Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Southcoast Health System have reached agreement on a new, four-year contract that “reflects our mutual commitment of meeting the needs of our members and patients across the South Coast region,” according to a post Friday night on https://www.southcoast.org/bcbsma/
A near identical posting is on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts site.
According to both posts, “the agreement will ensure that Blue Cross members can continue to receive the exceptional in-network care they are accustomed to at Southcoast Health.
“The contract reflects both the urgency to address rising health care costs while providing the necessary resources required by Southcoast Health to continue investing in its clinicians, technology and innovative services, which have earned Southcoast Health recognition as one of the top community health systems in Massachusetts,” the posts said.
Both end with “We’re grateful for the community’s patience during our negotiations over these past few months.”
At the heart of the dispute, which played out publicly over the past month with editorial pieces by top officials of Southcoast and BCBS, were reimbursement rates from the insurer to the hospital system.
If no agreement had been reached by year’s end, Blue Cross Blue Shield members would not have had in-network coverage at Southcoast Health providers starting on Jan. 1, 2020. About 22,000 primary care relationships would have been affected.
Source: South Coast Today