> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thrizer.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# BCBS reimbursement and provider registration
> Register your practice as a non-participating provider with your local BCBS plan, and learn how BCBS umbrella plans reimburse by paper check.
## What you need to do
Two changes matter for clinicians with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) clients, and both apply to every plan under the BCBS umbrella:
1. **Register your practice.** Every practice must be registered as a non-participating provider with each Local / Host Blue Plan required for its applicable practice or claim-service location before claims can process.
2. **Prepare clients for paper-check reimbursement.** BCBS plans reimburse clients by paper check directly from the insurance company. **Thrizer Pay** and **OON Pay direct deposit** are not available for BCBS clients.
**Register your practice with each required Local / Host Blue Plan now.** Any out-of-network BCBS claim submitted by a practice that is not registered with each required plan will be delayed or denied. Registration confirmation usually takes up to one month, so start immediately to avoid a gap in reimbursement for your clients.
Both requirements apply to all BCBS umbrella plans. Known examples include Anthem BCBS, Elevance Health plans, Carelon, NYSHIP (administered by Carelon), Wellpoint, Empire BCBS, Highmark BCBS, Horizon BCBS, BCBS of Massachusetts, BCBS of Texas, BCBS of Illinois, and other regional BCBS plans.
## Before you register
BCBS requires each non-participating (out-of-network) practice to maintain a verified provider profile with each Local / Host Blue Plan required for its applicable practice or claim-service location. Have the following information ready:
* The practice's Tax ID (TIN)
* Each applicable rendering provider's NPI
* The applicable practice or claim-service address
**The practice registers, not each clinician separately.** A group practice registers once under its TIN for clinicians billing under that TIN and includes each rendering provider's NPI.
**Solo practitioners:** if you practice under your own name and use your individual NPI and SSN or a sole-proprietor EIN as your Tax ID, register yourself as the practice. Your individual NPI serves as both the practice and rendering provider identifier.
Registration creates a non-participating provider profile. It does **not** create an in-network contract. Thrizer cannot resolve a missing-registration denial on your behalf. The practice must complete registration with each Local / Host Blue Plan confirmed as required for its applicable location.
### Associate, pre-licensed, or supervised clinicians
Practice registration does not by itself confirm that a Blue plan recognizes every practitioner category as an out-of-network rendering provider. Thrizer's standard claim uses the clinician who provided the service and that clinician's individual NPI as the rendering provider. A practice Tax ID or group NPI does not replace it, and the standard claim does not include a supervising-provider NPI or separate rendering and supervising fields.
Ask the applicable Local / Host Blue Plan or its behavioral-health administrator whether it will register or recognize the clinician as an out-of-network rendering provider. A participating-network eligibility or independent-licensure rule does not necessarily establish the plan's out-of-network policy. If the plan separately requests supervising-provider information after submission, contact Thrizer Support. Support may be able to provide that information through manual follow-up, but cannot change the rendering provider on the claim or guarantee payer acceptance. If the plan requires the supervisor's NPI as part of the claim itself, Thrizer cannot offer a different standard claim structure.
### Do not wait for a Thrizer registration notice
Thrizer does not track or verify whether your practice completed BCBS provider registration. Registration is required for supported BCBS umbrella claims even when Thrizer or the payer has not surfaced a registration notice.
Complete each required Local / Host Blue Plan registration and notify Thrizer support after all required plans confirm they are active so support can review affected claims.
## Find and register with your Local / Host Plan
Start in Availity Essentials to find the applicable Blue plan’s non-participating-provider registration process. If Availity does not make the plan or process clear, use the official BCBSA directory as a backup starting point. The provider’s Local / Host Blue Plan may be different from the client’s Home Plan shown on their insurance card.
Use the exact practice or claim-service location under which you bill. Do not use the client's home address. Holding a license in a state does not by itself require registration there. If your practice bills under more than one service location, repeat these steps for each applicable location.
Create or sign in to [Availity Essentials](https://availity.com). Select **Payer Spaces**, choose the applicable Blue plan, then open **Applications → Provider Enrollment and Network Management → Non-Participating Provider Registration**.
Some Blue plans use their own provider portal instead of Availity. Follow the registration process provided by the applicable plan. If you do not see **Payer Spaces**, contact Availity to have the appropriate access enabled.
