CHICAGO – Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) today announced several continued actions underway to support health care providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak. We support our hospitals, doctors and other health care professionals during this critical time to help speed the delivery of care for our members when its needed most. HCSC has broad networks of doctors, hospitals and medical facilities serving more than 16 million members across Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
“Doctors and other health care professionals are bravely treating patients during this challenging and unprecedented time,” said Monica Berner, HCSC Clinical Officer. “In moments like these, our purpose and values matter a lot to the people and communities we serve. Health care is local, and we have taken a number of steps to support our local providers so they are able to focus on caring for individuals in our communities that are impacted by COVID-19.”
Our relationships with providers and hospitals are the cornerstone of our business. We deeply value these important relationships and we are actively working with our local providers and hospital partners to support their operations during this critical time to help speed the delivery of care for our members when it’s needed the most.
During this global crisis, multiple states, municipalities and organizations have called for volunteers with medical training and licensure to relieve or supplement health care workers in hospitals and other areas struggling with COVID-19. To provide immediate, direct support for providers in our communities, HCSC will launch the Employed Clinician Volunteer Program for our more than 3,000 doctors, pharmacists, nurses, behavioral health specialists and other clinicians with varied specialty backgrounds.
Through this program, HCSC will pay eligible and approved HCSC employees, who are medical clinicians, to volunteer for patient care in their field for up to 80 hours of paid time during their regular scheduled work hours.
In addition to our new Employed Clinician Volunteer Program, HCSC has implemented several temporary policies to support providers and hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak. These actions include:
- Waiving prior authorization requirements for diagnostic tests and testing-related services for COVID-19
- Temporarily removing prior authorization for in-network post-acute facility transfers to help expand critical hospital, health system and provider capacity for individuals with COVID-19 infection
- Reducing prior authorization requirements for CT chest scans with a COVID diagnosis
- Expanding access to telehealth services and waiving cost-sharing for members who use in-network medically necessary telemedicine services
- Implementing an expedited, fast-track credentialing process for providers — to support the addition of new network providers needed to address the COVID-19 public health emergency
- Extending approvals on medical and behavioral health services until December 31, 2020, for members and providers who already received approval for certain elective surgeries, procedures, therapies and home visit services
- Launching the COVID-19 Collaborative Grant Fund to provide resources and support to those most impacted by the pandemic
- Launching dedicated COVID-19 educational websites so members and providers can easily access information and resources related to COVID-19
- Continuing to work with community partners and universities to address the social determinants to reduce health disparities across our communities
For the latest information on HCSC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other information and tips to stay healthy, please visit HCSC.com.
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About Health Care Service Corporation
Health Care Service Corporation is the country’s largest customer-owned health insurer, with more than 16 million members in its health plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A Mutual Legal Reserve Company, HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit HCSC.com, visit our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.