Foster Care FAQs

• 24-Hour Nurse Advice Line: A 24-hour, toll- free phone line through which callers can reach both customer service representatives and bilingual nursing staff. The nurse triage service provides access to a broad range of health-related services including health education, urgent pharmacy re-fills, transportation for treatment, and crisis interventions.
• Start Smart for Baby: Buckeye’s Start Smart for Your Baby program offers specialized assistance for women who are pregnant and for moms who have just had a baby. This program helps women take care of themselves and their babies, and it also provides assistance for young women who want to become pregnant or take steps to avoid getting pregnant. Start Smart also includes an award-winning Addiction in Pregnancy Program for pregnant women who are battling addiction (for more information see: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150905/MAGAZINE/309059980/innovation-by-necessity-medicaid-emerges-as-aggressive-laboratory).
• Dental: Buckeye’s dental services include two periodic oral exams and cleanings per year (more than what is available with fee-for-service Medicaid).
• Optical Benefit: We provide an annual exam and for children under age 21 annual eyeglasses.

*MyHealthPays rewards do not apply to members within the Foster Care program.

After we conduct outreach and care coordination for incoming members, we will assess the current benefit structure and identify and (if necessary) modify the services and service levels that are offered to these members. We believe the information from the initial interactions is needed to guide any benefit adjustments and best meet the needs of the individuals.  

• Each MCP has its provider directory online. Buckeye’s tool, called “Find a Provider,” is very user friendly and allows for searching by specialty such as provider, specialist, hospitals, etc. This tool provides the most up-to-date information on panel status, allowing for ease of use and noting additional providers by region and specialty as needed. Buckeye’s Member Service Department is always available as well to assist with locating providers
• Buckeye Health Plan, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Centene Corporation, offers a robust dental network that has been developed by our corporate sister Dental Health and Wellness (DHE). Our network includes 1,400 dental providers in all 88 Ohio Counties, and we are consistently adding approximately 25 providers each month. Buckeye believes good oral health is part of good health, and we are very proactive in helping members receive appropriate dental care. Working as a team that includes case managers, member services representatives and staff from other departments, we have been able to find an in-network dental provider for our members at all times.
• Buckeye’s behavioral health care management team has strong relationships established with psychiatric providers around the state and acts as a liaison in directing members to services which are currently covered by fee for service. Our experienced and dedicated behavioral health team is prepared to take a leadership role in managing both the behavioral health services to managed care is launched in 2018. 

All general hospitals in Ohio are in Buckeye’s network. University of Toledo Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center are also in network with Buckeye via our specialty behavioral health vendor and sister company, Envolve, (formerly called Cenpatico) for inpatient psychiatric services for children. Additionally, Envolve works with all psychiatric hospitals (free standing and psychiatric units of general hospitals) to ensure medically necessary inpatient psychiatric care is covered regardless of whether or not the hospital is included in Envolve’s network. Buckeye’s behavioral health care management team has developed unique onsite relationships with the majority of the Ohio psychiatric hospitals, and works with the hospital social workers and parents/guardians to attend family meetings with the team prior to discharge. The goal of these meetings is to engage the member and family in Buckeye’s care management program, complete and initial needs assessment, and develop a person centered care plan to support the member as he or she transitions back into the community.    

Buckeye Health Plan’s Find a Provider tool can be viewed on our webiste.

The entire formulary is online on our website. You can find both the PDL and list of medications requiring prior authorization using the link provided.  You can also find the maintenance drug list. Please note that our PDL and list of medications that require prior authorization can change so it is important for you and/or your provider to check this information when you need to fill/refill a medication.  You can also call the Buckeye Member Services Department to request information on our PDL and medications that require prior authorization.

Buckeye Transportation Benefits:

• Unlimited trips to the doctor or healthcare appointment more than 30 miles away, if services are not available closer.
• Up to 15 round trips or 30 one-way trips for covered services less than 30 miles away; covered services include healthcare/dental appointments, WIC appointments and redetermination appointments
• Unlimited trips for members who are confined to a wheelchair
• Must schedule transportation 48 hours prior to an appointment, unless it is urgent (urgent appointments require provider verification)
• Travel reimbursement is available for members who have family members assist in transportation
• Bus passes are available for members who prefer taking this method of transportation

Buckeye has been serving foster children in Lucas County for over 15 years. Because of our successful track record in managing the care for this vulnerable membership, we are uniquely qualified to provide care management/care coordination services statewide. Buckeye care managers have been able to develop and implement processes to ensure a fast turn-around for obtaining everything from durable medical equipment to medications and the team is prepared to ensure that the foster parent has all of the supplies they need to care for a child when that child is removed from his/her home.

Medical care managers and behavioral health care managers work side-by-side to ensure any services needed to support the foster child and foster family are made available. Buckeye’s behavioral health intensive case managers have all received Trauma Informed Care Training. This additional high-level of training prepares our staff to meet the unique needs of children in custody and underscores our commitment to serving this population. In the coming year we plan to provide this training for our medical case managers as well. 

• Previous experience with managing the population
• Experienced pediatric care managers 

As part of the Centene Corporation family, Buckeye is able to tap into the experience and expertise of a multi-national, Fortune 25 (currently ranked #25) parent company that operates unique health plans in roughly half of the states. Our sister plans have experience managing the care for children in custody. With Buckeye’s experience in Lucas County and Centene’s experience in other states, Buckeye is prepared to hit the ground running with this unique population. Our local approach to providing services also allows us to tailor our work to your local needs.