COVID-19: Telehealth

Feb. 10, 2021

Disclaimer: Due to continual development by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state laws, the contents of this bulletin will be updated regularly.  Please refrain from saving or printing this information to ensure you always have the latest updates.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice^® HealthPlan has continued the temporary expansion for telehealth services until April 30, 2021.  Beginning May 1, 2021, members are encouraged to consult their physician or other provider for availability of continued access to virtual care.

Note: This applies to all fully insured business and some self-insured plans.  It does not include Healthy Blue^SM.

On Aug. 1, 2020, both plans reverted to requiring the use of HIPAA-secured telehealth systems in which care is delivered synchronously using both audio and visual modalities for services to be reimbursed.

On Oct. 5, 2020, both BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice^® HealthPlan modified the review process for enrolling into telehealth.  In the past, approval of telehealth vendors was part of the review process, however, this was changed.  

Although providers no longer require a formal approval of telehealth vendors for reimbursement, they will be asked to confirm if they have a business associate agreement (BAA) in place with their telehealth vendor.  This confirmation, along with other criteria, will be reviewed to determine if the provider will be approved to render telehealth services.   

Note: This modification will not affect those that have already been approved to render telehealth services.

Providers are required to enroll in the telehealth program prior to rendering services.  To enroll, do the following:

• Complete the Virtual Care Services Application.
• Email the completed application to VirtualCare@bcbssc.com.

Your office will be notified once the location and physicians have been approved.

Note: Only one application is required.  However, be sure to include the Tax IDs, all NPIs and all locations that need to be enrolled.  You may attach a spreadsheet to the application if you have several locations.

Refer to CAM 176 on the Medical Policies page of www.BlueChoiceSC.com for further guidance.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this bulletin, contact Provider Education by using the Provider Education Contact Form located on www.BlueChoiceSC.com.