Saint Vincent Hospital will remain a part of UPMC Health Plan’s Premium Network.
Patients with a certain UPMC Health Plan will continue to have in-network access to Saint Vincent Hospital, even if the UPMC-Highmark consent decrees expire June 30 as scheduled.
At least for now.
Officials with both Pittsburgh-based health-care organizations agreed that the consent decrees will not affect the Erie hospital’s status as an in-network hospital for those who use UPMC Health Plan’s Premium Network. Saint Vincent is not in-network for the plan’s Standard Network or Inside Advantage Network.
“St. Vincent — at this time — will be in-network for UPMC Health Plan effective July 1, 2019,” UPMC spokeswoman Susan Manko said in an email.
“We have no plans to terminate any of our contracts at this point,” Saint Vincent spokeswoman Monica Lewis said in a text. Saint Vincent is part of Highmark’s Allegheny Health Network.
UPMC and Highmark agreed in 2014 to extend their consent decrees until June 30. After that date, patients with Highmark health insurance would no longer have in-network access to most UPMC hospitals and physicians, including UPMC Hamot.
Saint Vincent officials said in 2018 that their hospital also would no longer be in-network for UPMC Health Plan after the consent decrees expire, though that has changed. Lewis was not able to offer reasons for the switch.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is trying to force UPMC into modifying the consent decrees and extend them past June 30. His office filed a petition Feb. 7 with Commonwealth Court.
The case remains in Commonwealth Court, though the state Supreme Court on April 16 agreed to hear an appeal on whether to extend the consent decrees while the litigation continues. The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the appeal led to the postponement of the trial that had been scheduled in Commonwealth Court for May 29.
Shapiro is suing UPMC to allow in-network hospital and physician access to UPMC patients despite their insurance plans — an arrangement that would benefit patients in Erie. The attorney general had reached an agreement with Highmark but not with UPMC to modify the consent decrees.
Date: April 29, 2019
Source: Goerie.com