Prefix on member ID cards will expand to include alpha-numeric combinations next year

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan-branded ID cards display a three-digit alpha prefix in the first three positions of the member’s ID number. However, with the ongoing development of new products and networks, the need for new prefixes for member ID cards is growing. To accommodate this need, a combination of three-digit alpha-numeric prefixes will be issued as early as April 15, 2018. The numeric value may be assigned in any of the three positions of the prefix, but the prefix will never consist of all numbers. Members who currently have a three-digit alpha prefix on their member ID card will retain that three-digit alpha prefix and won’t be affected by this change. In the future, you’ll see either a three-digit alpha prefix or a three-digit alpha numeric combination prefix on a member ID card.  As a result, all health care providers and billers must ensure that their systems are able to accept both alpha and numeric characters in the prefix field before April 15, 2018.