ASHA Expresses Concern Over Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield 2024 Payment Cuts

August 12, 2024

ASHA members are reporting reductions in their payments from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Pennsylvania (Highmark PA), enacted on July 15, 2024. Highmark published its annual fee schedule on May 15, 2024 but did not publicly announce the rate changes.

What ASHA Is Doing

ASHA is deeply concerned by these reports. The payment reductions could further hurt providers who are already experiencing high inflation costs and increasing practice expenses.

ASHA and the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) have met with stakeholders to analyze the potential impact of the change and identify member questions and concerns. ASHA has sent a letter to Highmark PA [PDF] expressing concern over these recent payment cuts and requesting a meeting with Highmark PA staff to discuss the challenges these cuts bring. We are also identifying opportunities to work with other stakeholders to encourage Highmark PA to reconsider their payment cuts.

For Highmark PA Providers

Providers should carefully review their contracts and fee schedule with Highmark PA to determine how this will affect their practice. It’s important for providers to respond individually to their provider representatives at Highmark PA to express their concerns and explain how the fee schedule changes will impact their practice. ASHA and PSHA have developed a template letter [DOCX] for providers to edit and send to their Highmark PA representatives. This template offers a blueprint, but providers should add a personal touch to strengthen the message.

We have heard from providers that they no longer have specifically assigned representatives. However, it’s still important to contact Highmark PA directly with concerns. One way is to reach out to the Highmark provider line to share your thoughts.

The Highmark Provider Manual also suggests providers should be assigned a contact email in their credentialing contract. If they’re not assigned a contact email through their contract, providers can also be assigned a contact email by contacting the Highmark provider line.

You can also request information on your contract through Highmark provider information management via a written request to the address or fax number below.

Highmark Provider Information Management (PIM)
P.O. Box 898842
Camp Hill, PA 17089-8842
Fax: 1-800-236-5907

Resources

Questions?

If you have questions or similar issues with Highmark or another payer in your state, please contact ASHA’s health care and education policy team at reimbursement@asha.org.