Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan Type Update

In order to continue providing the best billing solution, the integration between the WebPT EMR and Therabill just got better. Blue Cross/Blue Shield is now listed as an available Type in the EMR! The following payers require a Blue Cross Blue Sheild plan type for billing:

• BCBS of Michigan - Commercial (Not FEP, BCN, or Medicare)
• BCBS of North Carolina
• Arkansas BCBS
• BCBS of Alabama
• BCBS of Tennessee
• BCBS of Mississippi
• CareFirst of DC

This list does not encompass every BCBS payer that could benefit from this plan type. 

Suggested Use

If you currently use one of the workarounds described below to bill a Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plan, you should take advantage of the new plan type in the WebPT EMR. Follow the instructions listed in the New Method section to update the plan type. 

• Workaround 1
  • Previously, to bill one of the above payers, you would manually edit the client's insurance card in Therabill and select Blue Cross/Blue Shield as the Plan Type.
  • The next time that the client's chart was updated in the EMR, the Plan Type would revert to the default and the process would have to be performed again in order to successfully bill insurance.
• Workaround 2
  • This method involved manually adding the client's insurance information directly in Therabill. This insurance card is not linked to anything in the EMR and created the risk of submitting claims without updated insurance information.

New Method

The new method eliminates the need for both of the workarounds described above, saving you time and effort.

1. In the WebPT EMR, open the Insurance Manager.                                                
2. Locate and Edit the desired insurance.
3. Use the Type drop-down and select Blue Cross Blue Shield. 
4. Click Edit Insurance to save your changes.
5. Next, you'll need to open each EMR chart for patients with that newly updated insurance. Edit the patient's case that uses the newly updated insurance and add a character into the Additional Info box, such as a space or a period. (You can remove this after Step 7 if desired). 
6. Click Ok.
7. Select Save Patient at the bottom.
8. After all patients have been updated, open Therabill. If you have previously added BCBS insurance cards manually into Therabill, delete them to take advantage of the integrated insurance card.
9. You'll need to complete the insurance card mapping process for any new insurances you add to the WebPT EMR.