Step I. Register with Us
Designated security coordinator for your office
location completes registration. Once the designated security coordinator
(DSC) completes the online
registration (where they create their user name and password) an e-mail
is generated to our security staff. We match the
online registration with the access agreement and activate the
access for the designated security coordinator. An e-mail is sent to
your office to advise that we have activated the access and they can
assign and maintain their own users.
Step II. Maintain Access
DSC: To add, modify or delete user profiles for your office location,
the designated security coordinator should visit our maintenance
site. Send an e-mail to Web
Security Administration to validate the user list or any
questions on user ID or passwords. Be sure to include the
office tax ID number and your phone number in the
e-mail.
All Users: To change your password, click here.
Step III. Access our Online Tools
It's just that simple! You're now empowered to research
information that was once only available by phone. To make
it easy, save the links to these applications in your browser's
favorites file. Links to Blue Connection self-service tools:
Step VI. If you prefer to talk to a representative,
please contact EC Solutions Assistance Center at 1-800-407-0267.
Questions and Answers about:
How to Register/Roles/Access
Hours of Availability
Changing User Information
Passwords
Access Agreement
Troubleshooting
How to Register/Roles/Access
Q. Which provider offices can register?
A. Offices within Iowa and South Dakota.
Out-of-state providers will not be offered access - with
the exception of contracting offices in contiguous counties that
have an existing, active provider contract with Wellmark Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Iowa or South Dakota.
Q. How do I register my office?
A. Click on the registration information
in the Provider
Corner. Please contact EC Solutions at 800-407-0267 if you have
questions. There are 5 steps.
- Determine the user role (to know who should sign the access
agreement, do the online registration and use the web
applications)
- Print the access agreement for the appropriate state (Iowa
or South Dakota).
- Send two signed copies to Wellmark
- Print a user worksheet to begin gathering information on
your staff. (optional)
- Complete the online registration link at the bottom of the
screen.
Q. What needs to be completed and in
what order?
A. The following steps need to be completed:
- Sign the access agreement. At this time we require two
"wet" signatures on the agreement, so they must be mailed
- not faxed. The paper access agreement can be signed and mailed at
the same time the designated security coordinator performs the
online registration. The online registration will remain
"inactive" until the access agreement has been received
and signed by a Wellmark officer. Our Security staff will receive an
automatic e-mail with each online registration and will be looking
for the access agreement.
- Once both are received and validated, Security will activate
your access and send an e-mail with the maintenance link to the
designated security coordinator. This process will take less
than 2 weeks. We know you are anxious to
start doing self-service and gain the time benefits using online
capabilities.
- Once activated, the designated security coordinator starts
adding staff and assigning access rights to the various
applications with help from the user worksheet. It is
important to print the screen with the user's password to give
to the employee. This screen will not be repeated and cannot
be recreated. If the screen is not printed or the employee
loses the page before the first sign-in, then the designated
security coordinator will need to sign into modify user,
select the employee and deny access. Then, the employee
will need to be enrolled a second time to create a differenet
user identification. Each
user identification is unique and can only be used once in the
security application for all provider offices. For audit
purposes, we are not deleting any user identification.
Q. Is there a cost to use Wellmark's web applications?
A. No, but there are costs related to internet access and
computers with adequate modems and processing speed. While it does
not require the most current computers and software, here are the
minimum requirements:
Other provider offices
have found that their staff were able to accomplish their
Wellmark related insurance tasks in at least half the time as
traditional methods - phone and written inquiries. Some
initial investment in equipment and connections could be
offset by employee hours available for other activities. We
want you to look at the way you do business with Wellmark and
find ways we can both improve the access of information.
Q. How do I know what roles for web applications should be
assigned to the different users?
A. Here is a list of the various web applications. Please keep
in mind the type of work currently done by your staff. For example:
the bookkeeping area should have access to Claim Status Inquiry and
Eligibility Verification with Benefit Inquiry. Someone working at a
reception desk may need Eligibility Verification.
- Designated security coordinator -
to be used for other office managers and/or a back up administrator
to change access rights for your employees.
- Eligibility Verification - offers information on prefix
and type of contract for Wellmark members (HINT - do not assign
both Eligibility Verification and Eligibility Verification with
Benefit Inquiry to the same employee, please pick one or the
other).
- Eligibility Verification and Benefit Inquiry - offers
information on prefix and type of contract for Wellmark members
and displays deductible and benefits.
- Claim Status Inquiry - shares information from our
claim record in more detail than the current remittance forms.
