When a natural disaster strikes, Regence is here to support your care needs

Immediately: Billing team must update claim processing rules to recognize officially declared natural disaster states in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. When processing claims during declared emergencies: (1) Accept out-of-network pharmacy claims without prior authorization denial; (2) Process emergency hospital visits at in-network rates regardless of facility network status; (3) Do not apply refill restrictions or quantity limits for prescription refills during emergency periods. Update denial logic in billing software to suppress network-based rejections when emergency declaration code is present. Train billing staff to verify emergency declaration status before denying pharmacy or emergency department claims. No claims should be denied solely for out-of-network pharmacy usage or emergency facility selection during declared disasters. This policy applies only during officially declared emergencies and must be manually tracked/flagged per claim.