BCBS Montana at a glance
| Legal name | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana |
|---|---|
| Also known as | BCBSMT, Blue Cross Montana |
| Category | BCBS affiliate |
| Parent organization | Health Care Service Corporation |
| Claims payer ID | BCBS Montana identifies 66006 for Medicare Advantage electronic claims, with clearinghouse-specific mapping caveats. This packet has not established one claims ID for all BCBSMT products; do not use the eligibility identifier as a claims route. |
| Eligibility (270/271) payer ID | The February 2026 BCBSMT 270/271 companion guide lists 00751 for BCBSMT and HMAPD for Medicare Advantage at loop 2100A NM109. Confirm the member product and trading-partner configuration; these values are not 837 claims or 835 ERA identifiers. |
| ERA (835) payer ID | No single all-product identifier established in this registry; see source findings and verify the member product and transaction separately. Clearinghouse-specific: This registry has not established one national ERA payer ID for BCBS Montana. ERA enrollment and 835 routing are clearinghouse- and product-specific; verify in the payer portal or clearinghouse payer list before enrollment. |
| NAIC company code | Not established in this registry |
| States covered | Montana |
| Provider resource entry point | https://www.bcbsmt.com/provider |
| Provider phone | 1-800-447-7828BCBS Montana group, BlueCard and individual providers: 800-447-7828, option 2. Medicare Advantage individual 877-774-8592/group 877-299-1008 and Healthy Montana Kids have separate contacts. |
Always verify claims-routing details against the member ID card and the payer's current EDI companion guide before submission.
Timely filing & appeals for BCBS Montana
BCBS Montana states that participating physicians, professional providers and facilities must submit Medicare Advantage claims within 365 days of the date of service. This is not a universal commercial deadline. The medical provider manual is accessed through Availity Plan Documents Viewer; confirm the current member product and provider agreement for other initial-claim, corrected-claim and appeal limits.
| Submission type | Window |
|---|---|
| Initial claim reference | Product-specific; participating Medicare Advantage claims: 365 days |
| Out-of-network initial claim | Verify the member's plan and applicable out-of-network rules |
| Secondary / coordination of benefits | Verify the allowed window and start event; a primary EOB does not automatically restart filing |
| Corrected claim | Verify correction instructions; do not substitute an appeal deadline |
| Reconsideration / appeal | Use the applicable denial or decision notice and the process below |
This registry has not established a payer-specific appeal ladder for BCBS Montana. Use the denial notice, plan document, provider agreement, or jurisdictional rule to assign the correct route and deadline. Missing registry evidence does not mean appeal rights are unavailable.
Source: BCBS Montana provider policy. Always confirm before disputing a TFL denial — payer policies are versioned and product-specific.
Prior authorization with BCBS Montana
Decision deadlines depend on the product, service and urgency. CMS-0057-F generally starts its decision-timeframe requirements in 2026 for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and CHIP payers subject to the rule: seven calendar days for standard requests and 72 hours for expedited requests. Those requirements exclude drug authorizations and QHP issuers on the federally facilitated exchanges. Other plans, state rules and permitted extensions can differ. Check the applicable policy; a decision deadline is not a guarantee of approval.
CMS-0057-F decision-timeframe requirements and exclusions
Verify BCBS Montana electronic claims (837), eligibility (270/271), remittance (835) and authorization (278) separately for the member product and clearinghouse. Registry flags and routing references are not current transaction-complete approval. Confirm the companion guide, enrollment and applicable source findings below. A blank or unverified field does not establish that the transaction is unavailable. Authorization requirements and submission channels depend on the product, service and delegated reviewer. Verify the applicable policy before scheduling; a portal listing is not proof of X12 278 connectivity.
This registry does not provide a current prior-authorization code list for BCBS Montana. Start with the provider resources or the policy documents below, then confirm the applicable product, service and effective date. A resource link does not establish that a live code-lookup tool is available.
- → https://www.bcbsmt.com/provider/network-participation/network/contact-us
- → https://www.bcbsmt.com/provider/standards-and-requirements/standards/provider-manuals
- → https://www.bcbsmt.com/provider/network-participation/network/medicare-advantage
- → https://www.bcbsmt.com/docs/provider/mt/claims/eligibility/mt-eligibility-benefits-270-271.pdf
Top denial reasons for BCBS Montana
Per-payer denial benchmarks publish here once the QuickIntell anonymized ETL pipeline ingests sufficient BCBS Montana volume. Until then, see the broader CARC reference for industry-wide remediation guides.
