There is no single national "Anthem provider services number." Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield operates state by state under Elevance Health, so Provider Services routes differently in each of its 14 states — New York is 1-800-450-8753 (TTY 711), while California directs providers to Availity, the member ID card, or 800-676-BLUE (2583). Availity Essentials — 1-800-282-4548 — handles portal login and technical issues only, not claims or clinical questions. Pharmacy prior authorization goes through CarelonRx at 833-293-0659. Carelon Behavioral Health's 800-397-1630 National Provider Services line handles network-status and general provider support; authorization and benefits questions route through the plan-specific number on the member ID card. Wellpoint, Elevance's separate Medicaid/Medicare Advantage brand, uses its own state-specific lines entirely — confirm which one you're dealing with before dialing.
Why "the Anthem Number" Isn't One Number
Staff searching for "the Anthem provider phone number" usually want one line to save to the practice's contact sheet. Anthem doesn't work that way. It operates under Elevance Health as 14 separate state licensees — California (Anthem Blue Cross), Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (Empire BCBS), Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin — and each state publishes its own Provider Services number rather than routing through one national line.
On top of the state split, Anthem delegates two entire categories of calls to separate companies: pharmacy prior authorization goes to CarelonRx (Elevance's PBM), and behavioral health goes to Carelon Behavioral Health. And Elevance runs a second brand entirely — Wellpoint, the rebranded former Amerigroup Medicaid and Medicare Advantage business — that has its own claims system, portal, and phone numbers, separate from Anthem's commercial Blue Cross Blue Shield operation.
Dial the wrong one and the call either gets transferred, which restarts the hold time you already spent, or the rep can't help at all because the case lives in a different system. This is a routing map, not a script — Anthem doesn't publish its literal automated-menu prompts, and those change without notice. Every number below is cross-checked against numbers Anthem, CarelonRx, Carelon Behavioral Health, and Availity publish on their own provider-facing materials, so staff dial the right line the first time.
Anthem Provider Contact Directory at a Glance
| Function | Number | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Provider Services — New York (Empire BCBS) | 1-800-450-8753 (TTY 711) | Claims, eligibility, and general provider questions for New York |
| Provider Services — California | Member ID card or 800-676-BLUE (2583) | California publishes plan-specific routes; use Availity first |
| Provider Services — other 12 states | State-specific; see below | Confirm at providers.anthem.com/[your-state]-provider/contact-us before calling |
| Non-Participating Provider Line | 800-676-BLUE (2583) | Providers without a state-specific number, or verifying an out-of-state Blue Cross member |
| Claims Disputes / Payment Reconsideration | Via state Provider Services, verbal or through Availity | Step 1 Claim Payment Reconsideration status; Availity Essentials is the preferred submission channel |
| Prior Authorization (Interactive Care Reviewer) | Via Availity ICR, 24/7; phone routes through state Provider Services | Submitting or checking status on a medical prior authorization |
| CarelonRx Pharmacy Prior Authorization | 833-293-0659 (fax 844-521-6940) | Part D and pharmacy-benefit prior authorization, exceptions, and utilization management |
| Carelon Behavioral Health | 800-397-1630 National Provider Services | Network-status and general provider support; use the member ID card for authorization or benefits questions |
| Availity Essentials Help Desk | 1-800-282-4548 (1-800-AVAILITY) | Portal login issues, EDI/clearinghouse problems — not claims or clinical questions |
| Wellpoint (Medicaid / Medicare Advantage brand) | Separate, state-specific — not an Anthem number | Amerigroup-rebrand plans; see the Wellpoint appeal guide before calling Anthem |
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New York Provider Services comes from Anthem's New York provider contact page. Anthem's California provider guidance directs providers to Availity, the number on the member ID card, or 800-676-BLUE rather than publishing one general California line. The non-participating provider line comes from Anthem's national contact page. Anthem does not publish one national phone number for Step 1 Claim Payment Reconsiderations — Availity Essentials is the preferred submission and status channel, and verbal reconsiderations go through the same state-specific Provider Services route in the directory above (see the Anthem appeal form guide for the full dispute process). CarelonRx's prior authorization line and hours come from CarelonRx's contact page and current member-facing FAQ materials. Carelon Behavioral Health's provider contact guidance limits 800-397-1630 to National Provider Services and explicitly routes authorization and benefit questions through the member ID card. Availity's number and hours come from Availity Customer Support. Numbers and routing change without much notice — confirm against the specific denial letter, remittance advice, authorization record, or member ID card if it conflicts with any directory, including this one.
Provider Services Is Not the Availity Help Desk
Provider Services handles claims and eligibility; it does not fix a locked Availity login or a portal error message — that's 1-800-282-4548. In California, start in Availity or use the member ID card or 800-676-BLUE rather than assuming a number for a different product applies. Calling the wrong one gets you transferred, which restarts the hold time you already spent.
