Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts will begin enforcing their Policy 154 (Monitored Anesthesia Care).
What this means: BCBSMA will reject payment for many claims for propofol/MAC as not medically necessary for gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy and other numerous GI procedures.
What our societies are doing: GI leaders and our counterparts from anesthesiology and surgery met with BCBSMA this week to forcefully urge them to change course since we believe that this policy will increase barriers to screening colonoscopy while creating inefficiency in practices. BCBSMA declined. We launched a grassroots campaign to fight the policy implementation.
What you can do:
- Urge your state legislators to tell the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance to investigate enforcement of BCBSMA Policy 154.
- Join our social media campaign #Noto154 – and encourage everyone in your professional network to do the same.
- Contact local media outlets and tell them how this policy undermines patient choice and health care in your community.
- Empower and inform your patients who are insured by BCBSMA by letting them know what’s transpiring.
