All PlansAdministrativeHigh impact
Referral numbers now required on claims: New process
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island·RI·Physician
Effective date
Mar 1, 2019
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
BCBS Rhode Island now requires referral numbers from Health Trio to be included in box 23 of CMS-1500 forms for all claims. This helps the Claims Department process referrals correctly when multiple referrals exist for the same provider group.
Action Required
Immediately: Billing team must update CMS-1500 forms to include Health Trio referral confirmation numbers in box 23 for all claims. Train staff to obtain referral numbers from Health Trio portal before claim submission. Update billing system templates and workflows to require this field. Claims may be processed incorrectly without referral numbers when multiple referrals exist.