The Mistake That Costs the Most Time: Calling Anthem for a Wellpoint Case
The single most common routing error in the Anthem/Elevance family is calling Anthem Blue Cross Provider Services about a Wellpoint claim. Wellpoint is Elevance Health's rebranded Amerigroup Medicaid and Medicare Advantage business — a completely separate book of business from Anthem's commercial Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, with its own claims system, its own portal tile inside Availity, and its own reconsideration and appeal deadlines.
The rebrand rolled out state by state — Maryland in 2023; Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington in January 2024; West Virginia (from UniCare) on January 1, 2025 — so a plan that used to be "Amerigroup" in your state may now be "Wellpoint" with a different payer ID and different provider service line. Our Wellpoint appeal guide covers that process and its deadlines in full. Check the remittance advice or denial letter for "Wellpoint" or "Amerigroup" before dialing Anthem's commercial Provider Services number — that team has no visibility into Wellpoint's system.
The Second Mistake: Calling Provider Services for a Pharmacy or Behavioral Health Case
The second-most-common error is calling state Provider Services for a case that Anthem has already delegated to a vendor. Pharmacy benefit prior authorization runs through CarelonRx, Anthem's pharmacy benefit manager — not the medical Provider Services line. Some behavioral-health functions run through Carelon Behavioral Health, but the route is plan-specific: use the authorization or benefit number on the member ID card rather than treating Carelon's national network-support line as a universal clinical-review number.
Check the denial letter, authorization record, and member ID card for "CarelonRx" or "Carelon Behavioral Health" before assuming Anthem Provider Services can help. If the case was reviewed by one of these delegated vendors, follow the case-specific route shown there.
Finding Your State's Provider Services Number
Anthem publishes a dedicated provider contact page for each of its 14 states at providers.anthem.com/[your-state]-provider/contact-us (or anthem.com/[state]/provider/state-federal/contact-us for state-sponsored plans). New York and California numbers are confirmed above; for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, pull the current number from your state's provider contact page rather than relying on a number that circulated in an old fax cover sheet or a coworker's notes — Anthem updates these periodically and a stale number just adds a transfer to the call.
800-676-BLUE Works Across State Lines
800-676-BLUE (2583) is the BlueCard national eligibility and Provider Services routing line — useful when you don't have a state-specific number handy, or when you're verifying eligibility for an out-of-state Blue Cross member under the BlueCard program. It's not a replacement for the state-specific number once you know it; it's the fallback for when you don't.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
Anthem's provider contact channels ask for the same identifying information before routing a request, whether by phone or through Availity. Have these ready before dialing so the call doesn't stall while someone looks them up:
- Tax ID Number (TIN) — the practice's, not an individual physician's, unless the rep asks specifically
- NPI — both the calling provider's and, if different, the ordering or rendering provider's
- Member ID and plan type — commercial, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid (confirm Anthem vs. Wellpoint), or FEP, from the current insurance card
- The remittance advice, denial letter, or reference number — if the call concerns a specific claim, prior authorization, or dispute already in progress
Common Mistake
Calling before checking whether the plan is Anthem or Wellpoint, and whether the reviewing-organization field on the denial letter says "CarelonRx" or "Carelon Behavioral Health." Reps route by plan and by which organization actually reviewed the case — a caller who has to say "let me check and call back" loses the queue position and starts over.
Hours and Getting to a Live Rep
Availity Essentials' provider support line publishes Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern hours. Carelon Behavioral Health's National Provider Services line publishes Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern, but that schedule does not establish a plan's authorization or peer-to-peer route. CarelonRx's prior authorization line publishes Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern, and Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern. Interactive Care Reviewer (ICR) inside Availity accepts prior authorization submissions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even outside phone hours. State Provider Services hours vary — confirm current hours on your state's provider contact page.
Anthem doesn't publish the exact "press 1 for claims, press 2 for appeals" menu sequence for every state line, and it can change without notice — building a guide around a specific keypress script would be outdated the moment Anthem updates its phone system. What's stable and verifiable is what to tell the rep once connected:
- State plainly at the top of the call whether you're calling about claims, prior authorization, or a payment dispute — that's the main fork most IVR trees use, and naming it up front reduces the chance of a mid-call transfer.
- Confirm the plan type — commercial, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, or FEP — and specifically whether it's Anthem or Wellpoint, before you dial.
- Check the denial letter for "CarelonRx" or "Carelon Behavioral Health" in the reviewing-organization field before assuming Anthem itself reviewed the case.
- Have the TIN, NPI, and member ID ready the moment the system or rep asks.
- If a transfer happens anyway, ask the new rep to confirm they can see the case or reference number from the prior call, rather than restating everything from scratch.
