Department of Civil Service

NY13-16
PE13-11
PA13-11
SEHP13-04
PAEX13-11

TO: New York State Health Benefits Administrators; Participating Employer Health Benefits Administrators; Student Employee Health Plan (SEHP) Health Benefits Administrators; Participating Agency Health Benefits Administrators with The Empire Plan or The Excelsior Plan
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: 2013 Participating Provider Postcards and Directories
DATE: August 7, 2013

Participating Provider Directory Postcards
This year we are again distributing PPD postcards to all Empire Plan enrollees across the United States and Puerto Rico. This is a green initiative designed to reduce production costs and save trees by sending directories only to those who request them.

Enrollees have three options for obtaining Empire Plan participating provider information:

• NYSHIP Online, https://www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits. Follow the prompts to log in, then select Find a Provider and the appropriate program. The online directories provide the most up-to-date listing of participating providers and network facilities;
• Call The Empire Plan toll free at 1-877-7-NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447). Press 1 on the main menu and speak to a representative to request a printed directory or a customized medical/surgical provider listing (the same can be done for hospitals or MHSA providers by selecting the appropriate program); or
• Return the postcard.

If an enrollee would like an 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, attach a postcard stamp and mail it to make their request. The requested directory will be sent in 4-6 weeks.

2013 Participating Provider Directories
The 2013 Empire Plan Participating Provider Directories for Upstate and Downstate New York, all other states/regions and Puerto Rico will begin mailing to enrollees in September.

Only enrollees who requested one of these directories by returning the Participating Provider Directory postcard (or calling the toll-free number to request a copy) will be mailed a directory.

Directory Contents
The 2013 directories list Hospital Program Network Facilities, Medical/Surgical Program Participating Providers, Empire Plan Managed Physical Medicine Program Network Providers, Empire Plan Mental Health/Substance Abuse Program Network Providers and Facilities, providers of Prosthetic/Orthotic Devices, Laboratories, MRI Centers, Breast Pump Suppliers and Urgent Care Centers. Each major section is listed by category and specialty, broken down alphabetically by county.

Distribution
We will send an agency supply equal to 1 percent of your Empire Plan enrollment of 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 copy of the 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/ebd under the Find a Provider link, is updated on a weekly basis. This is the most current listing of Empire Plan Participating Providers.

Enhancements to UHC’s online directory of Empire Plan Medical/Surgical Program Participating Providers will be rolled out in early fall. This updated interface will allow enrollees to search for a provider by name, specialty, type of facility or condition. Searches can be refined by location and a range of categories. There will be no change to how enrollees access this online directory from NYSHIP Online.

Online Ordering - New Hire and New Retiree Packages
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 have questions about this distribution, please call the Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.