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Reminder: Total joint replacement level of care review
May 2, 2022

This article is for primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and hospitals caring for our members

As a reminder, Blue Cross uses InterQual®' criteria to review medical necessity for hip and knee total joint replacements for our commercial (HMO, PPO, Indemnity) members. This does not apply to our Medicare Advantage, Medex®'', or Federal Employee Program (FEP) members.

To determine the most suitable level of care, submitted documentation must support inpatient admission requests. We may redirect to the outpatient setting as appropriate.

Why do we do this?

We can lessen the impact and overutilization of inpatient care in overwhelmed hospitals, especially during the pandemic, by directing care to the most appropriate setting.

What do I need to do?

Please continue submitting authorization requests for total joint replacements via Authorization Manager.

Authorization Manager streamlines the process of submitting and viewing referral and authorization requests. With built-in InterQual criteria and an easy-to-use interface, this helpful tool simplifies and expedites the work you do.

Resources

MPC_110121-1E-1-ART