Electronic claims, eligibility & ERA
| Transaction | Registry indication — not verification | Routing reference |
|---|---|---|
| 837P / 837I claims | Listed in registry; verify current scope | BCBS Montana identifies 66006 for Medicare Advantage electronic claims, with clearinghouse-specific mapping caveats. This packet has not established one claims ID for all BCBSMT products; do not use the eligibility identifier as a claims route. |
| 270 / 271 eligibility | Listed in registry; verify current scope | The February 2026 BCBSMT 270/271 companion guide lists 00751 for BCBSMT and HMAPD for Medicare Advantage at loop 2100A NM109. Confirm the member product and trading-partner configuration; these values are not 837 claims or 835 ERA identifiers. |
| 278 prior authorization | Listed in registry; verify current scope | Verify X12 278 routing separately |
| 835 ERA | Verify support and enrollment separately | No single all-product identifier established in this registry; see source findings and verify the member product and transaction separately. Clearinghouse-specific: This registry has not established one national ERA payer ID for BCBS Montana. ERA enrollment and 835 routing are clearinghouse- and product-specific; verify in the payer portal or clearinghouse payer list before enrollment. |
Payer IDs vary by clearinghouse — confirm against your clearinghouse payer list (Availity, Change Healthcare/Optum, Waystar) before configuring submitter routing.
What revenue cycle teams should verify before submitting claims
- Use Availity Plan Documents Viewer for the applicable medical provider manual; the public access instructions are not a review of authenticated manual contents.
- For Medicare Advantage 837 claims the published ID is 66006; for 270/271 the February 2026 guide distinguishes 00751 and HMAPD. No ERA enrollment ID or universal 278 capability is established by those sources.
Source checks and remaining limits
The latest partial comparison is dated . Retained earlier findings keep their original dates below. This is a partial source check, not a whole-page, clinical or legal review. It does not refresh the legacy review date above.
provider_phone, field_status — BCBS Montana contact routes
Source comparison: 2026-09-18
Source scope: 800-447-7828 option 2 serves the stated group/BlueCard/individual scope. MA and HMK contacts differ. Cross-state copy elsewhere is not treated as Montana product proof. Locator: Group, BlueCard and Individual Providers; Medicare Advantage contacts. Version: No publication or effective date established on the checked HTML page.. Retrieval: content_read; public_web_read. This is a partial source comparison, not whole-field or whole-record approval.
Primary source for provider_phone, field_status — bcbs montana contact routestimely_filing_days, filing_rule, timely_filing_source_url — BCBS Montana provider manuals access
Source comparison: 2026-09-18
Source scope: Medical manuals are in Plan Documents Viewer inside authenticated Availity Payer Spaces. The public access instructions were read, not the authenticated manual or provider agreement. Locator: Medical Provider Manuals access instructions. Version: No publication or effective date established on the checked HTML page.. Retrieval: content_read; public_web_read. This is a partial source comparison, not whole-field or whole-record approval.
Primary source for timely_filing_days, filing_rule, timely_filing_source_url — bcbs montana provider manuals accesstimely_filing_days, filing_rule, timely_filing_source_url, payer_ids.eligibility, payer_ids.claims, supports_279_271 — BCBS Montana Medicare Advantage claims
Source comparison: 2026-09-18
Source scope: Participating MA initial claims: 365 days from service. MA 837 reference: 66006, with vendor mapping caveat. Neither is a universal commercial, eligibility or ERA mapping; the future October 2026 grid was not applied. Locator: Claims; Contact Us; separate dated prior-authorization grid links. Version: HTML is undated. Claims-ID passage effective January 1, 2017; dated 2026 links do not establish a whole-page effective date.. Retrieval: content_read; public_web_read. This is a partial source comparison, not whole-field or whole-record approval.
Primary source for timely_filing_days, filing_rule, timely_filing_source_url, payer_ids.eligibility, payer_ids.claims, supports_279_271 — bcbs montana medicare advantage claimspayer_ids.eligibility, payer_ids.claims, supports_279_271 — BCBS Montana 270/271 companion guide
Source comparison: 2026-09-18
Source scope: 270/271 loop 2100A NM109: 00751 for BCBSMT, HMAPD for MA. Not 837/835 evidence or proof of actual trading-partner certification. Locator: PDF 1 cover; PDF 7, printed 6, section 4.2 table; section 1 scope and onboarding read as text. Version: February 2026, Version 1.1; actual PDF differs from the older May 2025 search snippet.. Retrieval: content_read; public_web_pdf_plus_actual_download_and_scoped_visual_review. Only the documented PDF pages were inspected; not a whole-document review. This is a partial source comparison, not whole-field or whole-record approval.
Primary source for payer_ids.eligibility, payer_ids.claims, supports_279_271 — bcbs montana 270/271 companion guide
Not checked in this pass: Unresolved fields from the immutable 43-field inventory: aka, appeal_levels, category, common_denial_risks, display_name, electronic_claims_supported, era_payer_id, legal_name, lives_covered_millions, naic, parent_org, payer_ids.claims, payer_ids.era, portal_url, prior_auth_required_codes_sample, quickintell_workflow_fit, record_scope, source_review, states_covered, supports_278, supports_279_271; Whole-record approval, current legal entity/ownership, enrollment and complete insured geography; Every provider agreement, product, claim type, filing/appeal exception and clinical authorization policy; Current transaction-specific enrollment/capabilities and authenticated portal behavior; unknown does not mean unavailable; QuickIntell integrations/outcomes and historical April 2026 DataForSEO demand; Accountable reviewer approval; last_reviewed and reviewed_by remain unchanged.
