Beacon Health Options Provider Guide (Now

• BH
• Managed Behavioral Health

Beacon Health Options

Beacon Health Options (legacy — now Carelon Behavioral Health)

Beacon Health Options merged into Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023. Active providers must now use Carelon. Legacy reference page for Beacon searches.

Quick Reference

Payer Type

Managed Behavioral Health

Parent Company

Elevance Health (via Carelon Behavioral Health)

Headquarters

Norfolk, VA

BH Division

Now operating as Carelon Behavioral Health

Provider Portal

Open Portal

Portal Guide

View Guide →

Credentialing

CAQH ProView

Timeline

60-120 days

Coverage

1 states

Last Verified

Apr 19, 2026

Published

Apr 19, 2026

Reading Time

8 min

Covered Levels of Care

• Detoxification (Medically Managed and Monitored)
• Residential Treatment
• Partial Hospitalization (PHP)
• Intensive Outpatient (IOP)
• Outpatient Treatment
• Crisis Stabilization

Medical Necessity Criteria

• ASAM Criteria (for substance use disorders)
• InterQual Behavioral Health Criteria
• Carelon Proprietary Clinical Guidelines (current)

Streamline payer billing?

Important Notice: Beacon Health Options merged into Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023. This page is maintained for informational and search purposes only. If you are a provider seeking to submit authorizations, verify benefits, or submit claims, you must use Carelon Behavioral Health’s provider portal ↗. All current transactions are handled by Carelon — not Beacon.

Overview

Beacon Health Options is a legacy name for what is now Carelon Behavioral Health, one of the largest managed behavioral health organizations (MBHOs) in the United States. Providers searching for Beacon Health Options today will find that the entity has been fully rebranded: Anthem Inc. (now Elevance Health) acquired Beacon Health Options in 2020, and in 2023 the organization was rebranded as Carelon Behavioral Health under Elevance Health’s Carelon services family. The Beacon Health Options name is no longer used for any active provider transactions, network participation, or claims processing.

This page exists because many behavioral health billing teams still search for “Beacon Health Options” when working with legacy contracts, historical authorizations, or older explanation-of-payment documents. Understanding the full corporate history helps providers connect the dots: the organization was originally founded as ValueOptions in the 1980s and grew through acquisitions to become one of the country’s largest behavioral health carve-out managers. In 2014, ValueOptions and Beacon Health merged to form Beacon Health Options, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. Beacon then expanded significantly through government and commercial contracts before being acquired by Anthem in 2020. Following Anthem’s 2022 rebranding as Elevance Health and the formation of the Carelon services brand, Beacon Health Options became Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023.

As a managed behavioral health organization, Beacon/Carelon operated as a carve-out for many commercial health plans, Medicaid programs, and employers. This means behavioral health benefits were administered by Beacon/Carelon separately from physical health benefits, even when the member’s insurance card showed a different insurer. The carve-out model continues under Carelon today: Carelon manages behavioral health for Elevance Health’s Anthem commercial and Medicare Advantage plans, as well as for many non-Anthem employer groups and state Medicaid programs. For full detail on current operations, processes, and contact information, see the Carelon Behavioral Health provider guide.

Behavioral Health Coverage

During its operation as Beacon Health Options, the organization covered behavioral health services across the standard MBHO continuum: medically managed and monitored detoxification, residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), standard outpatient treatment, and crisis stabilization services. These services are still covered today through Carelon Behavioral Health, which inherited Beacon’s clinical programs, network, and contracts.

Medical necessity criteria used by Beacon Health Options included the ASAM Criteria for substance use disorder level-of-care decisions, InterQual behavioral health criteria for certain service types, and Beacon’s own proprietary clinical guidelines for mental health admissions. These criteria have evolved under Carelon and now reflect Carelon Behavioral Health’s current clinical guidelines, which are available through the Carelon provider portal ↗.

