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 is expanding operations to include weekends for Medicare members, effective May 1, 2026. Weekend hours will be Saturday 9am-3pm and Sunday 9am-12pm Central Time, allowing for clinical reviews, prior authorizations, and peer-to-peer consultations on weekends.
Action Required
By May 1, 2026: Update staff schedules and workflows to accommodate weekend prior authorization requests and clinical reviews for Medicare patients. Notify providers that Carelon will now process authorizations on weekends. Update contact procedures to reflect new Saturday (9am-3pm) and Sunday (9am-12pm) availability for urgent authorization needs.