Vendor outage slows dental and vision claim processing for many insurers

Change Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest healthcare technology companies and claims clearinghouses, is experiencing an outage that began Feb. 21, 2024 and, as a result, their systems and services continue to be disrupted. This outage has caused delays for some claims payments and delivery of mailed statements at Ameritas and many other insurance carriers.

We partner with Change Healthcare for dental and vision claims processes, including claim payments, printing and mailing of Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) and Explanation of Payments (EOPs), and as one of several clearinghouses managing our dental claims submissions.

The Ameritas response to this vendor outage

Like many other carriers, Ameritas is awaiting more information from Change Healthcare. As part of our business continuity processes, we are closely monitoring developments and working diligently to provide the best service possible to every member/customer.

We also are receiving dental and vision claims from care providers through other available methods and channels. We work with other healthcare clearinghouses managing the receipt of electronic claims and continue to process those claims. We are paying most provider claims.

Additional information for members and policyholders

At present, Ameritas continues to experience delays in the processing of some dental and vision claims payments and the delivery by mail of EOB statements directly to members. In those instances, payments will be made as soon as we are able.

Members can sign into their member account to view plan information, such as EOB statements and benefit details, including how to submit a claim and obtain a copy of your ID card.

To access your member account, go to the Sign in page and select your Dental, Vision & Hearing member sign in link. You can also download the Ameritas Benefits app available for iOS and Android. Note that only the primary member/policyholder has full account access.

If you have not registered, complete the new account registration form and verification process. You will need to provide the personal information used for enrollment, including name, date of birth and ZIP Code. You will also need your member ID.

Additional information for care providers

We continue to pay most dental claims to providers but are experiencing delays with payments for paper claims. Paper claims payments will be sent as soon as it is possible to do so.

For payment of electronically submitted claims, we have temporarily modified our payment correspondence. For detailed EOP information, sign into your account at the Dental Providers page. Information on alternative methods to obtain pre-treatment estimates and submit claims can also be found there.

Additional information and updates

Producers serving our clients will find an alert in the Ameritas Producer Portal that provides useful details to assist you and your team, including further information on member and policyholder impact.

We certainly regret any inconvenience this vendor outage has caused, and we appreciate everyone’s continued patience and trust. At present, our customer service teams have no additional information to share with members, policyholders, or providers. However, updates will be made available as further details are provided by Change Healthcare or other sources.