network benefits are limited to emergency or urgent care. Members may be required to select a primary care provider (PCP), but PCP referrals are not required for specialty care. 

 

You can verify BlueHPN network participation by contacting your local Anthem network consultant.

 

Provider profiles in our “Find Care” provider directory will display updated Blue HPN participation on January 1, 2022. 

 

Below is a sample ID card for a member from California enrolled in the national employer BlueHPN plan. Note the “Blue High Performance Network” logo and “BlueHPN” indicator in the suitcase icon. 



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Medicare Advantage

 

Please continue to check Important Medicare Advantage Updates at anthem.com/medicareprovider for the latest Medicare Advantage information, including:

• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield expands specialty pharmacy
  precertification list

Medicare Advantage

 

The City of New York has awarded their group retiree business to the Retiree Health Alliance, an alliance between Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) and EmblemHealth. Effective January 1, 2022, approximately 240,000 Medicare-eligible City of New York retirees across the United States will transition to Retiree Health Alliance’s NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan.

 

The NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan is a Medicare Advantage PPO plan that allows retirees to receive services from both in-network and out-of-network providers. Out-of-network providers must be eligible to receive Medicare payments to provide care to NYC retirees. Under this new plan, City of New York retirees will have no difference in cost-share for both in-network and out-of-network services. NYC Medicare Advantage Plus offers the same hospital and medical benefits covered by original Medicare as well as additional benefits original Medicare does not provide, such as an annual routine physical exam, hearing, health and fitness tracker, LiveHealth Online,* and SilverSneakers.*

 

Retirees enrolled in NYC Medicare Advantage Plus will have access to BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Advantage PPO Network Sharing effective January 1, 2022. Recently, you may have received calls from City of New York retirees inquiring if you are participating or if you accept NYC Medicare Advantage Plus. Retirees may also refer to the new plan as Medicare Advantage Plus or the Alliance.

 

Currently, City of New York retiree claims are processed by Medicare as primary and then by Empire for facility services or EmblemHealth for professional services as supplemental coverage under the General Health Insurance/Empire Senior Care plan.

 

Beginning January 1, 2022, under the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan, providers will change billing processes as follows:

• Providers should submit all claims (facility, professional, and ancillary) to your local Blue plan:
  • For independent clinical laboratories, providers should file to the BCBS Plan where the referring provider is located.
  • For durable/home equipment and supplies (D/HME), providers should file to the BCBS Plan where the equipment was shipped to or purchased from in a retail store.
• Providers should not transmit any claims to original Medicare.
• Claims can be submitted electronically or by paper submission (UB-04or CMS-1500 form) to your local Blue plan.

 

For additional information, review the NYC Medicare Advantage FAQ at anthem.com/da/inline/pdf/abscare-1134-21.pdf.

 

* Availity, LLC is an independent company providing administrative support services on behalf of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. LiveHealth Online is an independent company providing online doctor visits on behalf of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. SilverSneakers is an independent company providing fitness management on behalf of Empire BlueCross BlueShield.

ABSCRNU-0278-21

Medicare Advantage

 

Availity* serves as our electronic data interchange (EDI) partner for all electronic data and transactions. The Availity EDI processing generates response files for each submitted electronic file and delivers them to the submitter’s Availity mailbox. It is important to review these responses to understand where your claims are in the process.

 

Electronic file submitter:

• If your organization uses a clearinghouse or vendor, they have an Availity mailbox to submit clients’ files. Availity delivers the responses for claims to the same mailbox, and the clearinghouse or vendor is responsible for returning the results to their clients and resubmitting any files rejected for formatting, interchange, or transaction set errors. The submitter in this scenario is the clearinghouse or vendor.
• If your organization uses a practice management software, an Availity mailbox is set up during initial registration for your electronic file submissions. The submitter is your organization and is responsible for analyzing the responses to verify there are not any file errors or claim rejections that require correction and resubmission within timely filing guidelines.

