Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to Insource Behavioral Health Referrals Effective March 15, 2023 (New Effective Date)

Referrals will be insourced effective March 15, 2023. Providers and members can reach a Care Navigator by calling 800-755-0798.

On January 26, 2023, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) released an announcement that behavioral health referrals would be insourced from Quartet Health effective April 1, 2023.

Please note that there is a change with the effective date. Blue Cross NC will now insource behavioral health provider referrals from Quartet on March 15, 2023.

This change was initiated to allow for a smooth transition for providers and members as we wind down the Quartet services. Our new team of Care Navigators within Blue Cross NC’s Behavioral Health Care Management organization will manage all new referrals on the effective date and Quartet will continue to manage behavioral health referrals submitted to Quartet prior to March 15, 2023. Any referrals not closed by Quartet will be transitioned to Care Navigators on March 31, 2023.

By insourcing behavioral health referrals, Blue Cross NC will have a stronger, holistic view of member health needs – with the end goal of supporting better health outcomes for members.

Submission process for behavioral health provider referrals:

• Effective March 15, 2023, providers with access to Blue e can use this secure site to submit a behavioral health referral from the home page. Signing up for Blue e is simple. If you need to sign up, visit our Blue e registration guide.
• If you do use Blue e, providers can use this link and submit a referral for your patient: Provider Behavioral Health Referral Form. 
• Providers and members can reach a Care Navigator to request a behavioral health referral by calling 800-755-0798. 
• Care Navigators will support the referral lifecycle, with responsibility for:
• Accepting a referral, member outreach if additional information is needed for a referral and matching the referral to a behavioral health provider that closely matches the members' needs and criteria.
• Providing direct member communication when a behavioral health provider is identified.
• Member follow-up to confirm that appointments are scheduled. And should a member need help with scheduling, Care Navigators will assist.
• Member follow-up to determine their experience with an identified behavioral health provider to ensure a good match.
• In addition to supporting our behavioral health provider network, Care Navigators will also support member and Case Manager behavioral health referrals.
• If you have questions, please email BehavioralHealth@bcbsnc.com.