After a month and a half of additional negotiations, the BCBS of Illinois health insurance network will still include OSF HealthCare hospitals.
“All OSF HealthCare hospitals and services will continue to be in network now and in the new year,” OSF HealthCare said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
OSF HealthCare includes St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria as well as facilities in Galesburg, Kewanee and Monmouth.
“We are pleased to have finalized a continuation of OSF Healthcare’s relationship with BCBSIL that ensures patients and families have in-network access to the treatments and services they need,” said Randy Billings, senior vice president of population health, in a prepared statement. “We realize this situation caused concern for our patients and families, and appreciate the support and patience of local businesses and community leaders.“
The agreement comes after the hospital chain announced in early October that it would no longer accept BCBS health plans at its hospital facilities in January, though many of the health provider’s non-hospital facilities were not set to be affected.
That occurred after negotiations in which Blue Cross expressed a desire to expand its regional network beyond OSF hospitals, which had long offered the company preferred rates but could no longer maintain them.
At the same time that announcement was made, UnityPoint Health-Methodist announced that effective in January, it would become part of the Blue Cross network for the first time in more than 30 years.
Other UnityPoint Health providers, both Proctor and Pekin hospitals as well as the physicians network, were in arrangements to accept Blue Cross already. Galesburg Cottage Hospital announced in mid-October it will be in-network for BCBS Illinois health insurance beginning Jan. 1.
Date: Nov 22, 2017