The carve-out structure means that for any member whose behavioral health benefits were historically administered by Beacon Health Options, those benefits are now managed by Carelon. When working with a member and encountering Beacon references in legacy documents, the current clinical and administrative contact is Carelon Behavioral Health. Coverage scope, benefit design, and authorization requirements for a given member depend on the underlying health plan that contracts with Carelon, not on any legacy Beacon agreement.

Credentialing and Provider Enrollment

Credentialing under Beacon Health Options used CAQH ProView as the primary data source and required documentation similar to other large MBHOs: current state facility licenses, accreditation from Joint Commission or CARF, professional liability insurance, organizational NPI, and individual clinician credentials. The standard timeline was approximately 60 to 120 days.

Providers credentialed under Beacon Health Options generally had their credentials transitioned to Carelon Behavioral Health through the rebranding. However, confirmation of current network status is essential — do not assume your Beacon credentials remain active without verifying through Carelon’s provider portal ↗ or by contacting Carelon provider relations. If your credentials have lapsed or if you are a new provider seeking to join the network, submit a fresh credentialing application through Carelon using CAQH ProView. See the Carelon Behavioral Health provider guide for full credentialing detail.

Recredentialing cycles that began under Beacon continue on the same schedule under Carelon. If you are approaching a recredentialing deadline that originated under a Beacon contract, use Carelon’s current processes and contact information to complete the cycle, as the Beacon operational infrastructure no longer exists independently.

Verification of Benefits (VOB)

Benefits verification that was previously performed through the Beacon Health Options provider portal or by calling Beacon provider services must now be done through Carelon Behavioral Health ↗. The Carelon provider portal supports electronic eligibility and benefits verification, and Carelon provider services can handle phone-based inquiries.

For historical dates of service when Beacon Health Options was the active administrator, Carelon Behavioral Health has access to legacy benefit and authorization records. If you need to verify coverage for a past Beacon-administered date of service, contact Carelon provider services for assistance. Do not attempt to use old Beacon VOB contact numbers, as these have been discontinued or redirected to Carelon.

When verifying benefits today for a member whose behavioral health is managed by Carelon (the successor to Beacon), follow Carelon’s standard VOB process: confirm whether Carelon is the behavioral health administrator, confirm active coverage dates, verify covered levels of care, confirm authorization requirements, and document cost-sharing. See the Carelon Behavioral Health provider guide for detailed VOB guidance.

Prior Authorization Requirements

Under Beacon Health Options, prior authorization was required for all facility-based behavioral health services including residential treatment, detoxification, and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, with additional authorization requirements for PHP and IOP depending on the underlying plan. Outpatient services generally did not require authorization unless the plan specifically required it.

These requirements continue under Carelon Behavioral Health with similar scope. Authorization requests must be submitted through Carelon’s provider portal ↗, not through any legacy Beacon process. Authorization numbers issued by Beacon Health Options should have been honored by Carelon for their original authorized periods, but all new requests — including concurrent review extensions on legacy authorizations — must go through Carelon.

If you encounter a situation where a member’s insurance card still references Beacon Health Options or an old Beacon authorization number, verify the current status through Carelon before rendering services or submitting claims. Using outdated Beacon authorization numbers on current claims may result in denials.

Claims and Billing

Claims for services administered under Beacon Health Options were historically submitted to Beacon using Beacon-specific payer IDs. Following the Carelon rebranding, claims for current dates of service must be submitted to Carelon Behavioral Health using Carelon’s current payer IDs, not legacy Beacon payer IDs.

If you have outstanding claims for dates of service during the Beacon era (prior to the 2023 rebranding) that were submitted to Beacon and not fully adjudicated, contact Carelon Behavioral Health provider services to determine the correct path for those claims. Carelon assumed Beacon’s contractual obligations upon acquisition.

