Care

Your primary care provider (PCP) is the main point of contact for your healthcare needs. Your PCP tracks your overall health, including:

• Coordinating care
• Monitoring your medications
• Referring you to the right specialist

Referrals


Your PCP will provide most of your health care and when medically appropriate, refer you to a Premera Blue Cross Medicare Advantage (HMO) specialist.

However, for in-network services, a referral from Premera Blue Cross is not required for most specialists, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home care agencies.  Although Premera does not require a referral, some of the above mentioned services may require it.

Prior authorizations


In some cases, your PCP will also need to request prior authorization (prior approval) for inpatient or outpatient procedures, which is common practice for most carriers. You can find a list of services that require prior authorization in your EOC.

Introducing Kinwell primary care  
Kinwell clinics are opening across Washington state and are exclusive to Premera members. The Kinwell experience includes:

• A whole-person approach to patient care integrating primary care and behavioral health.
• Longer appointment times to establish a better 1:1 patient-provider relationship.
• Convenient access to in-person and virtual care just for Premera members.
• Health coaching support for established patients at no additional cost.

Find out more at kinwellhealth.com. If you’re interested in switching to a Kinwell primary care provider, call customer service at 888-850-8526.