January Dental newsletter communications

Welcome to our monthly provider newsletter: stay informed

We are thrilled to include our dental providers in our monthly provider newsletter. In these monthly publications, we will communicate important updates, informative educational articles, and more.

New articles are published on the first business day of each month, so be sure to bookmark this location and visit this page regularly for updates. Our dedicated team is committed to making important information easy for you to find, so that you can continue providing excellent care to your patients.

Empire BlueCross and Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus are transitioning to Anthem

We are very excited to share the news that on January 1, 2024, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus (Empire) and Empire BlueCross (Empire) will become Anthem. This will take place across all lines of business. There will be no impact to your contract, reimbursement, or level of support.

Why is Empire becoming Anthem?

Empire joined the Anthem family of health plans in 2006. The decision brings together everything that the well-respected, industry-leading Anthem brand has to offer, with the strength and value of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand that our members have come to know and trust.

We will continue to combine the trust of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield name and the national resources and capabilities of our parent company and affiliates to improve the whole health of all our members.

For you and your patients, our priority is to make this a simple, seamless transition, so patients can continue to use the same dentist they do today:

• Our provider networks are not changing.
• Your patients’ plan, coverage, and ID card numbers are not changing. We will be sending out new ID cards this year, and both the new Anthem-branded cards and old Empire-branded cards will be valid.
• We will still offer the same high-quality, affordable health benefits.
• We will continue to offer the same programs and services to help your patients take care of their overall health and well-being.

Our existing Anthem-branded health plans in our other Blue-licensed markets are not changing and will continue to operate in their current states.

Keeping you well informed is a top priority

While our official launch isn’t until January 1, 2024, we will be communicating the news and updates to our partners, customers, and members in advance to help prepare for this transition.
For more information, please read the press release.

Consolidated Appropriations Act provider directory federal mandate – provider directories effective January 1, 2022

As required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and several state laws, we must ensure our provider directories are accurate. Your patients, our members, need the most up-to-date information to reach you. Please keep us informed of any changes impacting you or your office, especially those changes impacting the directory.

We will reach out to our contracted providers as required by Federal and State laws to verify contact information. As a contracted provider, you must respond to the notification by providing updated contact information.

We appreciate your due diligence in keeping us informed of any changes impacting you or your office. Working together, we ensure your patients, our members, can reach you quickly while we meet our compliance obligations.