For all billing questions related to current Carelon operations — payer IDs, timely filing deadlines, denial reasons, and appeal processes — refer to the Carelon Behavioral Health provider guide. Carelon’s timely filing requirements typically run approximately 90 to 365 days from the date of service depending on the underlying plan, though specific timelines are governed by each plan’s terms.

Key Contact Information

All active provider transactions must now go through Carelon Behavioral Health, not Beacon Health Options.

Related resource: Carelon Behavioral Health — Full Provider Guide

• Current Provider Portal: Carelon Behavioral Health ↗ — carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers
• Credentialing: CAQH ProView ( proview.caqh.org ↗ ) for data; initiate through the Carelon provider portal
• Prior Authorization: Submit through the Carelon provider portal — contact Carelon provider services for phone authorization (number available on member’s insurance card or the Carelon portal)
• VOB: Carelon provider portal or Carelon provider services
• Claims Submission: Electronic 837 via clearinghouse using the Carelon Behavioral Health payer ID — confirm with your clearinghouse; do not use legacy Beacon payer IDs
• Carelon National Provider Services Line: 800-397-1630 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET) — verify current hours through the Carelon portal
• Clinical Guidelines: Available on the Carelon Behavioral Health provider portal under clinical resources

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Beacon Health Options was fully rebranded as Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023 following its acquisition by Anthem Inc. (now Elevance Health) in 2020. The organization is no longer operating under the Beacon Health Options name for provider transactions, authorizations, or claims. If you have a legacy Beacon provider agreement or you are searching for Beacon's provider portal, you should now use the [Carelon Behavioral Health provider portal](https://www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers). Existing provider contracts and network participation generally carried over through the transition, but provider portal logins, contact numbers, and payer IDs may have changed. Contact Carelon provider services to verify your current network status.

Providers who were credentialed with Beacon Health Options generally had their credentials transferred to Carelon Behavioral Health as part of the rebranding process. However, you should not assume your status transferred without confirmation, particularly if your original Beacon credentialing was some time ago. Contact [Carelon Behavioral Health provider relations](https://www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers) to verify your current credentialing status, active contracts, and network participation under the Carelon name. If your credentials lapsed or your CAQH ProView profile is outdated, you may need to submit a new credentialing application. The standard Carelon credentialing timeline is approximately 60 to 120 days.

Provider contracts with Beacon Health Options were assumed by Carelon Behavioral Health following the rebranding. In most cases, the terms of existing agreements carried over, though some operational details — including portal access, payer IDs, and claims mailing addresses — changed. Review any correspondence you received from Beacon or Carelon during the 2020–2023 transition period for specific contract information. If you did not receive updated contract information or are unsure of your current agreement terms, contact [Carelon provider relations](https://www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers) directly. Do not use old Beacon payer IDs for current claims submissions, as these may route incorrectly.

Authorizations granted by Beacon Health Options prior to the Carelon rebranding should have been honored by Carelon for their original authorized period, subject to the authorization terms. However, any new authorization requests — including concurrent review extensions — must be submitted through [Carelon Behavioral Health](https://www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers) using current Carelon processes. If you are encountering issues with a legacy Beacon authorization or need to verify its status, contact Carelon Behavioral Health provider services, which can look up historical authorizations and clarify current coverage status. Do not attempt to submit claims against old Beacon authorization numbers without first confirming their validity with Carelon.

Claims for services that were previously administered under Beacon Health Options should now be submitted to Carelon Behavioral Health using Carelon's current payer ID and billing address. Using old Beacon payer IDs may result in claims rejections or processing delays. Confirm the correct Carelon payer ID with your clearinghouse. For claims for dates of service during the transition period (2020–2023), contact [Carelon provider services](https://www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com/providers) to determine the correct submission route, as processing workflows changed during the rebranding and some outstanding claims may require specific handling.

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This guide is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional advice. Payer requirements, phone numbers, and portal URLs are subject to change. Always verify current information directly with the payer. is not affiliated with the insurance companies described on this page.

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