UI Health Care Providers Only
Members MUST use Student Health, UI Hospital and Clinics, and UI Health Care Medical Center Downtown providers for all their health care needs. UIGRADCare will not cover out-of-network providers.
UIGRADCare Network Providers participate with the UIGRADCare network, comprising primary care physicians, advanced registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and specialists at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), Student Health, and other UI Health Care locations.
Providers at UI Health Care
A provider works with each patient to develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan for health care. When care is provided at UI Health Care, residents and medical students may play a role in the individual's care. When an individual is hospitalized, residents and medical students are an integral part of the staff which provides support for treatment by the faculty.
UIGRADCare Clinic Locations
Health care for individuals who are away from Iowa City
- An individual is traveling and a medical service is provided in a hospital emergency room setting.
- An individual is temporarily living somewhere else longer than 30 days or more.
Emergency
Care for an accident or an emergency will be covered as if the incident had happened in Iowa City as long as services provided were in a hospital emergency room setting. An emergency can be considered to be a medical condition that a prudent layperson (with an average knowledge of health and medicine) could reasonably expect to result in serious jeopardy to a person's health in the absence of immediate medical attention.
Out of Area
For covered individuals who are temporarily living away from the Iowa City area for 30 days or more:
- You are required to send an email notification to the University Benefits Office before you leave and then again when you return to Iowa City.
- Locate a participating provider through the National Provider Locator. Select "BlueCard Traditional" from the Choose Your Network dropdown box.
Care by non-participating providers may involve higher costs to you. Non-participating providers do not have contracts with Blue Cross and Blue Shield. They do not agree to accept payment arrangements and are not responsible for filing claims for you. Non-participating providers may charge more for health care than participating providers. Payment is made to you and you are responsible for paying the provider. Non-participating providers can bill you for the difference between what Blue Cross and Blue Shield will pay for a service and what they charge (balance billing).
Furthermore, when health care necessitates an admission to a hospital in situations which do not involve an emergency or an accidental injury, prior approval must be secured by telephoning the Plan's toll-free number.
Out of country: If it is necessary to receive covered services in a country other than the United States, it is advisable to contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield for assistance in locating the closest participating provider in that country.