eExchange

Benefits just got easier with eExchange

Benefits Management Made Easy

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana now offers eExchange, a tool that streamlines electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions.

eExchange simplifies the transmission and transformation of employee benefit eligibility data from employer to insurance carrier.

It helps eliminate the staggering costs and technical requirements that can cause headaches for your organization. eExchange is the smart solution for EDI - it's fast, secure and accurate.

Highlights of eExchange

  • One-to-many Data Exchange
  • Skilled Implementation Consultants
  • Comprehensive Tools
  • Ongoing Support
  • Flexible File Formats
  • Summary Reports

 

What Will eExchange Provide You?

  • Ensures EDI accuracy by adding validations, threshold safeguards and business rules during file processing
  • Provides summary reports for each file that include file activity and data discrepancies that allow for visibility and data quality
  • Includes setup of a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site for each file transmission and report retrieval 
  • Provides a dedicated support team to manage file implementation, ongoing production inquiries and renewal coordination
  • Reduced implementation time

 

 

Better Data, Better Business - Let's Get Started!

Quality is our priority, and we want to ensure that you have all of the resources available to make the implementation process as smooth as possible.

We also understand that you, like all of our customers, are special and unique. As a result, these milestones may vary. But, we strongly believe in transparency and want to include a general timeline for reference prior to our introductory call.

 

Introduction and Documentation Gathering

(1-2 weeks)

Configuration and Testing

(2-3 weeks)

Data Reconciliation

(3-5 business days)

Production Readiness

(1 business day)

Completed Implementation

(2 business days)

It's never too early to start thinking about your renewal!

As our No. 1 priority, we want to ensure you have all of the tools available to make the enrollment and renewal process as smooth as possible.

To help us prepare for the next participation period, please reference the guide below.

Questionnaire sent approximately 90 days prior to renewal date

Renewal is finalized with any plan changes with Blue Cross

All plan code changes will need to be accounted for with the future participation period.

Updated Group Profile Form is delivered

Your profile will be delivered to your Customer Success Manager and your file submitter.

File submitter completes updates as needed to deliver Open Enrollment file

In the event there are significant changes to the plan structure please ensure additional times is delegated for testing (at least 30 days prior to renewal date).

If HSA or FSA are to be added to the enrollment file, please allow for 90 days for testing purposes and also refer to the guide supplied previously and posted to your SFTP site.

Benefitfocus receives and processes file

Within 48 hours or receipt, our Customer Success Manager will ensure quality assurance practices are completed and the file is delivered to Blue Cross.

File Summary Reports will also be posted to your SFTP.

Louisiana Blue will process the file the following business day into the membership system. ID Cards, Member Packets and Secure Portal Changes will be updated that night.

It's extremely important to check your reports regularly!

As the reporting contact for your group, monitoring your report is extremely important. Here's why:

  • Reviewing each report will ensure all your employees have correct demographic data and their associated elections or changes are transmitted and loaded correctly into the Louisiana Blue member system.
  • The report also gives you an accurate, behind-the-secnes look of how your group's enrollment information is being received and processed.
  • The report is also only available for seven days after it is uploaded to your secure file-transfer protocol (SFTP) site.

 

We will post your report

Within 48 hours of the file transmission from the Group, Benefitfocus will post reports to your SFTP site.

You will receive each tab of your report

All plan code changes will need to be accounted for with the future participation period.

Summary: This tab gives an overview of the processed file and will list the count for all adds, terms and updates, as well as the count for exceptions and tolerable exceptions.

Activity: Each Louisiana Blue member is listed on this tab, which includes a detailed, member-specific description of all changes on the specific feed. Each Louisiana Blue member is listed on this tab. Any member who does not have an update will not have any specific change noted in their details.

Exceptions: Members who have failed a validation step and are not sent to Louisiana Blue are listed on this tab with the specific error that caused the contract to be held back. This must be corrected within your group’s payroll and/or benefits administration system and resent on the following feed. These errors will persist until corrected.

Tolerable Exceptions: Members that have failed a validation but will be sent to Louisiana Blue are listed on this tab with the specific failed validation. This must be corrected within your group’s payroll and/or benefits administration system and resent on the following feed. These errors will persist until corrected.

No Activity: This lists your Louisiana Blue members on the file who have no changes.

Drops: Members who have dropped off the file feed without a termination sent for their coverage are populated to this tab. The members may also appear on one of the above tabs. Please note that these members will only be reported once; this notice is not pulled forward.

Effective Date Only Change: This shows information for you information for you as the reporting contact. No call to action is needed with the details contained on this tab.

You will update your system to reflect validated data

You will correct data for any exceptions or make any necessary modifications to changes. Benefitfocus will send the updated member data to Louisiana Blue in the next scheduled file.

Any manual corrections can be sent directly to Louisiana Blue; however, this should still be updated within your payroll system to ensure the correct data is not overwritten by the incorrect file data.

Next Steps

Ready to get started and learn more about eExchange? Email us directly at MarketingEnrollment@bcbsla.com today!