The Empire Plan is a unique health insurance plan designed especially for public employees in New York State. Empire Plan benefits include inpatient and outpatient hospital coverage, medical/surgical coverage, Centers of Excellence for transplants, infertility and cancer, home care services, equipment and supplies, mental health and substance abuse coverage and prescription drug coverage.
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TO: All Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: 2015 Empire Plan Participating Provider Directory Postcards and Directories
DATE: July 6, 2015
Empire Plan Participating Provider Directory (PPD) Postcards
This year we are again distributing PPD postcards to all Empire Plan enrollees across the United States and Puerto Rico. While we encourage use of the frequently updated online “find a provider” search, enrollees have three options for obtaining Empire Plan participating provider information, including online and the postcard.
Enrollees are encouraged to use the online directory, or may call the appropriate program administrator if they would prefer assistance with locating a participating provider. If an enrollee prefers a printed Empire Plan Participating Provider Directory based on their home zip code or for another state or region, they can tear off the attached reply postcard, affix a stamp and mail it to make their request. This year’s postcard does not include any suggested alternate versions based on location but enrollees may write their alternate request on the blank line. The requested directory will be sent in 4-6 weeks.
2015 Participating Provider Directories
The 2015 Empire Plan PPDs for Upstate and Downstate New York will begin to mail to the homes of those who request it in August. Covered PPDs for Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, North and South Carolina, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania and DC/MD/VA will follow and the remaining out-of-state versions are currently scheduled to begin to mail in September.
Directory Contents
The 2015 directories list Empire Plan participating providers and network facilities for the Hospital Program, the Medical/Surgical Program, the Managed Physical Medicine Program, prosthetic/orthotic devices, laboratories, MRI centers, breast pump suppliers and urgent care centers, and the Mental Health/Substance Abuse Program. Each major section is listed by category and specialty, broken down alphabetically by county.
Distribution
We are sending you two copies of either the Upstate or Downstate directory, (whichever is appropriate for your agency). We will mail you one copy each of the eight large out-of-state directories (Arizona, North/South Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia) plus one of the Downstate or Upstate versions – whichever one is not based on your agency location – as a resource. You will receive these single copies in the mail at the same time that enrollees are receiving their copies at home.
A Directory postcard will be included in the Quick Order packages.
Online Directory
The online Medical/Surgical participating provider search, available on our web site at https://www.cs.ny.gov under the Find a Provider link, is updated on a weekly basis. This is the most current listing of Empire Plan participating providers.
Online Ordering
We encourage you and your enrollees to use the online participating provider search as it is updated weekly, and is easily searchable and customizable. But, for those who do want the printed directory, it is available in many ways.
- We automatically give you a small amount of agency surplus
- You can order additional copies on HBA Online all year long
- You can order individual directories or Quick Order packages (that contain a directory postcard to return if desired) online, and have the package sent directly to the enrollee’s home.
If you need help accessing HBA Online, email ITS Enterprise Service Desk at its.sm.esd.ags@its.ny.gov.
Call the EBD HBA Help Line at 518-474-2780 with questions regarding benefits.
If you are unsure of how to order publications or have questions about this distribution, please call the EBD Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.