We will not be taking calls on Friday, July 4, due to the holiday.
Member and Provider Services Representatives unavailable Friday, July 4
We will not be taking calls on Friday, July 4, due to the holiday.
The BCBSND Medicaid Expansion program provides the opportunity to Providers who deliver home- and community-based services to individuals with behavioral health conditions for our ND Medicaid Expansion members. These services support individuals to live safely and successfully in the community of their choice and avoid a higher level of care than they need.
BCBSND began administering services for North Dakota’s Medicaid Expansion program effective January 1, 2022. 1915(i) Providers who have credentialed with the North Dakota Department of Human Services (NDDHS) ND Medicaid program can now participate with BCBSND Medicaid Expansion network program.
1. Enroll as a North Dakota Medicaid 1915(i) provider with the State of North Dakota.
a. Make sure to enroll all affiliated clinics and individual providers who may be rendering services.
b. Enrolled 1915(i) providers choose to offer one or more of the following services: Care Coordination, Respite, Training and Support for Unpaid Caregivers, Non-Medical Transportation, Family Peer Support, Peer Support, Supported Education, Benefits Planning, Pre-Vocational Training, Supported Employment, and Housing Support.
2. Provider groups/agencies also need to enroll in our BCBSND Medicaid Expansion network by contacting our Provider Contracting department at providercontracting@bcbsnd.com.
a. Confirmation from Provider Contracting before proceeding with reviewing eligibility and/or other tasks, is also necessary for this step. See the Contracting and Credentialing section below for more information.
3. Get registered for Availity if you don’t already have an account.
a. Medicaid Expansion requires electronic submission. It is important to register as soon as possible to avoid delays in submissions and payment(s).
b. See section Availity Essentials Provider Portal below.
4. Once enrolled with both DHHS and BCBSND, verify the member’s benefit requirements for eligibility to receive 1915(i) services by calling BCBSND at 701-282-1003 during normal business hours.
a. It is the provider’s responsibility to verify a member’s 1915(i) eligibility. Reasons for this include, but are not limited to, a member being eligible for Medicaid Expansion but not eligible for 1915(i) services. A member may lose eligibility for 1915(i) services during their treatment. It is the provider’s responsibility to verify a member’s 1915(i) eligibility.
5. Verify if the service requires precertification by utilizing PA checkpoint.
a. More information on precertification requirements can be found in the Requirements for Authorization requests section below.
6. Enter the members plan of care into Therap. See Requirement for Authorization below for more details on Therap.
7. Begin submitting claims.
Important first steps as outlined above:
a. This step is required if you want to participate in the BCBSND Medicaid Expansion network as a 1915(i) provider.
b. After initial contact, Provider Contracting will send an email with more information about the contracting process. They will also ask for:
- A copy of the agency W9
- The agency address(es)
Note: A signed agreement by both the provider and BCBSND, does not mean you are ready to see members and/or submit authorizations or claims. Provider Contracting will send a secondary email upon execution with information regarding next steps.
- BCBSND must receive information on individual providers at each agency, from DHHS in order for BCBSND to set up providers accordingly.
- Once the file(s) are received and providers are added to the BCBSND system, an additional email notice of specific provider active enrollment will be sent from prov.net@bcbsnd.com. Once that is received, authorizations and claims can then be filed.
Additional Contracting and Credentialing Guidance:
The timeline for the above processes may vary depending on the timeliness and completeness of the documentation received from the provider(s) and ND DHHS.
For provider group/agency contracting questions email providercontracting@bcbsnd.com. For questions relating to individual provider set up, email prov.net@bcbsnd.com.
Availity Essentials is a secure online provider portal that can be used to 24/7 to:
To use Availity Essentials:
1. Review the Availity Essentials provider portal getting started course.
2. Begin registration on the Availity Essentials provider portal.
3. Once registered through Availity Essentials, you will have access to free training and help tips
For dates of service on/after Jan.1, 2025, the prior authorization requirements for 1915(i) services for home and community services will no longer be required.
However, Plans of Care must be submitted and approved prior to rendering services to BCBSND Medicaid Expansion members.
1915(i) providers will follow the1915(i) DHHS plan “Home and Community-based Services administration of operation" guide located at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/1915i/ND-24-0017%20Approval.pdf.
Plan of Care and SMART goal requirements
Plan of Care and SMART goal requirement documentation will continue into 2025, to align with the standards outlined by DHHS.
DHHS offer training opportunities to learn about these requirements:
Services delivered outside of the administrative guidelines need review for medical necessity prior to administration of services.
More information on 1915(i) guidelines and procedures can be found below in the Applicable Guidelines section.
1915(i) providers should refer to the policies and/or procedures outlined on the www.bcbsnd.com website as applicable.
Information on the procedural codes, which align with the “Code and Modifier” column on the Service Limits and Codes document is housed on the 1915(i) DHHS website.
*The allowance on a claim is based on the ND Medicaid 1915(i) Fee Schedule in effect on the date of service.
Claims will be submitted through the Availity Essentials provider portal. Availity Essentials is a secure online portal to submit, review and manage claims.
Claims must:
Claims must be sent to BCBSND within the following timeframes:
Note: New claims should be submitted with a Frequency Type 1: Initial Claim. Claims submitted outside of the timeframes listed above will be denied unless BCBSND or its subcontractors created the error.
Availity Essentials is the electronic way to submit, review and manage claims. Your company may have chosen to utilize a clearinghouse for claim submissions, if that is the case, please work with your clearinghouse accordingly.
You must be registered with Payer ID 55891-BCBSND.
To submit a new claim, a claim correction or view claim status, refer to the Availity Essentials webpage.
Through Claims & Payments, the provider Administrator can also sign up for the electronic remittance advice (ERA) notification and electronic funds transfers (EFT) through transaction enrollment. More details on these steps can be found on the BCBSND Availity Essentials resource webpage.
For more information and detailed instructions relating to claims and/or claim status, see Availity Essentials help topics (requires login to Availity Essentials).
1915(i) providers may need to correct a claim due to billing errors, by submitting a replacement or void (cancellation) of the previously processed claim. Providers will follow the appropriate guidelines and timeframes to correct claims.
1915(i) providers should understand and utilize these guidelines prior to rendering services. As part of your Plan of Care, all the applicable forms below will need to be completed.
1915(i) Community Transition Service
1915(i) Conflict of Interest Requirements
1915(i) Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS)
1915(i) Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Assessment Guide
1915(i) Non-Medical Transportation
1915(i) Prevocational Training
1915(i) Telehealth Remote Service Delivery
1915(i) Training and Supports for Unpaid Caregivers
1915(i) Resources | Health and Human Services North Dakota
You can utilize the table of contents within the Medicaid Expansion provider manual to find additional helpful information.
For general questions, call our ND Medicaid Expansion Customer Contact Center at 1-833-777-5779.
For BCBSND contracting questions, email providercontracting@bcbsnd.com.
For Availity Essentials registration and electronic claim submission questions, contact Availity Client Services at 1-800-282-4548.