Medicare AdvantageAdministrativeMedium impact
Change to Carelon hours of operation
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island·RI·Physician / Facility
Effective date
May 1, 2026
We identified it
Jun 19, 2026
Summary
Carelon (BCBSRI's utilization management partner) is expanding operations to seven days a week for Medicare members starting May 1, 2026. Weekend hours will include clinical reviews, prior authorizations, peer-to-peer consultations, and denial determinations for post-acute care.
Action Required
Before May 1, 2026: Billing and clinical teams should update workflows to account for weekend authorization processing availability. Contact information remains the same: BCBSRI Provider Relations at ProviderRelations@bcbsri.org or Carelon Provider Relations at PACProvider_Relations@carelon.com for questions about weekend operations.