Tag: Blue Essentials
NEW BCBSTX fee schedule coming
ATTENTION PROVIDERS
BCBSTX has notified POET that a NEW Fee Schedule for Blue Choice and Blue Essentials will be effective May 1, 2026.
Once POET receives the new fee schedule and completes its review, OPT-IN / OPT-OUT packets will be sent to physician offices for participation decisions.
Please watch for additional communication once the review process is complete
TRS 2025-2026 Plan Year
Products for 2025-2026 Plan Year
Please be aware the Retiree Plans are Calendar Year
ERS 2025-2026 Plan Year
Products for 2025-2026 Plan Year
Please be aware the Retiree Plans are Calendar Year
HealthSelect ERS
Effective Sept. 1, 2021, HMO plans will no longer be an enrollment option under the Texas Group Benefit Program. All current subscribers and dependents enrolled in one of the HMO plans will be automatically enrolled in HealthSelect of Texas administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, unless they elect otherwise during their summer enrollment period
Participants who are transitioning from an HMO plan will have a 90-day referral grace period and will receive in-network benefits if they see an in-network specialist without a referral during this timeframe. After Nov. 30, 2021, if there is not a referral on file with BCBSTX, the specialist visit will be covered at the out-of-network benefit level, even if the specialist is in-network.
Effective Sept. 1, 2021, certain procedure codes are being removed from the list of services that require prior authorization for HealthSelect of Texas® & Consumer Directed HealthSelectSM participants. You can review a list of the codes being removed here 
. BCBSTX is currently working on system updates to reflect this change.
Remember to use Availity®
or your preferred vendor to check eligibility and benefits before rendering services. This will help you confirm coverage details and prior authorization requirements and determine if you are in-network for the member’s policy. Refer to Eligibility and Benefits for details.
KNOW YOUR TRS
This Information Pertains to POET Contracts ONLY!
Blue Choice PPO, Blue Essentials HMO, or UHC MA?
TRS Plan Name:
TRS-Care Medicare Advantage
TRS-Care Standard
TRS-ActiveCare Primary
TRS-ActiveCare Primary Plus
TRS-ActiveCare HD
TRS-ActiveCare 2
Scott and White Health Plan
South Texas HMO
West Texas HMO
POET Agreement:
UHC All Products
Blue Choice PPO
Blue Essentials HMO
Blue Essentials HMO
Blue Choice PPO
Blue Choice PPO
NO
Blue Essentials HMO
Blue Essentials HMO
Alpha Prefix or Plan:
80840
T3X
T2U
T2U
T2S
T2S
U/N
U/N
U/N
Plan Year:
2021
2021
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
9/1/2021-8/31/2022
You will probably not see the last 3 in italics. They are regional and not offered locally.
Updated Plan Reps
The Health Plan Representative Contact List has been updated.
Health Plan Representatives Updated 2/25/2021
[embeddoc url=”https://community.poetllc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Health-Plan-Representatives-2021.02.25.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
AIM Specialty Health (AIM) to Perform Utilization Management for:
Participants with three-character prefixes of T2U and T2S (Group #3850X -last digit varies by plan) who are under 65 years of age and are active employees.
This is referring to TRS ActiveCare Patients.
To log in to “AIM” click the blue text.
To review the “AIM” training slide deck, click here.
UPCOMING Provider/Portal Training Dates
- Advanced Imaging & Cardiology: Tuesday, Sept. 15 (10 AM-11 AM)
- Sleep Medicine: Wednesday, Sept. 16 (12 PM-1 PM)
- Joint and Spine Surgery:Thursday, Sept. 17 (12 PM-1PM)
- Pain Management: Tuesday, Sept. 15 (9 AM-10 AM)
- Radiation Therapy: Thursday, Sept. 17 (3 PM-4PM)
- Genetic Testing Services: Tuesday, Sept. 15 (12 PM -1 PM)
Welcome to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) Provider Orientation Information
On May 13, we announced we were awarded the contract to administer medical and behavioral health benefits for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), effective Sept. 1, 2020. TRS-ActiveCare participants will be offered health plans that use either the nationwide Blue Choice PPOSM or statewide Blue EssentialsSM provider networks.
