Hartford Healthcare, responding to an inquiry from CT by the Numbers, indicated that “in order to avoid disruption to our patients, Hartford HealthCare continues to provide care to these individuals as Anthem works to resolve the issues.” In a statement, Hartford Healthcare noted that they were “in contact with Anthem, and we are aware that Anthem is experiencing technical issues with its electronic system for verifying coverage for patients needing physical, speech or occupational therapy.”Īnthem did not respond to a request for comment, but at least some Anthem policy holders were told on Wednesday - with the July 4 holiday weekend just hours away - that Anthem had decided to suspend the pre-authorization requirement for PT and OT services for the remainder of July. By July 3, with complaints increasing, both Hartford Healthcare and Anthem determined that the situation was untenable. The result: physical therapy appointments were cancelled – as many as 6 or 7 a day in some locations – with uncertainty as to when the communication challenges might be resolved, and physical therapy services could be resumed, or begun, for those patients.Īnthem switched its preauthorization process to AIM in Connecticut as of July 1. Office personal at Hartford Healthcare locations across the state – and perhaps other physical therapy offices operated by others as well – could not gain access to the AIM system to input patient information in order to obtain the pre-authorization required by Anthem before an insured patient could see a physical therapist. It is quite apparent now that in the first days of this month, as it was to take over providing those services for Anthem in Connecticut, AIM did not come close to keeping up.Ĭonnecticut residents insured by Anthem utilizing the physical therapy services of Hartford Healthcare, among the state’s largest health care organizations, found that previously routine prior authorizations were impossible to obtain. Keep up.” Those words appear prominently on the website of AIM Specialty Health, a subsidiary of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and a provider of utilization management services, better known as the “pre-authorization” that medical providers require before agreeing to see patients with insurance coverage.
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