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: 2016 Empire Plan Participating Provider Directory (PPD) Postcards and Directories
DATE: August 24, 2016
Empire Plan Participating Provider Directory Postcards
This year, we are again distributing PPD postcards to all Empire Plan enrollees across the United States and Puerto Rico to meet our mandate of making directories available to all enrollees. Postcards were mailed on July 22-28, 2016 and we’ve already received more than 62,000 requests.
While we encourage the use of the online “Find a Provider” search that is updated weekly, enrollees have three options for obtaining Empire Plan participating provider information:
- Find a Provider at NYSHIP Online: www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits
- Call The Empire Plan at 1-877-7-NYSHIP and select the appropriate administrator
- Return the reply postcard (with a stamp) to request a directory
New Versions for 2016
Enrollees are offered check boxes to select a directory based on their home ZIP Code or may print the name of another version. A footnote alerts enrollees that the New York and Florida directories are divided into versions (see attachment) due to size. If the enrollee would like to order any of these directories, we request that the county or counties be listed so the correct version can be mailed to them. Massachusetts and Vermont are no longer included in the Upstate NY version and North and South Carolina are separate directories for 2016. Also new this year in compliance with State law, languages spoken by providers and/or their staff and provider hospital affiliations have been added for the New York directories only. Also see the attachment for a listing of additional new specialties.
Directory Distribution
The 2016 PPDs for New York will begin to mail to the homes of those who requested it this month. Covered PPDs for Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Northern Florida, South Carolina, Southern Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia will follow in September and the remaining out-of-state versions are currently scheduled to mail in October.
We will send you one directory based on your agency location. In response to feedback from HBAs, we will no longer mail other versions to you automatically. If you would like to have reference copies for your agency, please order them on HBA Online. On the forms and publications page, the directory order form is located at the top of the page. We will add versions to the order form as they are printed and available in inventory.
Quick Order Packages
As in the past, a PPD postcard will also be included in the Quick Order packages that you may order for your new hires or new retirees.
If you need help accessing HBA Online, email ITS Enterprise Service Desk at its.sm.esd.ags@its.ny.gov.
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.
Call the EBD HBA Help Line at 518-474-2780 with questions regarding benefits.