The Connection OnlineSM
June 2010
Welcome to The Connection Online
This publication contains important information, including updates to policies and procedures, for physicians, dentists, other health care and dental professionals, facilities and their staff.
Editions are published in February, April, June, August, October and December. As a reminder, our newsletter will be published online only. You will no longer receive paper issues of The ConnectionSM or Dental News.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to receive email notifications when new editions are available.
Note: Other important updates can be found in our What's New section.
Online communications between providers and patients
Our Enhanced Provider Profile tool offers providers an online presence and the capability to share, promote and communicate with current and prospective patients, without engaging office staff on a daily basis.
Encouraging consumers to ask about health care costs
We developed an interactive Web site, WhatsTheRealCost.org, to inform and educate consumers about health care costs.
Continued focus on hospital quality
As part of our commitment to information transparency and empowering our members to make more informed health care decisions, we continue to collaborate with The Leapfrog Group.
Administrative and Billing
- Administrative Manual updates
- Electronic submission of HMA claims
- First quarter claims processing results
- Office Ally makes claims submission easy
- Senate Bill 5346 aims to improve administrative simplification
- Washington Childhood Vaccine Program billing changes
- Washington state law requires tamper-resistant paper prescription forms
Products and Programs
- Behavioral Health utilization management requirements update
- Blood transfusion national surveillance system available
- Medicare risk adjustment data validation
- New Regence Bridge Medigap Plans available this month
- Quest Diagnostics Care360 ePrescribing program now available
- Regence collaborates with the Amercian Cancer Society and the Washington State Department of Health
- Tobacco cessation programs available
Policies
Changes to our medical and reimbursement policies are listed below. Learn how policies are reviewed. Our Coding Toolkit includes codes that require clinical information (updated monthly), a complete list of code groupings and our Correct Code Editor (updated quarterly).
Medical
Reimbursement
Medication
Summaries of recent changes (PDF) and detailed policies are available in our Medication Policy Manual.
View our group and Individual products Preferred Medication List/Formulary.
Search the Regence MedAdvantage + Rx and Medicare Part D formulary.