Administrative Appeals An administrative appeal is a request for us to reconsider a full or partial denial of payment for covered healthcare services for the following reasons: • the services were excluded from coverage; • we determined that you were not eligible for coverage; • you or your provider did not follow BCBSRI’s requirements; or • a limitation on an otherwise covered benefit exists. You are not required to file a complaint (as described above), before filing an administrative appeal. If you call our Customer Service Department, a Customer Service Representative will try to resolve your concern. If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may file a verbal or written administrative appeal with our Grievance and Appeals Unit. If you request an administrative appeal, you must do so within one hundred eighty (180) days of receiving a denial of payment for covered healthcare services. The Grievance and Appeals Unit will conduct a thorough review of your administrative appeal and respond within: • thirty (30) calendar days for a prospective review; and • sixty (60) calendar days for a retrospective review. The letter will provide you with information regarding our determination.
How to File an Appeal of a Prescription Drug Denial For denials of a prescription drug claim based on our determination that the service was not medically necessary or appropriate, or that the service was experimental or investigational, you may request an appeal without first submitting a request for reconsideration. You or your physician may file a written or verbal prescription drug appeal with our pharmacy benefits manager (PBM). The prescription drug appeal must be submitted to us within one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days of the initial determination letter. You will receive written notification of our determination within thirty (30) calendar days from the receipt of your appeal. How to File an Expedited Appeal Your appeal may require immediate action if a delay in treatment could seriously jeopardize your health or your ability to regain maximum function, or would cause you severe pain. To request an expedited appeal of a denial related to services that have not yet been rendered (a preauthorization review) or for on-going services (a concurrent review), you or your healthcare provider should call: • our Grievance and Appeals Unit; or • our pharmacy benefits manager for a prescription drug appeal. Please see Section 9 for contact information. You will be notified of our decision no later than seventy-two (72) hours after our receipt of the request. You may not request an expedited review of covered healthcare services already received.
Grievance and Appeals Unit See Section 9 for contact information. You may also contact the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Resource Program, RIREACH at 1-855-747-3224 about questions or concerns you may have. Complaints A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with any aspect of our operation or the quality of care you received from a healthcare provider. A complaint is not an appeal. For information about submitting an appeal, please see the Reconsiderations and Appeals section below. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or issues you may have about any aspect of your medical treatment with the healthcare provider that furnished the care. In most cases, issues can be more easily resolved if they are raised when they occur. However, if you remain dissatisfied or prefer not to take up the issue with your provider, you can call our Customer Service Department for further assistance. You may also call our Customer Service Department if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our operation. If the concern or issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may file a verbal or written complaint with our Grievance and Appeals Unit. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint or administrative appeal within ten (10) business days. The Grievance and Appeals Unit will conduct a thorough review of your complaint and respond within thirty (30) calendar days of the date it was received. The determination letter will provide you with the rationale for our response as well as information on any possible next steps available to you. When filing a complaint, please provide the following information: • your name, address, member ID number; • the date of the incident or service; • summary of the issue; • any previous contact with BCBSRI concerning the issue; • a brief description of the relief or solution you are seeking; and • additional information such as referral forms, claims, or any other documentation that you would like us to review. Please send all information to the address listed on the Contact Information section.
SCHOOL ACT APPEALS 1. Where a pupil and/or parent/guardian files an appeal pursuant to Section 11 of the School Act and Board By-law of a decision of an employee, or in connection with or affecting such an employee:
How to Request an External Appeal If you remain dissatisfied with our medical appeal determination, you may request an external review by an outside review agency. In accordance with §27-18.9-8, your external appeal will be reviewed by one of the external independent review organizations (IRO) approved by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner. The IRO is selected using a rotational method. Your claim does not have to meet a minimum dollar threshold in order for you to be able to request an external appeal. To request an external appeal, submit a written request to us within four (4) months of your receipt of the medical appeal denial letter. We will forward your request to the outside review agency within five (5) business days, unless it is an urgent appeal, and then we will send it within two (2) business days. We may charge you a filing fee up to $25.00 per external appeal, not to exceed $75.00 per plan year. We will refund you if the denial is reversed and will waive the fee if it imposes an undue hardship for you. Upon receipt of the information, the outside review agency will notify you of its determination within ten (10) calendar days, unless it is an urgent appeal, and then you will be notified within seventy-two (72) hours. The determination by the outside review agency is binding on us. Filing an external appeal is voluntary. You may choose to participate in this level of appeal or you may file suit in an appropriate court of law (see Legal Action, below). Once a member or provider receives a decision at one of the several levels of appeals noted above, (reconsideration, appeal, external), the member or provider may not ask for an appeal at the same level again, unless additional information that could affect such decisions can be provided.
Disciplinary Appeals All forms of disciplinary action which are not appealable to the Civil Service Commission or the courts, except written or oral reprimands and Forms 475, shall be subject to review through Steps 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the grievance procedure.
External Appeals For appeals of a decision that a prescription drug is not covered because it is not on our formulary, please see the Formulary Exception Process in the Prescription Drug and Diabetic Equipment and Supplies section. When filing a reconsideration or an appeal, please provide the same information listed in the Complaints section above.
Review and Appeal (a) Each Party shall establish or maintain judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative tribunals or procedures for the purpose of the prompt review and, where warranted, correction of final administrative actions regarding matters covered by this Treaty. Such tribunals shall be impartial and independent of the office or authority entrusted with administrative enforcement and shall not have any substantial interest in the outcome of the matter.
Decision and Appeal Within five school business days after receiving the Complaint Manager’s report, the Superintendent shall mail his or her written decision to the Complainant and the accused by first class U.S. mail as well as to the Complaint Manager. All decisions shall be based upon the preponderance of evidence standard. Within 10 school business days after receiving the Superintendent’s decision, the Complainant or the accused may appeal the decision to the Board by making a written request to the Complaint Manager. The Complaint Manager shall promptly forward all materials relative to the complaint and appeal to the Board. Within 30 school business days, the Board shall affirm, reverse, or amend the Superintendent’s decision or direct the Superintendent to gather additional information. Within five school business days after the Board’s decision, the Superintendent shall inform the Complainant and the accused of the Board’s action. For complaints containing allegations involving the Superintendent or Board member(s), within 30 school business days after receiving the Complaint Manager’s or outside investigator’s report, the Board shall mail its written decision to the Complainant and the accused by first class U.S. mail as well as to the Complaint Manager. This policy shall not be construed to create an independent right to a hearing before the Superintendent or Board. The failure to strictly follow the timelines in this grievance procedure shall not prejudice any party.
Reconsiderations and Appeals If you experience a problem relating to an authorization review, benefit denial, or other aspect of this plan, we have internal and external procedures to help you resolve your issue. The following sections detail the processes and procedures for filing: • Administrative Appeals; • Medical Reconsiderations and Appeals (including expedited appeals); • Prescription Drug Appeals: and
