Portal guide · Carelon Behavioral Health
Carelon Behavioral Health provider portal
Carelon, formerly Beacon, holds behavioral health for many Anthem, Empire and EmblemHealth members. Here is how to reach it and verify a benefit.
The short answer
Carelon Behavioral Health, formerly Beacon Health Options, administers behavioral health for Anthem members and a range of managed and public-sector plans. Its provider portal is providerportal.carelonbehavioralhealth.com. Carelon is also reachable through Availity under payer ID BHOVO.
Whose plans Carelon holds
| Card says | Behavioral health | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anthem (many plans) | Carelon | Common for Anthem, but not universal. Out-of-state Blues follow the member's home plan. |
| Empire BCBS, now Anthem (New York) | Carelon | Empire assigned its behavioral provider agreements to Carelon across commercial, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage. |
| EmblemHealth (New York) | Carelon | Carelon manages behavioral health across EmblemHealth's programs. Routine outpatient therapy needs no preauthorization. |
How to verify a behavioral benefit with Carelon
- Set up access. Register on the Carelon provider portal, or use Availity under payer ID BHOVO. Registration can take days, so do it before you need it.
- Confirm eligibility for the date of service with the medical plan first.
- Look up the behavioral benefit with Carelon. Record cost share, deductible status, visit limits, telehealth rules and authorization requirements.
- Confirm network status with Carelon for the rendering clinician. A contract with Anthem is not a contract with Carelon.
- Call when the portal is unclear. Carelon Behavioral Health is 800-397-1630, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm ET. Claims are 800-888-3944. Availity support is 800-282-4548.
More detail in the guide to carve-out administrators and the Blue Cross Blue Shield routing guide.
Last reviewed October 2026. Phone numbers and portals verified 13 August 2026 against payer sources. Payer phone trees, portal names and carve-out arrangements change without notice, and self-funded groups can change administrators at renewal. Confirm against the member's card and the portal on the date of service. Company and product names belong to their owners and are used for identification only, with no affiliation or endorsement implied.
Common questions
What is payer ID BHOVO?
BHOVO is the Availity payer ID for Carelon Behavioral Health, formerly Beacon Health Options.
What is the Carelon Behavioral Health provider portal?
providerportal.carelonbehavioralhealth.com. Carelon is also reachable through Availity under payer ID BHOVO.
Does Anthem use Carelon for behavioral health?
Many Anthem plans route behavioral health to Carelon, including Empire BCBS in New York, but it is not universal. Confirm with the member's home plan.
What is the Carelon provider phone number?
800-397-1630, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm ET. Claims are 800-888-3944.
See it on your own schedule
Thirty minutes over video. Bring a rough clinician count and payer mix.
Book a call