When the Portal Beats the Phone
Availity Essentials is Anthem's primary self-service channel for routine status checks, and Anthem has pushed most claim, PA, and dispute status lookups there specifically to keep phone lines free for cases that actually need a live rep.
| Scenario | Portal Enough? | Call Instead When |
|---|---|---|
| Standard claim status check | Usually — Availity shows current status | The portal shows nothing or the item isn't loading |
| Prior authorization submission | Often — Interactive Care Reviewer supports real-time decisions for many requests | The request needs clinical discussion or the portal flags it for review |
| Payment dispute (Step 1 reconsideration) | Usually — file and track through Availity | You need to confirm receipt or escalate a stalled review |
| CarelonRx or Carelon Behavioral Health case | Often — check the delegated vendor's own portal first | The case instructions provide a phone route or the vendor portal needs support |
| Locked Availity login or portal error | No — that's the help desk, not Provider Services | Call 1-800-282-4548 directly |
Call only when a status flag needs a human to interpret, the portal shows nothing for a request that should be there, or the matter is a clinical dispute self-service tools were never built to resolve.
How Muni Calls Handles Anthem Provider Calls
For an approved Anthem workflow, Muni Calls can place the outbound call, follow the validated phone path, provide the reference information permitted by the practice, and return a structured outcome for staff review. Payer, state, plan type, and exception handling are confirmed during onboarding rather than implied across every line. Managed payer operations get a fixed quote based on call volume and workflow complexity; the $499/month starting plan covers standardized receptionist use.
For the front-desk side of payer calls more broadly, see our prior authorization phone call script and appeal status check call script. For Anthem's appeal timelines and forms, see how to appeal Anthem Blue Cross denials, the Anthem appeal letter template, the Anthem appeal form guide, and Anthem timely filing limits. If your practice is weighing whether to automate payer calls entirely, see our comparison of AI phone systems for medical clinics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anthem provider services phone number?
There isn't one national number. Anthem publishes state- and product-specific Provider Services routes — New York is 1-800-450-8753 (TTY 711), while California directs providers to Availity, the member ID card, or 800-676-BLUE (2583). Use the current state contact page rather than a number copied from another product.
How is Wellpoint different from Anthem, and does this guide cover it?
Wellpoint is Elevance Health's rebranded Amerigroup Medicaid and Medicare Advantage business — a separate operation from Anthem's commercial Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, with its own claims system and provider service lines. This guide covers Anthem's commercial and Medicare Advantage numbers only. See the Wellpoint appeal guide for Wellpoint-specific contacts and deadlines.
What number do I call for Anthem pharmacy prior authorization?
Call CarelonRx, Anthem's pharmacy benefit manager, at 833-293-0659 (fax 844-521-6940). CarelonRx handles Part D and pharmacy-benefit prior authorization, exceptions, and utilization management separately from Anthem's medical Provider Services line.
What number do I call for Anthem behavioral health prior authorization or a peer-to-peer request?
Use the authorization or benefit number on the member ID card. Carelon identifies 800-397-1630 as its National Provider Services line for network-status and general provider support, not as a universal authorization or peer-to-peer route. For an adverse determination, follow the plan-specific instructions on the notice and member card.
Is the Availity help desk the same as Anthem Provider Services?
No. Availity Essentials' help desk (1-800-282-4548) only handles portal login issues, EDI, and clearinghouse problems. It cannot check claim status, submit a prior authorization, or answer a clinical question — that's your state's Provider Services number.
How do I submit an Anthem prior authorization by phone versus online?
Interactive Care Reviewer (ICR) inside Availity Essentials accepts prior authorization submissions 24 hours a day and is Anthem's preferred channel. By phone, PA requests route through your state's Provider Services number during that state's published business hours.
What information does Anthem ask for before helping me?
The caller's name, Tax ID Number (TIN), and NPI, plus the member ID and plan type if the call concerns a specific patient. Have the claim number, denial letter, or dispute reference number ready too if one exists, and confirm up front whether the plan is Anthem commercial, Medicare Advantage, or Wellpoint — reps route by that distinction.
Should I call, or use Availity instead?
Use Availity first for routine status checks — most claim, PA, and payment-dispute status lookups resolve there without a call. Call when a status flag needs a human to interpret, the portal shows nothing for something that should be there, or the case instructions identify a plan-specific CarelonRx or Carelon Behavioral Health route.
Ready to Stop Losing Time on Hold?
Knowing which of Anthem's numbers to dial — and which state, plan, or delegated vendor actually handles the case — only solves half the problem. Someone on staff still has to make the call, wait through the queue, and document what happens. That's the part worth automating.
This guide reflects 2026 Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield provider contact information as published across Anthem's state provider portals, Availity, CarelonRx, and Carelon Behavioral Health. Phone numbers, hours, and routing change without much notice and vary by state and plan type — confirm against the number on the member's ID card or the specific denial/remittance notice if this guide's information conflicts with what you're told on a call. This information is for administrative and billing purposes and is not medical advice.