This allows research on the status of claims and additional
inquiry on claim activity by patient. The level of detail released
will be based on your contracting status with Wellmark Blue
Cross and Blue Shield. Participating providers have access up
to 14 screens for status and inquiry, while non-participating
offices will be limited to 4 screens for status only.
- Notify/Precertify Admissions - allows your office to
submit information for inpatient and skilled hospital care,
home health, home infusion and hospice services. You obtain
a case number when filed and receive an e-mail when completed
and have the ability to check the status of a submission.
- Submit a Prior Approval - a method to file medical
information when needed to obtain full contract benefits for
a patient. A list of procedures that require a prior approval
is listed within the application. This application also
includes email notification when the review is done and a look
up function to view the status of filing.
- Secure E-Message - allows users to receive
secure e-messages from Wellmark and reply securely back to
Wellmark.
Q. Since e-mail is a required field, what do I do if all
employees do not have an e-mail address?
A. We are encouraging you to use the e-mail address used for
the designated security coordinator. If e-mail is offered at a later
date, the designated security coordinator can update the user
information. We encourage you to keep e-mail and phone numbers
updated. This is how we plan to contact you with any updates - such
as new applications or improvements.
Q. Our office has many locations, but one tax
identification. How do we apply?
A. We will need one access agreement signed by an officer
and one designated security coordinator. The first administrator can
assign the designated security coordinator role to office managers
at other locations to manage staff access and changes. How you
organize security is up to each provider organization. We have
attempted to design an application that will allow the flexibility
needed by the majority of offices. If you are unsure how your
situation can best be handled, please contact EC Solutions for ideas
at 800-407-0267.
Q. Our office does centralized billing for a variety
of offices with different tax identification numbers. How do we
apply?
A. We are still researching the best manner to handle this
situation. Currently, your office will need to apply once for every
tax number and each user requiring claim information will need
multiple user identification and passwords based on each tax number.
For staff that need eligibility and/or benefits, only one user
identification is needed since they will be accessing our list of
Wellmark members.
Q. We need to restrict the access of claim information
in the Claim Status Inquiry application. How can this be done?
A. After entering the user information you will be asked
how to grant access on claim data. You have three choices:
- No claim data - this is the default and would be used for
employees with eligibility and benefit access, but not claim
research.
- All claims processed by the tax number - the most common
selection for offices that do not require restricted access.
As new providers are added to your office, this access is
automatically updated weekly to ensure complete access to
claim information.
- Access for specific providers - when this is chosen, a list
of all active providers appears. The blue labels at the top
can be selected to help sort offices by address, city, name,
etc. At this point, you can put a check mark on the providers
that employee can view for claim information. As new providers
are added to the office, this cannot be automatically updated
by user. However, the list of providers is refreshed weekly.
The designated security coordinator will need to add access
rights to the appropriate employees for a new doctor. Also
with this selection, you will need to include both billing and
non-billing providers (clinic and individual doctors) to
ensure appropriate claim display.
Q. I am a pharmacy, and have a provider number, but
cannot enroll. Why?
A. We are still reviewing pharmacy access. If you have a
DME provider number you are in our provider file and can get access,
but if you have an AdvancePCS (ADVP) provider number, we are still looking into
your access availability.
Q. I am a dentist, and have access, but cannot see the
Blue Dental claims. Why?
A. We are working on access to these claims, as they are not
processed in our main files. You will be able to see eligibility and
benefits. We display dental services processed on the
medical contracts. We are looking into how we can offer additional
information.
Q. We are a billing office working for providers and
would like access to claim and eligibility information. Can we
obtain access?
A. Unfortunately, not at this time. Only provider offices
and their employees are offered access.
Q. We are a collection office working for providers and
would like access to claim and eligibility information. Can we
obtain access?
A. Unfortunately, not at this time. Only provider offices
and their employees are offered access.
Q. Can the designated security coordinator assign themselves
roles for the applications they choose to have access to?
A. Yes. In fact, when your office is activated, the designated
security coordinator has only the rights to the security application.
They will need to "modify user information" from the
maintenance site and add their additional roles to allow access to
the remaining tools, such as eligibility and benefits, claim review
and submitting prior approvals and notification of
admissions.
Q. Are the application secure?
A. Yes, any of the tools that require security are protected.
Hours of Availability
Q. What times are the applications
available?
