Many of you have asked the following questions on our surveys. If you find that your question is not answered here, please e-mail Peter Albert at palbert@brattlebororetreat.org
How Do I Contact PrimariLink?
- We pride ourselves in offering excellent customer service. That includes answering your telephone calls in 30 seconds or less. Our number is 800-320-5895. Our regular business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. We also offer access to a clinician 24/7--call 800-320-5895 and follow the prompts.
I'm a member who wants to see a therapist. What do I do?
- Call 1-800-320-5895 and an intake worker will help you find a network therapist best suited to meet your particular needs.
How Do I Find Out if a Provider is in the MVP Network?
- Either call PrimariLink at 800-320-5895, or visit MVPs Website.
What FAX Number Do I Use to Send an OTR?
- 802-258-3749. And here is a link to a PDF of our current OTR
I am a Provider. How Do I Get Answers to Questions About Claims?
- Call 800-684-9286. And here is a link to a PDF of our current OTR
Why Use Criteria?
- The Division of Health Care Administration from Vermont’s Department of Banking and Insurance, which is the state agency that oversees managed care in Vermont, requires that any plan working in Vermont use nationally recognized clinical criteria as guidelines in their utilization review activities. We chose the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) because it was developed by providers and is the most recognized criteria for substance abuse work known throughout the country.
We chose the Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS) for several reasons. The first reason is that it is a nationally known set of criteria. The second reason is that Stephen Cole, who was a practicing psychiatrist in Vermont at the time (connected to both the Retreat and HCRS) had helped to author the criteria. Stephen was familiar with practicing behavioral healthcare in a rural setting. Finally, several of the mental health centers in the state decided to use the criteria as a way of establishing a common language amongst them. We thought that both ASAM and LOCUS would be familiar to most of us working in the state.
Written into each of the criteria, the state regulations and our own policies, is the very clear belief that the criteria are employed only as a guide. The numbers do not dictate the level of care but make suggestions to be used along with clinical judgment.