Sydney Health is an upgrade to the Anthem Anywhere App. It’s streamlined and interactive. It can be used at home or on-the-go and with the cute little Sydney interactive helper it makes the app kind of fun to use too. Anthem BCBS has definitely taken consumer feedback and improved their product. If your plan comes with pharmacy then the pharmacy is right there and you can order your scripts through the app as well as set up your auto refill/auto pay. You can save your payment information, view and print your ID card as well as fax or email a copy of your card to your doctor’s office BEFORE you arrive for your appointment. Finding a doctor is easy, searching claims is easy as well as keeping track of your deductible and out of pocket totals for the year. It’s got everything. I highly recommend the app.

The app has been updated so it’s better, but the communications are confusing. I placed 1 order using the screen that shows 3 prescriptions available for refill, and I get 3 text messages thanking me for my refill request, 3 texts saying it’s too early to refill, 2 saying the order (2 of 3 of the rxes I think? It’s hard to tell in the app) is on the way, then 2 more saying an rx is ready for refill but not which one. Then I log in and see the refill which was too soon to order being in the “ready to refill” screen again so I place another order for 4 rxs and this time I get 3 emails at the same time saying they received my refill request, then 5 emails within 3 minutes with some duplicate and some conflicting information - some of the medication I ordered is again too early to refill but it’s also on the way. Thankfully the emails contain the first three letters of the medication name unlike the texts. When I use the chat feature to talk to a pharmacist, they told me they are unable to look up my account and I need to make a phone call. Not calling. Similarly, when I messaged to follow up on a technical support problem (receiving USPS mail after opting in to electronic communications twice), the person said that I have reached the technical support helpdesk and that I need to make a phone call instead.

I loved the Anthem website and used it all the time for Bill Pay with my HSA account. I downloaded this app and now it has taken 3 calls to Customer Service to get this basic task done. I needed to ‘pay myself’ with my HSA to resolve a balance this week with a provider so I can have a procedure done. I went through the normal steps on Friday January 10th. I log in yesterday and it says it was denied although I had more than enough in there. I tried it again, same transaction. Got all the way to the end screen saying “submitted”. Checked back about an hour later (typically when I do this, it takes the funds out of my balance within seconds), funds were all still there. I look in pending transactions and my recent bill pay submission isn’t there. I waited and checked back today- it’s like it never happened. This app allows you to go all the way to the submit screen, submit it, tells you you’re all set, but meanwhile is doing absolutely nothing. I called customer service and they were dumbfounded, telling me “oh if it said you submitted it then you did but I don’t see it here. Can you do it on the phone with me now? It should show up in real time.” I go through all of the steps for a third time, nothing shows up. No pending transaction. I have no HSA card or time to wait for one to be sent so I may have to move my procedure because of this weird glitch where it won’t let me do a basic task.