Grievance and Appeals Unit See Section 9 for contact information. You may also contact the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Resource Program, RIREACH at 1-855-747-3224 about questions or concerns you may have. Complaints A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with any aspect of our operation or the quality of care you received from a healthcare provider. A complaint is not an appeal. For information about submitting an appeal, please see the Reconsiderations and Appeals section below. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or issues you may have about any aspect of your medical treatment with the healthcare provider that furnished the care. In most cases, issues can be more easily resolved if they are raised when they occur. However, if you remain dissatisfied or prefer not to take up the issue with your provider, you can call our Customer Service Department for further assistance. You may also call our Customer Service Department if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our operation. If the concern or issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may file a verbal or written complaint with our Grievance and Appeals Unit. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint or administrative appeal within ten (10) business days. The Grievance and Appeals Unit will conduct a thorough review of your complaint and respond within thirty (30) calendar days of the date it was received. The determination letter will provide you with the rationale for our response as well as information on any possible next steps available to you. When filing a complaint, please provide the following information: • your name, address, member ID number; • the date of the incident or service; • summary of the issue; • any previous contact with BCBSRI concerning the issue; • a brief description of the relief or solution you are seeking; and • additional information such as referral forms, claims, or any other documentation that you would like us to review. Please send all information to the address listed on the Contact Information section.
Reconsiderations and Appeals If you experience a problem relating to an authorization review, benefit denial, or other aspect of this plan, we have internal and external procedures to help you resolve your issue. The following sections detail the processes and procedures for filing: • Administrative Appeals; • Medical Reconsiderations and Appeals (including expedited appeals); • Prescription Drug Appeals: and
Disciplinary Appeals All forms of disciplinary action which are not appealable to the Civil Service Commission or the courts, except written or oral reprimands and Forms 475, shall be subject to review through Steps 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the grievance procedure.
Review and Appeal (a) Each Party shall establish or maintain judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative tribunals or procedures for the purpose of the prompt review and, where warranted, correction of final administrative actions regarding matters covered by this Treaty. Such tribunals shall be impartial and independent of the office or authority entrusted with administrative enforcement and shall not have any substantial interest in the outcome of the matter.
Expedited Appeal An Appeal of a review of continued or extended health care services, additional services rendered in the course of continued treatment, home health care services following discharge from an inpatient Hospital admission, services in which a Provider requests an immediate review, or any other urgent matter will be handled on an expedited basis. An expedited Appeal is not available for retrospective reviews. For an expedited Appeal, Your Provider will have reasonable access to the clinical peer reviewer assigned to the Appeal within one (1) business day of receipt of the request for an Appeal. Your Provider and a clinical peer reviewer may exchange information by telephone or fax. An expedited Appeal will be determined within the earlier of 72 hours of receipt of the Appeal or two
Arbitration Board Hearings Where operational requirements permit, the Employer shall grant leave without loss of pay to a reasonable number of employees representing the Union before an Arbitration Board, provided the dispute involves the Employer.
Level Four - Arbitration A. If the Association is not satisfied with the disposition of the grievance at the Board level, it may within ten (10) days after the decision of the Board refer the matter for arbitration to the American Arbitration Association by filing a written demand for arbitration and request the appointment of an arbitrator to hear the grievance. If the parties cannot agree upon an arbitrator, he shall be selected in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.
Level Three - Arbitration a. If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the disposition of his/her grievance at Level Two, he/she may within three (3) days after the decision is rendered or within ten (10) days after the meeting with the Superintendent, request in writing to the Association that his/her grievance be submitted to arbitration.
Arbitration Decision The arbitrator’s decision will be final and binding. The arbitrator shall issue a written arbitration decision revealing the essential findings and conclusions upon which the decision and/or award is based. A party’s right to appeal the decision is limited to grounds provided under applicable federal or state law.
Step Four - Arbitration 15.6.1. If a grievance is not resolved at Step Three, the Association may request a hearing before an arbitrator. The request shall be filed in the Human Resource Services Division or designee within fifteen (15) workdays after the written decision of the division representative becomes effective.