 

Availity electronic file process:

1. Submit electronic file to Availity: Availity validates for file format and returns file acknowledgments to the submitter’s Availity mailbox. If there are any edits at this point, the entire electronic file will not advance and will require resubmission within timely filing guidelines.
2. HIPAA and payer specific edits: The electronic file moves to the next phase, which is HIPAA and business editing. Examples include:
   • Valid subscriber ID for the date of service
   • Billing and coding validation

If an error occurs at this point, the individual claims with the errors must be corrected, resubmitted as an original claim and do not advance. The claims that do not have an edit will then route to the adjudication systems for second-level edit validation.

3. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield payer receives electronic file from Availity: For the Medicare line of business, there is a second level of editing.

 

Edits for this second level return the Delayed Payer Report (DPR). Only claims that pass will advance for adjudication and will be displayed using Availity claim status, electronic claim status transactions, Availity remittance inquiry, 835 electronic remittance advice, and paper Explanation of Payment. If there are edits, the claim requires resubmission within timely filing guidelines.

 

Electronic responses

File acknowledgment: Indicates whether we receive an electronic file in the correct format and acceptance by Availity.

• Action required: If any errors occur at this stage, the submitter will need to correct and resubmit the entire electronic file to Availity.

 

Immediate Batch Response (IBR): This report acknowledges accepted claims and identifies claim edits due to HIPAA and business edits. The report also includes claim counts and charges for the electronic file. Availity creates this file prior to routing accepted claims to the adjudication systems.

• Action required for claims with edits: Rejected claims require resubmission within timely filing guidelines and will not advance to the adjudication system that would display Availity claim status, electronic claim status transactions, Availity remittance inquiry, 835 electronic remittance advice, and paper Explanation of Payment. Not applicable to denied claims.

 

Delayed Payer Report (DPR): This report is currently only returned for the Medicare line of business and contains second-level editing from the adjudication system after Availity has routed claims that passed on the IBR report.

• Action required for claims with edits: Rejected claims would need to be resubmitted and will not display on Availity claim status, electronic claim status transactions, Availity remittance inquiry, 835 electronic remittance advice and paper Explanation of Payment.

 

What if I need assistance?

If you have questions about this communication or need assistance with any other item, contact your local Provider Experience representative or call the Provider Services on the back of patient’s member ID card, or Availity Client Services with any questions at 800-AVAILITY (282-4548).

* Availity, LLC is an independent company providing administrative support services on behalf of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

ABSCRNU-0237-21

 

Medicare Advantage

 

Effective for dates of service on and after March 13, 2022, the following updates will apply to the AIM Specialty Health_®* Diagnostic Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Clinical Appropriateness Guidelines. As part of the AIM guideline annual review process, these updates are focused on advancing efforts to drive clinically appropriate, safe, and affordable healthcare services.

 

Diagnostic coronary angiography:

• Removed indications for asymptomatic patients (in alignment with the ischemia trial)
• Facilitated coronary angiography with a view to intervention in non-culprit vessels following
  ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), in alignment with the complete trial
• For patients undergoing preoperative evaluation for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or other valve surgery, aligned criteria with the updated American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline for the management of patients with valvular heart disease

 

Percutaneous coronary intervention:

• Revised criteria such that, for some cohorts, only those patients with persistent unacceptable symptoms and moderate or severe stress test abnormalities can proceed to revascularization (in alignment with the ischemia trial)
• For non-left main percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), expanded use to non-culprit vessels in patients following STEMI, and restricted use to those with moderate or severe stress test abnormalities who have failed medical therapy
• Left main PCI limited to situations where coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is contraindicated or refused (in alignment with noble and excel trials)
• Clarified requirements for patients who have undergone CABG: at least 70% luminal narrowing qualifies as stenosis, symptomatic ventricular tachycardia is considered an ischemic symptom, and instant wave-free ratio fractional flow reserve (iFR) is considered in noninvasive testing
• Removed requirement to calculate syntax score for patients scheduled to undergo renal transplantation
• For patients scheduled for percutaneous valvular procedures (e.g., TAVR/TAVI or mitral valve repair), added clarification that PCI should only be attempted for complex triple vessel disease when CABG is not an option

As a reminder, ordering and servicing providers may submit prior authorization requests to AIM in one of several ways:

• AIM ProviderPortal_SM: providerportal.com
  • Online access is available 24/7 to process orders in real-time, and is the fastest and most convenient way to request authorization.

