ConnectiCare | Office Visit

ConnectiCare | Office Visit - July 2020

July 2020 - In this issue

Reminder: Check your patients’ member ID cards for new member ID numbers
New connecticare.com – coming soon!
COVID-19 news for our providers
Importance of managing your patients’ antidepressant medications
Has any of your information changed? Let us know.
Recent provider headlines

Reminder: Check your patients’ member ID cards for new member ID numbers

As a reminder, ConnectiCare members with employer-sponsored plans will get new ID cards with new member ID numbers and group ID numbers, starting with group plans that enroll or renew on Aug. 1, 2020.

Here are samples of what the ID cards will look like:

Front

Back

If your patient has a new ID number, make sure to use that number for your claims submission for dates of services on and after Aug. 1, 2020 to avoid any delay in claims payments. There are no changes to the claims submission process.

Updates to 2020 provider payments
As a reminder, we’re making changes to how we pay providers as follows:

•	Frequency of provider payments to increase: We will move from once-a-week check runs to a daily schedule for our commercial members with new “K” ID numbers starting Aug. 1, 2020.
•	Changes to EFT registration and access to ERAs: We will use PNC Bank and the ECHO Health payment platform to pay Medicare Advantage claims starting July 15, 2020 and commercial claims¹ starting Aug. 1, 2020. This means providers will need to go to the ECHO website.

For more details on this, please refer to last month’s Office Visit.

¹This only applies to commercial claims submitted after Aug. 1, 2020 for commercial members with the new ID numbers that start with the letter “K.” You will still get EFT payments through Bank of America for claims submitted for commercial members with the old ID numbers.

New connecticare.com – coming soon!

A new connecticare.com launches later this month, with a mobile-friendly design and better navigation to make it easier for you and your office staff to find information in our provider manual.

Our policies — including coverage guidelines, medical, pharmacy, reimbursement and payment integrity — will be centralized to help you find the information you need. Head to the provider resources section to find clinical information, forms and news.

Please note: Our secure provider website for patient benefits and eligibility information, referrals and claim status, is not changing at this time.

COVID-19 news for our providers

Please make sure to check our provider website for the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) news. We update this page as needed with the latest information you need to know as you treat ConnectiCare members during the ongoing pandemic.

We extended our temporary program of reimbursing in-network providers for telehealth visits through Sept. 9, 2020 in recognition of the ongoing and critical need to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Importance of managing your patients’ antidepressant medications

The consequences of inadequately treated depression are significant. The correct use of antidepressant medication is an important part of treatment. Patients diagnosed with depression need to be monitored closely during the first three to six months of treatment to adjust dosage or type of medication.

Below are some tips for effective antidepressant medication management¹ that you should share with your patients.

•

Manage expectations by telling your patients:

o	It may take time for them to start feeling better. Most antidepressant medications take one to six weeks to work.
o	They may see improvements in their sleep and appetite before they notice improvements in their mood, energy and negative thinking.

•

Promote medication adherence by:

o	Encouraging patients to keep taking the antidepressant medication for at least six months.
o	Explaining the connection between taking the medication and the signs and symptoms of improvement.
o	Offering strategies to help them take their medications each day.
o	Telling them the common side effects associated with the medication, how long they will last and what to do to manage them.

•

Let them know what to do if they:

o	Are having thoughts that they want to harm themselves.
o	Have questions or concerns about their medications.

Here are some ways to improve the effectiveness of antidepressant medication management:

•	Recognize high co-morbidity of depression with physical illnesses.
•	Follow patients closely — with weekly contacts for the first month of treatment — and monitor side effects.
•	Call to follow up with patients who don’t show for appointments.
•	Realize that improvement takes four to eight weeks of treatment at adequate doses.
•	Re-evaluate after two to four weeks if you don’t see signs of improvement.

¹Source: Molina Healthcare. HEDIS^® Tips: Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM). 9 March 2020. https://www.molinahealthcare.com/providers/sc/duals/ PDF/AMM_Antidepressant%20Med%20Management.pdf (last accessed 20 July 2020).

Has any of your information changed? Let us know.

Check our provider directory to make sure we have the right information for you and your practice. Our members rely on our directory to find doctors like you quickly and easily.

Relevant changes include your:

•	Tax ID number
•	National provider identification (NPI)
•	Address
•	Phone number
•	Office hours
•	Ability to accept new patients
•	Language spoken

Submit any changes by filling out our provider demographic change form and sending it back to us as noted on the form.

Recent provider headlines

Check out the latest Provider News & Headlines:

•	Coronavirus (COVID-19) information and resources for our providers
•	COVID-19: Telehealth policy and waiver of Passage PCP referrals extended
•	Pre-payment forensic reviews and audits to resume June 20
•	Provider payments and other 2020 updates
•	Biosimilar preferred product update
•	New and updated payment policies, effective Aug. 1, 2020
•	D-SNP provider training needs to be completed by Aug. 30
•	ConnectiCare providers who are in network for certain EmblemHealth plans
•	Have your NPI handy when you call our Provider Services team
•	Submit taxonomy codes to help make sure claims are paid quickly
•	Acupuncture for chronic lower back pain, a new benefit for some Medicare Advantage members

Keep in touch

ConnectiCare is a brand name used for products and services provided by ConnectiCare Insurance Company Inc., and its affiliates, members of the EmblemHealth family of companies.