Difference between revisions of "ValueOptions"

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m (→‎Contact: we know their address now, but not from their web site)
(some contact-related discoveries)
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Among many other income streams (including both governments and private companies), ValueOptions is contracted by the state of [[North Carolina]] to approve (or disapprove) requests for [[mental health]] services funded by [[Medicaid]] or [[NC Health Choice]]. They were added to the already confusing mix of agencies involved in [[mental health/US/NC|NC's mental health care system]] as a cost-cutting measure, but it has had the usual effect of increasing costs and reducing services. It's not clear at what point ValueOptions became involved, but it was presumably sometime between 2003 and 2008.
 
Among many other income streams (including both governments and private companies), ValueOptions is contracted by the state of [[North Carolina]] to approve (or disapprove) requests for [[mental health]] services funded by [[Medicaid]] or [[NC Health Choice]]. They were added to the already confusing mix of agencies involved in [[mental health/US/NC|NC's mental health care system]] as a cost-cutting measure, but it has had the usual effect of increasing costs and reducing services. It's not clear at what point ValueOptions became involved, but it was presumably sometime between 2003 and 2008.
 
==Contact==
 
==Contact==
 +
* [http://www.valueoptions.com/company/Locations.htm Locations] page, official web site
 +
 
VO appears to be an extremely opaque organization, from the standpoint of a service recipient:
 
VO appears to be an extremely opaque organization, from the standpoint of a service recipient:
 
* There are no email addresses listed for inquiries about service denials, approvals, or appeals.
 
* There are no email addresses listed for inquiries about service denials, approvals, or appeals.
 
* The phone number connects you to a menu system with multiple levels, and where it is not clear which options you should be choosing in order to speak to someone.
 
* The phone number connects you to a menu system with multiple levels, and where it is not clear which options you should be choosing in order to speak to someone.
* Their physical location is not listed on their web site; the only mailing addresses given are PO boxes.
+
* Their web site has no "contact us" or "make a suggestion" forms, although if you create a "Member" account and log in, you will have access to what ''appears'' to be a messaging system -- but when I tried it, it was "not available" for my account; see [[htwiki:User:Woozle/blog/2009-10-20 2131 what I learned about ValueOptions today]].
* Their web site has no "contact us" or "make a suggestion" forms.
 
  
 
The only email addresses we have been able to locate are:
 
The only email addresses we have been able to locate are:
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Their "Health Utilization Management" [http://www.urac.org/directory/CompanyView.aspx?cid=C8700005C32&aid=518&Type=Accreditnet accreditation listing] at the [[URAC]] web site gives these addresses:
 
Their "Health Utilization Management" [http://www.urac.org/directory/CompanyView.aspx?cid=C8700005C32&aid=518&Type=Accreditnet accreditation listing] at the [[URAC]] web site gives these addresses:
 
* '''ValueOptions North Carolina Commercial Service Center'''
 
* '''ValueOptions North Carolina Commercial Service Center'''
*: 3800 Paramount Parkway, Suite 300
+
*: [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&q=3800+Paramount+Parkway,+27560 3800 Paramount Parkway], Suite 300
 
*: [[Morrisville, NC]] {{zipcode|27560}}
 
*: [[Morrisville, NC]] {{zipcode|27560}}
 
* '''ValueOptions California Service Center'''
 
* '''ValueOptions California Service Center'''
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===Official===
 
===Official===
 
* [http://www.valueoptions.com/ web site]
 
* [http://www.valueoptions.com/ web site]
 +
** [http://www.valueoptions.com/company/Locations.htm Locations] page
 +
** [https://www.valueoptions.com/mc/eMember/contactUs.do Contact] page for service recipients ("members")
 +
** [https://www.valueoptions.com/mc/eMember/memberPreRegistration.do online services] sign-up page
 +
*** '''Note''': don't include any spaces or punctuation in Member/Medicaid ID
 
===Reference===
 
===Reference===
 
* {{wikipedia}}
 
* {{wikipedia}}

Revision as of 13:38, 21 October 2009

Overview

ValueOptions, Inc. (VO) "is the largest privately-owned behavioral health maintenance organization (BHMO) in the United States." This technically makes it an insurance company. [W]

VO is a subsidiary of FHC Health Systems of Norfolk, VA.

This is a growing seedling article. You can help HTYP by watering it.

North Carolina

Among many other income streams (including both governments and private companies), ValueOptions is contracted by the state of North Carolina to approve (or disapprove) requests for mental health services funded by Medicaid or NC Health Choice. They were added to the already confusing mix of agencies involved in NC's mental health care system as a cost-cutting measure, but it has had the usual effect of increasing costs and reducing services. It's not clear at what point ValueOptions became involved, but it was presumably sometime between 2003 and 2008.

Contact

VO appears to be an extremely opaque organization, from the standpoint of a service recipient:

  • There are no email addresses listed for inquiries about service denials, approvals, or appeals.
  • The phone number connects you to a menu system with multiple levels, and where it is not clear which options you should be choosing in order to speak to someone.
  • Their web site has no "contact us" or "make a suggestion" forms, although if you create a "Member" account and log in, you will have access to what appears to be a messaging system -- but when I tried it, it was "not available" for my account; see htwiki:User:Woozle/blog/2009-10-20 2131 what I learned about ValueOptions today.

The only email addresses we have been able to locate are:

  • purchasingspam@spamvalueoptionsspam.spamcom - listed on the whois for valueoptions.com (which also lists them as "a dividion of FHC Health Systems" in "Norfolk, VI"
  • EmployerSalesspam@spamValueOptionsspam.spamcom - listed on their Client Online Services page (no, this is not for clients like you; this is for real clients – you know, people with money who want to pay VO to provide services)

Their "Health Utilization Management" accreditation listing at the URAC web site gives these addresses:

Encounters

When I called VO this afternoon, I had to go through about 5 levels of menu to get to a person. That person wanted my name and the client's ID (we had to go back and forth a bit before figuring out that his NC Health Choice ID was sufficient) and birthdate before they would give me the time of day. A brief conversation revealed that an appeal had already been filed, but the representative did not have any other information about it, and offered to forward me to someone in the Appeals department. I agreed -- and was treated to a message that the number I had dialed (919-733-2698) had been changed to another number (919-431-3000). Why it didn't just connect me to that number, since this was an internal transfer, I don't know. --Woozle 19:15, 22 June 2009 (EDT)

Links

Official

Reference