> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.officeridge.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Care network

> Physicians, case managers, and payers connected to your members.

The care network tabs hold the people and organizations attached to your members: physicians, case
managers, and payers.

Each is a directory in its own right. Records here are linked to members rather than duplicated per
member, so updating a physician's phone number updates it everywhere.

## Physicians

Attending physicians with NPI numbers, license details, and member assignments.

**Columns:** Name · NPI · License · Phone · Email · Members

The **Members** column counts how many of your members list that physician. The **NPI** is required
on claims that carry an ordering or attending provider.

<Warning>
  An incorrect or missing NPI is a common claim rejection. Verify it when you add the physician
  rather than when a claim comes back denied.
</Warning>

## Case Managers

Case managers coordinating member care with contact details and caseload counts.

**Columns:** Name · Type · Phone · Email · Members

**Type** distinguishes the kind of case manager — useful when a member has both a payer-side and an
agency-side coordinator. The **Members** column gives you caseload at a glance.

## Payers

Insurance payers and managed care organizations linked to member authorizations.

**Columns:** Name · External ID · Payer Type · Program · Delivery Model · Provider Type · Phone ·
Contract ID · Active · Last Auth

This is the most detailed of the three, because payer configuration drives billing:

| Field              | Why it matters                                                             |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **External ID**    | The payer's own identifier for your agency                                 |
| **Payer Type**     | Distinguishes Medicaid, managed care, and private payers                   |
| **Program**        | The specific program the member is enrolled under                          |
| **Delivery Model** | How services are delivered and billed under that program                   |
| **Provider Type**  | How your agency is enrolled with this payer                                |
| **Contract ID**    | Ties back to the payer contract in [Licensing](/licensing/payer-contracts) |
| **Active**         | Inactive payers should not receive new authorizations                      |
| **Last Auth**      | The most recent authorization issued by this payer                         |

## Setting up a member's care network

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the directory first">
    Search the relevant tab before adding. Most physicians and payers already exist — duplicates
    split caseload counts and make reporting unreliable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the record if it is genuinely new">
    Complete the identifying fields, especially NPI for physicians and External ID for payers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link it to the member">
    Attach the physician, case manager, and payer to the member record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the payer is active">
    An inactive payer will not support a new authorization.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Payers here describe who pays. The commercial agreement behind them — rates, requirements,
  renewal dates — lives in [Payer contracts](/licensing/payer-contracts).
</Tip>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                       | What to check                                                               |
| --------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Two entries for the same physician            | Both were added separately. Consolidate by relinking members to one record. |
| Members count looks wrong                     | It counts members currently linked. Discharged members drop off.            |
| A payer is not selectable on an authorization | The payer may be marked inactive, or belong to a different organization.    |
| Last Auth is blank                            | No authorization has been issued by that payer yet.                         |

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authorizations" icon="file-check" href="/members/authorizations">
    Approved units issued by these payers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payer contracts" icon="file-signature" href="/licensing/payer-contracts">
    The agreements behind the payers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>