Sources used for this guide
State coverage
BCBS Montana operates in the following states. Each link opens state-level Medicaid program details, dominant commercial payers, and state-specific RCM regulations.
Evaluate QuickIntell workflow fit for BCBS Montana
These module references are evaluation starting points, not evidence of a validated connection, supported transaction or customer deployment. Confirm the actual member plan, data access and product scope first.
- QuickRCM
Evaluate claim preparation, follow-up and denial worklists for BCBS Montana; verify the actual plan rules and available connections before implementation.
- QuickAuth
Assess authorization-packet and status workflows for BCBS Montana; confirm product, service, delegated reviewer and permitted submission channels.
- QuickERA
Verify the actual 835 files, posting exceptions and reconciliation requirements for BCBS Montana before evaluating automation. An ERA identifier alone does not establish supported ingestion or posting.
Frequently asked questions about BCBS Montana
Where is the BCBS Montana provider portal?
Use https://www.bcbsmt.com/provider as a starting point for BCBS Montana provider resources. This link may open a directory or contact page rather than a transaction portal. Select the applicable product and administrator, then verify the available functions, enrollment and access requirements. QuickIntell is not the official payer portal.
What is the timely filing limit for BCBS Montana?
BCBS Montana states that participating physicians, professional providers and facilities must submit Medicare Advantage claims within 365 days of the date of service. This is not a universal commercial deadline. The medical provider manual is accessed through Availity Plan Documents Viewer; confirm the current member product and provider agreement for other initial-claim, corrected-claim and appeal limits.
Does BCBS Montana publish a single claims payer ID?
This registry has not established one all-product claims payer ID for BCBS Montana. Claims: BCBS Montana identifies 66006 for Medicare Advantage electronic claims, with clearinghouse-specific mapping caveats. This packet has not established one claims ID for all BCBSMT products; do not use the eligibility identifier as a claims route.. Eligibility (270/271): The February 2026 BCBSMT 270/271 companion guide lists 00751 for BCBSMT and HMAPD for Medicare Advantage at loop 2100A NM109. Confirm the member product and trading-partner configuration; these values are not 837 claims or 835 ERA identifiers.. ERA (835): No single all-product identifier established in this registry; see source findings and verify the member product and transaction separately. Clearinghouse-specific: This registry has not established one national ERA payer ID for BCBS Montana. ERA enrollment and 835 routing are clearinghouse- and product-specific; verify in the payer portal or clearinghouse payer list before enrollment.. Do not substitute a claims ID for an unverified transaction ID. Look up the correct ID for the member's plan and transaction in your clearinghouse directory and verify against the member ID card before submission.
Does BCBS Montana accept electronic claims?
Verify BCBS Montana electronic claims (837), eligibility (270/271), remittance (835) and authorization (278) separately for the member product and clearinghouse. Registry flags and routing references are not current transaction-complete approval. Confirm the companion guide, enrollment and applicable source findings below. A blank or unverified field does not establish that the transaction is unavailable.
How do I appeal a BCBS Montana denial?
This registry has not established a payer-specific appeal ladder for BCBS Montana. Use the denial notice, plan document, provider agreement, or jurisdictional rule to assign the correct route and deadline. Missing registry evidence does not mean appeal rights are unavailable.
How long do BCBS Montana prior authorization approvals take?
Decision deadlines depend on the product, service and urgency. CMS-0057-F generally starts its decision-timeframe requirements in 2026 for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and CHIP payers subject to the rule: seven calendar days for standard requests and 72 hours for expedited requests. Those requirements exclude drug authorizations and QHP issuers on the federally facilitated exchanges. Other plans, state rules and permitted extensions can differ. Check the applicable policy; a decision deadline is not a guarantee of approval.
What is the BCBS Montana provider phone number?
This registry lists 1-800-447-7828 as a contact reference for BCBS Montana. BCBS Montana group, BlueCard and individual providers: 800-447-7828, option 2. Medicare Advantage individual 877-774-8592/group 877-299-1008 and Healthy Montana Kids have separate contacts.
Automate workflows around BCBS Montana requirements
Connect eligibility, prior authorization, pre-submission claim checks, and remittance routing in one governed workflow. Payer and plan configuration is confirmed during implementation.
Disclaimer
This page is operational reference for medical-billing professionals. It is not legal, clinical, or contractual advice. Payer policies change without notice — always verify against BCBS Montana's current published documents before submission. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.