Medicare AdvantageAdministrativeMedium impact
Watch for Digital Access to Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Decision Letters via Availity® Essentials
BCBS Montana·MT·Prior Authorization
Effective date
Oct 8, 2026
We identified it
Sep 12, 2026
Summary
Blue Cross Medicare Advantage prior authorization approval letters will transition from U.S. Postal Service mail to digital-only delivery via Availity Essentials Provider Correspondence Viewer starting December 11, 2026. Beginning October 8, 2026, providers can access these letters digitally; denial letters will continue to be mailed while also available digitally. Prior authorizations from third-party vendors remain unaffected.
Action Required
By October 8, 2026: Billing and authorization staff must ensure they have active access to Availity Essentials and can navigate the Provider Correspondence Viewer within the Payer Spaces section to retrieve prior authorization decision letters for Medicare Advantage members. By December 11, 2026: Discontinue reliance on USPS mail for prior authorization approval letters from Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plans and transition to digital retrieval only. Staff should bookmark the Provider Correspondence Viewer and establish a process for regularly checking Availity Essentials rather than monitoring mailboxes. Note: Denial letters will continue to arrive by mail, so maintain USPS mail monitoring for those documents. Watch for additional guidance on opt-out procedures and detailed access instructions in future Blue Cross communications.