TRS-ActiveCare Plans
Statewide Blue Essentials network – providers who are contracted under the Blue Essential network can see participants on these plans:
- TRS-ActiveCare Primary and TRS-ActiveCare Primary+
- Copays for doctor visits before meeting deductibles.
- Primary care provider (PCP) selection and referrals to specialists are required.
- No out-of-network coverage, except for true emergencies.
Nationwide Blue Choice PPO network plans – providers who are contracted under the Blue Choice PPO network can see participants on these plans:
- TRS-ActiveCare HD
- High deductible plan which may include a health savings account (HSA) to pay for medical care.
- Does not require PCP selection or referrals.
- Deductibles must be met before the plan pays for diagnostic care.
- Includes out-of-network coverage. Participants have a lower cost share when using in-network providers.
- TRS-ActiveCare 2
- Copays for doctor visits before meeting deductibles.
- Does not require PCP selection or referrals.
- Includes out-of-network coverage. Participants have a lower cost share when using in-network providers.
Identifying TRS-ActiveCare Participants
TRS-ActiveCare participants can be identified by the following on their BCBSTX ID card:
- The TRS-ActiveCare logo will be displayed on the participants’ ID card.
- TRS-ActiveCare Primary and TRS-ActiveCare Primary+ plan holders will have ID cards with a three-character prefix of T2U.
- TRS-ActiveCare HD and TRS-ActiveCare 2 plan holders will have ID cards with a three-character prefix of T2S and a network ID of BCA.
For patients on TRS-ActiveCare Primary and TRS-ActiveCare Primary+, you must be their assigned provider to provide primary care services. Patient eligibility and benefits should be checked using Availity® or your preferred vendor before every scheduled appointment. Eligibility and benefit quotes include patients’ coverage status and other important information, such as applicable copays, coinsurance and deductibles. It’s strongly recommended that providers ask to see patients’ ID card and photo ID to guard against medical identity theft. If services may not be covered, patients should be notified that they may be billed directly.
Prior Authorization
You can check the Prior Authorization and Predeterminations page for the list of Administrative Services Only (ASO) services and procedure codes that require prior authorization for TRS participants. Refer to How to Submit a Prior Authorization or Prenotification to learn about submission processes.
Reminders
TRS will continue to use CVS Caremark as their pharmacy benefit manager. We encourage you to attend provider training sessions related to TRS-ActiveCare benefits, prior authorization requirements and ID cards. Continue to watch News and Updates and our Blue Review newsletter for more details on TRS-ActiveCare.
If you have any questions, please contact your BCBSTX Network Management Representative.
As a reminder, it is important to check eligibility and benefits before rendering services. This step will help you determine if prior authorization is required for a participant. For additional information, such as definitions and links to helpful resources, refer to the Eligibility and Benefits section on BCBSTX’s provider website.
Please note that checking eligibility and benefits, and/or the fact that a service or treatment has been prior authorized or predetermined for benefits are not a guarantee of payment. Benefits will be determined once a claim is received and will be based upon, among other things the participant’s eligibility and the terms of the member’s certificate of coverage applicable on the date services were rendered. If you have questions, contact the number on the ID card.
Availity is a trademark of Availity, LLC, a separate company that operates a health information network to provide electronic information exchange services to medical professionals. Availity provides administrative services to BCBSTX. BCBSTX makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding any products or services provided by third party vendors such as Availity. If you have any questions about the products or services provided by such vendors, you should contact the vendor(s) directly.
Click to view the training declk “AIM Provider Training for Prefixs T2U and T2S”
Click to view the training slide deck called “Introduction to TRS-ActiveCare”
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