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[Georgia] August 1 specialty pharmacy criteria updates — PA changes may limit coverage

Anthem BCBS·GA · Pharmacy, Oncology, Allergy & Immunology +3 more·Pharmacy
Effective date
Aug 1, 2026
We identified it
May 28, 2026
Days to comply
1 days

Summary

Effective August 1, 2026, Georgia's Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is implementing new clinical criteria for 21 specialty pharmacy drugs managed by their medical specialty drug review team. These updated prior authorization requirements may result in coverage denials for previously covered services, particularly for non-oncology specialty medications. Billing teams must verify medical necessity against the new clinical criteria before claim submission.

Action Required

Before Aug 1, 2026
By July 15, 2026: Billing team and providers must obtain copies of the 21 new clinical criteria documents (CC-0027, CC-0029, CC-0033, CC-0108, CC-0109, CC-0112, CC-0115, CC-0118, CC-0121, CC-0123, CC-0125, CC-0135, CC-0157, CC-0158, CC-0170, CC-0186, CC-0201, CC-0232, CC-0281) from Anthem's medical necessity review guidelines. Update prior authorization submission protocols in billing software to require clinical criteria compliance documentation. Before August 1, 2026: Train all clinical and billing staff on the new criteria for denosumab, dupilumab, omalizumab, eribulin, ziv-aflibercept, radium Ra 223 dichloride, ado-trastuzumab, radioimmunotherapy agents, obinutuzumab, ramucirumab, nivolumab, melanoma vaccines, enfortumab vedotin, fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan, inebilizumab, margetuximab, amivantamab products, mosunetuzumab, and nivolumab hyaluronidase products. Notify prescribing providers that prior authorization submission must now include documentation supporting the new clinical criteria or claims will be denied as not medically necessary. Update encounter templates to capture medical necessity elements aligned with new criteria. Establish verification workflow: billing team must confirm each specialty pharmacy claim meets the applicable clinical criteria before transmission to avoid denials.