If Availity does not make the applicable plan or registration process clear, open the [BCBSA Local Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies directory](https://www.bcbs.com/about-us/blue-cross-blue-shield-system/state-health-plan-companies). In **Find Your Local BCBS Company**, enter the ZIP code for the applicable practice or claim-service location and select **Submit**.
Do not use the **3-letter prefix** field to select a provider-registration plan. That prefix appears on the client's insurance card and identifies the client's Home Plan, not your practice's Local / Host Plan.
The directory usually returns one company but may return more than one. If multiple companies appear for the applicable practice or claim-service ZIP code, register your practice with every company shown.
If you are unsure which practice or claim-service location applies, including for telehealth, contact BlueCard provider services before searching. Do not select only one company from multiple results or use the plan shown on the client's insurance card to exclude a returned company.
Complete registration through Availity or the provider website for each applicable plan, including every company returned by the BCBSA directory search.
Do **not** select **Join Our Network**. That begins a separate in-network contracting process.
Once each required Local / Host Plan confirms that registration is active, let Thrizer know so pending or previously rejected claims can be reviewed and resubmitted when appropriate.
## After registration
Registration usually takes up to one month to be confirmed. Actual timing varies and is controlled by each applicable Local / Host Blue Plan. Contact the relevant plan or Availity support for account-specific status questions.
Once each required plan confirms that registration is active:
* A claim **rejected or denied because registration was missing** may be resubmitted if the claim is otherwise supported. Resubmissions remain subject to the plan's timely-filing window and normal processing rules.
* A **pending or stalled** claim continues through the standard claim process. Do not have it resubmitted only because registration became active. Thrizer will continue monitoring it.
* An **eligible claim that has not been submitted** follows the normal claim-submission process.
Active registration does not guarantee claim approval or reimbursement. BCBS determines the final outcome.
## How reimbursement works
BCBS plans do not permit third-party entities like Thrizer to receive reimbursement on a client's behalf. **Thrizer Pay** and **OON Pay direct deposit** are therefore not available for BCBS umbrella plans. Clients receive reimbursement by **paper check directly from their insurance company**.
### Which plans are affected
This applies to all plans under the BCBS umbrella, including plans administered by Elevance Health. Known examples include **Anthem BCBS, Carelon, NYSHIP (administered by Carelon), Wellpoint, Empire BCBS, Highmark BCBS, Horizon BCBS, BCBS of Massachusetts, BCBS of Texas, BCBS of Illinois**, and other regional BCBS plans. These examples are not exhaustive.
Benefit-check results show the reimbursement methods for the client's specific plan.
### What changes for clients
* Clinicians charge as usual, and Thrizer still submits eligible claims automatically after each OON Pay charge.
* Clients use **OON Pay** and pay the clinician's full session rate upfront.
* Clients previously on **Thrizer Pay** move to OON Pay for future sessions. Existing completed charges are not relabeled.
* Clients previously using **OON Pay direct deposit** receive reimbursement by paper check instead.
* Reimbursement often arrives in about 6 weeks, but the insurer controls claim approval, the reimbursement amount, check delivery, and timing. The 6-week estimate is not a guarantee.
* The insurer mails the check using the address in its own records. Clients should confirm or update their mailing address directly with the insurer. Thrizer cannot redirect a payer-issued check.
## What Thrizer handles
* Thrizer continues to submit eligible claims for BCBS clients.
* BCBS may delay or deny out-of-network claims when the practice has not completed registration with each Local / Host Plan confirmed as required for the applicable location.
* For plan-selection, registration-status, state-specific, or Availity access questions, contact the relevant Blue Plan, BlueCard provider services, or Availity support.
A benefit check does not confirm provider registration. Benefit checks evaluate the client's plan-benefit information, not the practice's provider record. A missing registration must still be completed even if an earlier benefit check did not show a registration notice.
If this process changes on Thrizer's side, Thrizer will share an update.
## Related articles
See Thrizer's insurance company reference, including BCBS plans.
Learn how claims are submitted through Thrizer and when submission is automatic.
Understand typical claim processing timelines and why claim outcomes can vary.
Learn how Thrizer Pay normally works when it is available for a client's plan.