Blue Cross Community Medicare-Medicaid Plan^SM and Blue Cross Medicare Advantage^SM Availability and Access Standards 

November 6, 2023

The following appointment availability and access guidelines should be followed by providers to ensure timely access to medical care for MMAI^SM and Medicare Advantage HMO^SM and PPO^SM members. These guidelines also apply to behavioral health services and substance use disorder services. 

• Routine and preventive care within 30 business days 
• Urgent, but non-emergent care within 24 hours of request 

Adherence to member access guidelines will be monitored through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois office visits and the tracking of complaints and grievances related to access and availability, which are reviewed by the BCBSIL Quality Improvement Committee. 

Participating physician/professional providers are expected to provide coverage to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When a participating physician/professional provider is unable to provide services, the participating physician/professional provider must ensure that they have arranged for coverage from another participating physician/professional provider. Hospital emergency room or urgent care centers are not substitutes for covering participating physician/professional providers.