Medicare AdvantageDocumentationMedium impact
[Georgia] Medication safety alerts: reducing opioid and anticholinergic risk
Anthem BCBS·GA · Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine +3 more·Provider Bulletin
Effective date
Jun 30, 2026
We identified it
Jul 1, 2026
Summary
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Georgia is implementing medication safety quality measures focused on reducing opioid-benzodiazepine overlap (COB) and anticholinergic polypharmacy in older adults. This policy requires providers to actively monitor, reassess, and deprescribe high-risk medication combinations to align with CMS Part D Star Measures, with emphasis on medication reconciliation at every visit and transition of care.
Action Required
By July 31, 2026: Billing and clinical teams must implement medication safety monitoring into encounter workflows. Specific actions: (1) Providers must document medication reconciliation (including OTC and supplements) at every visit and care transition; (2) EHR teams should configure alerts for patients ≥18 with ≥30 cumulative days of opioid-benzodiazepine overlap AND patients ≥65 with ≥2 concurrent anticholinergic medications; (3) Billing team must ensure encounter forms include checkboxes for high-risk medication review and deprescribing plans to support Star Measure documentation; (4) Front desk should flag all older adult visits for provider review of medication lists. Failure to document medication safety interventions may impact Star Measure performance ratings and downstream reimbursement adjustments for Medicare Advantage plans. Enroll clinical staff in the on-demand webinar 'Polypharmacy: Medication Safety in Older Adults' available on Anthem's Health Education & Training page.