Before you start
Before you submit: Make sure the practice EIN/TIN, each clinician’s individual rendering NPI, the practice or claim-service address, and other practice details you give this plan exactly match the information in Thrizer. California practices using Thrizer for out-of-network BCBS claims must register separately with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California. This guide covers Anthem. Complete the Blue Shield of California registration too; one registration does not cover both plans. Registration establishes the provider information Anthem needs for claims processing. It is not the same as creating an Availity account, joining Anthem’s network, or receiving claim approval. The practice coordinates registration and supplies its clinicians’ information. You need an Availity Essentials account associated with your organization and the provider enrollment role assigned by your organization’s Availity administrator. Have your practice’s TIN, applicable billing NPI, clinician NPIs, and service-location information ready.Open Anthem’s out-of-network registration
These steps come from Anthem California’s official out-of-network registration instructions. The screens after sign-in depend on your organization’s access and Anthem’s current application.1
Sign in to Availity Essentials
Open Availity Essentials and sign in. Select the California market where applicable. If your organization already has an account, ask its administrator for access instead of creating a duplicate organization.
2
Open Anthem's payer space
Select Payer Spaces, then Anthem California.
3
Open the enrollment application
Under Applications, open Enrollment, Registration, & Network Management. Older instructions call it Provider Enrollment and Network Management.
4
Choose the out-of-network option
Expand Non-Participating Provider Registration, then select Begin New Registration. Older instructions call this Out-of-Network / Single Case Agreements. Registration does not itself request or approve a prior authorization or single-case agreement. Do not choose Provider Enrollment - Join Our Network as a substitute.
5
Complete the requested practice and clinician information
The opening screen asks Which organization is this for?, What is the tax ID for this?, and What type of provider are you?. Use the organization and tax ID for the actual practice being registered. Provider-type choices include Professional Provider and Ancillary, Facility or Institutional (AFI); select only the type that fits your practice. If the correct organization or tax ID is missing, ask your Availity administrator and Anthem for help before continuing.Register your practice or organization and provide the applicable clinician details requested by Anthem. Anthem’s published guidance also describes individual-practitioner registration. Clinicians within a group are not being instructed to establish separate practices.Review the current application’s requirements and your information before submitting. Keep the application’s confirmation and follow Anthem’s requests for any missing information.
If you cannot add your group’s clinicians
Anthem’s April 2026 article says non-participating organization roster submission was still being developed. Do not assume a roster-upload button is available. If the application does not provide a way to associate your clinicians, use Chat with Payer in Anthem’s payer space or contact Anthem’s provider support to confirm the required process.If you already have a record or cannot find the application
- Updating demographics: Anthem directs existing-record updates to My Providers → Provider Data Management. That is different from initial enrollment.
- Enrollment application missing: ask your Availity administrator to check your provider enrollment role, then confirm the selected market and payer space.
- Out-of-network option missing or a network contract appears: contact Anthem before continuing. Do not select in-network participation merely to get through the application.
- Clinician recognition or supervision questions: ask Anthem or the applicable behavioral-health administrator. Registration access does not prove recognition of a clinician category. See Thrizer’s supported claim structure.