The Empire Plan Centers of Excellence are recognized as leaders in specific fields of medicine. The Empire Plan currently offers Centers of Excellence for cancer treatment, transplants and infertility. At Empire Plan Centers of Excellence, you receive paid-in-full benefits for covered services. No copayments apply.
If the Center you use is more than 100 miles from the patient's home or more than 200 miles if traveling by air, a travel, lodging and meal expenses benefit is available to the patient and one travel companion. Eligible travel expenses may vary by the program and location and are reimbursed in accordance with federal guidelines. Please refer to Coverage & Benefits for further information.
Using a Center of Excellence for cancer treatment, transplant or infertility is your choice. But the benefits under the Centers of Excellence programs are available only when you enroll and receive prior approval from The Empire Plan. Centers of Excellence benefits for cancer and infertility are available to all Empire Plan enrollees, while the transplants Centers' benefits are available only to Empire Plan primary enrollees. (Empire Plan primary means that The Empire Plan pays first, before another group health insurance plan, including Medicare.)
The Oncology Centers of Excellence Program provides paid-in-full coverage for cancer-related services received through a nationwide network known as Cancer Resource Services (CRS). CRS includes many of the nation's leading cancer centers. To participate in the Centers of Excellence for Cancer Program, you must call The Empire Plan toll free at 1-877-7-NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447) and choose UnitedHealthcare or call the Cancer Resources Center toll free at 1-866-936-6002 to participate in the Centers of Excellence for Cancer Program. Click here for a map of Cancer Resource Services nationwide .
The Empire Plan Infertility Centers of Excellence offer the best in reproductive medical technology and infertility procedures. Before you receive services, call the Empire Plan at 1-877-7NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447) and choose UnitedHealthcare. A representative will give you a list of Qualified Procedures covered by the Plan. New York residents can find a list of in-state Infertility Centers of Excellence here. Residents of all other states can find a Center by clicking on the “Infertility Centers of Excellence” link to the left of this column.
The Empire Plan offers the BlueCross and BlueShield Association's Blue Quality Centers for Transplant (BQCT) and Centers of Excellence network facilities participating with Empire BlueCross BlueShield are known for their excellence in transplants. You must call The Empire Plan toll free at 1-877-7-NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447) and choose Empire BlueCross BlueShield for pre-authorization of the following transplants provided through the Centers of Excellence for Transplants Program: bone marrow, peripheral stem cell, cord blood stem cell, heart, liver, lung, heart/lung, kidney and pancreas/kidney.