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Provider Resource Center: Home health referring provider
Blue Cross® Blue Shield® of Michigan and Blue Care Network are contracting with tango to deliver a fully integrated, post-acute care (PAC) episode management program, inclusive of skilled home health services. The program facilitates high-quality, end-to-end post-acute care management.
Medicare beneficiaries can receive home health services when certified by qualified healthcare providers. The following professionals are authorized to prescribe and certify home health services:
- Physicians (MDs and DOs): Doctors of Medicine and Osteopathy enrolled in Medicare
- Nurse Practitioners (NPs): Medicare-enrolled nurse practitioners who are actively involved in the patient’s care
- Physician Assistants (PAs): Certified physician assistants enrolled in Medicare
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs): Medicare-enrolled clinical nurse specialists
This arrangement covers key components that aim to enhance the quality and delivery of skilled home health care for Blue Cross and BCN’s Medicare Advantage members:
- Referral coordination and authorization management for skilled home health services:
- tango efficiently manages skilled home health referrals and prior authorizations
- Network development and management for skilled home health:
- tango develops, contracts, maintains, and credentials a network of skilled home health care providers
- Claims payment for skilled home health:
- tango processes claims for home health services accurately and in a timely manner
Post-acute care facilities (SNF, IRF and LTACH) must continue to contract directly with Blue Cross and BCN. Blue Cross and BCN will process claims for services provided by these facilities.
Services managed by tango
tango manages the following home health services
- Skilled nursing services on an intermittent/part-time basis
- Skilled home health aide services on an intermittent/part-time basis
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech-language pathology
- Medical social work
Please note that tango does not authorize behavioral health, respiratory therapy, or home infusion therapy nursing services. To locate in-network providers who provide these services, see the Blue Cross and BCN online provider directory on bcbsm.com.
Skilled home health referrals and prior authorizations
Effective March 1, 2026, Skilled home health referrals for Blue Cross and BCN Medicare Advantage members will be managed through tango, streamlining referral placement and ensuring timely start of care.
Actions required:
- Submit referrals to tango: Starting on the effective date, send all referrals for skilled home health care to tango.
- Referral submission options:
- Hospital discharge planning systems: tango can retrieve referrals directly from platforms like WellSky CarePort solutions, Strata, MorCare, and Ensocare.
- Epic users: tango can become a registered user of your Epic instance to receive referrals.
- Other systems: If you use a different EMR or discharge planning software, please contact us using the information below.
- Sub-acute and community-based providers: Submit referrals via tango’s referral site.
- Training and onboarding: tango-WellSky will reach out prior to the effective date to schedule training and onboarding sessions.
For episodes of care starting on or after March 1, 2026, referring providers will be required to send referrals to tango using their existing discharge planning software by October 1, 2026.
Contact us
If you have any questions or would like further information on how to work with tango, please reach out to our team:
Contact tango
Provider resources
- For a real-time view of tango’s existing networks, see our Provider Finder.
- To submit a referral for home health services, go to referralrequest.com.
Training
We invite you to attend an educational webinar tailored specifically for facilities that refer Blue Cross and BCN Medicare Advantage members to home health care. Webinar registration
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. tango and WellSky are independent companies that review member health care services for appropriateness and medical necessity on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.