A. We've recently expanded the hours our applications are
available so that many applications are available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Because it is important for you to have the most
recent and accurate information, some of the applications are
unavailable during non-peak hours to allow us to do maintenance to
our main computer files.
- Eligibility Verification, Notify/Precertify Admissions, and
Prior Approval - 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Benefit Inquiry and Claims Status Inquiry - 5 a.m. to
midnight, seven days a week
- Provider Registration and Web Security Maintenance - 24 hours
a day, seven days a week
- Provider
directories, newsletters,
and guides
- 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Changing User Information
Q. How can I change my password if I feel someone else
may be using it?
A. The new security was set up to allow access by
individual employee. The access agreement as well as the terms and
conditions prohibit the sharing of user identification and
passwords. We encourage you to keep your access information private
and change your password anytime you feel that someone may be using
it inappropriately. After you enter your user identification and
password, you can ask to change your password for your next sign-on.
At this time we are not requiring a new password at a time interval
- this may be added in the future.
Q. If someone leaves employment or changes jobs, what do
I do with their security?
A. It is important to immediately modify their user status
from active to deny. They will continue to have access to your claim
data and our eligibility files until this is updated.
Q. What happens if we change tax ID number in our
office?
A. Contact our Provider Application and Credentialing
Department to update your provider records. Please understand, they
do not know who has web access, so they cannot change your access.
You will also need to contact EC Solutions at 800-407-0267 to
contact our Security staff about changes in your access. If you
change both tax ID and provider numbers, we recommend that you start
over and apply for access under the new tax ID number. You will need
access for both sets of numbers for claim research.
Passwords
Q. I've lost my password, what
do I do?
A. This depends on your role.
- If you are the designated security coordinator, please call
EC Solutions at 800-407-0267 after you have attempted to
sign-on four times and failed the secret question. We will ask
Security to reset your access or deactivate your access, so
you can reenroll.
- If you are a user, the security application will give you
three chances. Please remember, the password is case
sensitive, so if you used capital letters when creating the
password, you will need to use the same when trying to
sign-on. On the fourth try, you will be asked a secret
question and will be allowed three tries. After that, your
access is denied.
- If you are a user that has exhausted your chances with both
the password and secret question, please contact your
designated security coordinator to reactivate your
access. They may need to call EC Solutions Assistance
Center at 1-800-407-0267 or e-mail websecurity@wellmark.com.
Q. I receive a message that the password needs to be 7-24 characters and include at least one number and one letter. What
is wrong?
A. Were you able to key the password twice? If not, please
use the tab key to allow you to confirm the password. The enter
button should be not be used during this process because it thinks
you are done entering data.
Access Agreement
Q. Why is an access agreement for registration needed?
A. To share secured Wellmark information about our
policyholders and their dependents, we need your agreement to keep
their information confidential. Your office has the same need for to
keep claim information confined to limited access. Privacy acts
apply to both our organizations and should be viewed by only
individuals that have a need to know medical information that is
revealed on the claims submitted by your office.
Troubleshooting
Q. During the designated security coordinator
registration, I received a message that indicated I had an error in
the organization name. Why?
A. Please check for punctuation used in the name and remove.
This will allow you to continue.
Q. Why did I receive a message that my organization was
already registered?
A. This means that possibly another office has already
registered your provider organization. Please call EC Solutions at
800-407-0267. They can verify with our Security staff
the name of the person that enrolled first as the designated
security coordinator. Then you can work with that individual to have
them enroll you as a designated security coordinator (there can and
will be multiple designated security coordinators in large offices).
Share with them the user identification you want for your access.
They will give you a page from our registration forms that will have
your first password. At the time of your first sign-on, you will be
asked to accept the terms and conditions (from the appropriate
state) and change your password. The user worksheet will help you
gather the necessary information to add access rights for your
staff. Now you are ready to create users for your staff and modify
user to set up your access rights to the web applications using the
maintenance link.
Q. My employee has Claim Status Inquiry, but cannot
see all the providers.
A. There can be a few related problems:
- If limited access was granted, determine the correct billing
and non-billing provider numbers - were both included in the
access rights? If not, modify the user access to reflect both
numbers.
- If so, or if access by tax number was granted, confirm that
the provider in question is included under that tax number.
This may require an inquiry to Provider Application and
Credentialing and possible updates to provider files.
- If all check out, verify the employee is keying correct
provider number when reviewing claim records.
- Still cannot find the problem? - call EC Solutions at
800-407-0267.
Training Documentation
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PowerPoint presentations about the various web tools.
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