• Availity Portal*: availity.com
• AIM Contact Center toll-free number: 800-714-0040, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET)

 

What if I need assistance?

For questions related to guidelines, please contact AIM via email at aim.guidelines@aimspecialtyhealth.com. Additionally, you may access and download a copy of the current and upcoming guidelines online.

 

* AIM Specialty Health is an independent company providing some utilization review services on behalf of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.Availity, LLC is an independent company providing administrative support services on behalf of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

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Medicare Advantage

 

In 2022, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) will be providing members with a new tool to develop an advance medical directive for many of its DSNP Medicare Advantage plans. Anthem has partnered with MyDirectives,* a leader in the industry for electronic advance directives. Information on the service will be provided to members via their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), Evidence of Coverage (EOC), and Benefit Summaries.

 

To get started with the Advance Directives program, members will visit the Anthem member website and under the Benefits tab access a link for the Advance Directives program. Selecting this link will take the member to MyDirectives, where they can create a MyDirectives account or link an account if they already use MyDirectives.

 

MyDirectives has an easy-to-use guide that takes members through a series of questions around their care preferences, establishing of healthcare agents (medical powers of attorney), sharing of information, and more. If they already have a written advance directive, the software allows members to upload copies of their current directive, making it easier to store and share when necessary.

 

Physicians and hospitals can access a member’s advance directive via healthcare exchanges such as eHealth Exchange, Carequality, and CommonWell Health Alliance.

 

The benefit and associated links will be live as of the new plan year. We encourage you to speak to your members about the value of establishing an advance directive and support members as they go through the process.

 

* MyDirectives is an independent company providing electronic advance directives services on behalf of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

ABSCRNU-0269-21

Medicare Advantage

 

On August 21, 2020, November 20, 2020, and June 24, 2021, the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee approved the following Clinical Criteria applicable to the medical drug benefit for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem). These policies were developed, revised, or reviewed to support clinical coding edits.

 

Visit Clinical Criteria to search for specific policies. If you have questions or need additional information, use this email.

 

Please see the explanation/definition for each category of Clinical Criteria below:

• New: newly published criteria
• Revised: addition or removal of medical necessity requirements, new document number
• Updates marked with an asterisk (*) notate that the criteria may be perceived as more restrictive

 

Please share this notice with other members of your practice and office staff.

 

Please note: The Clinical Criteria listed below applies only to the medical drug benefits contained within the member’s medical policy. This does not apply to pharmacy services.

 

Effective date	Document number	Clinical Criteria title	New or revised
November 1, 2021	*ING-CC-0201	Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjm)	New
November 1, 2021	*ING-CC-0042	Monoclonal Antibodies to Interleukin-17	Revised
November 1, 2021	*ING-CC-0050	Monoclonal Antibodies to Interleukin-23	Revised
November 1, 2021	ING-CC-0125	Opdivo (nivolumab)	Revised
November 1, 2021	ING-CC-0124	Keytruda (pembrolizumab)	Revised
November 1, 2021	*ING-CC-0102	GnRH Analogs for Oncologic Indications	Revised
November 1, 2021	ING-CC-0076	Nulojix (belatacept)	Revised
November 1, 2021	*ING-CC-0077	Palynziq (pegvaliase-pqpz)	Revised
November 1, 2021	ING-CC-0067	Prostacyclin Infusion and Inhalation Therapy	Revised
November 1, 2021	ING-CC-0194	Cabenuva (cabotegravir extended-release; rilpivirine extended-release) Injection	Revised

 

ABSCRNU-0261-21