Hospital-Insurer Disputes Are Increasing

Several high-profile disputes between health systems and insurers made headlines in recent months, with some of those disagreements leading to contracts expiring without a new one in place.

The failed negotiations between UnitedHealthcare and Charlotte, NC-based Carolinas HealthCare made headlines in February. That same month, it was announced that a 20-year relationship between Humana and the University of Chicago Medicine would come to an end April 1, affecting approximately 1750 patients. Rush University Medical Center was also involved in heated insurer negotiations, as Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois notified 65 medical groups they would receive reduced reimbursement if they referred BCBS HMO patients to Rush.

One of the most controversial provider-payer disagreements involved Pittsburgh-based UPMC and health insurer Highmark. The contract dispute between the 2 grew to such proportions that the government considered intervening.

Read more at Becker's Hospital Review: http://bit.ly/1MHb4Nj