As year-end deadlines approached, several payers and providers struck new deals to keep patients in-network.
Here are seven new contracts Becker's has reported since Dec. 22:
1. Regence BlueShield of Washington and Optum-owned Everett (Wash.) Clinic and Polyclinic reached an agreement to keep 19,000 commercial members in-network. The agreement does not include Medicare Advantage members. Regence BlueShield and the clinics' agreement for Medicare Advantage members expired Dec. 5.
2.Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Community Health Group Partnership Plan picked up California Medicaid contracts in San Diego county. The state awarded more payers contracts to manage its Medicaid program, reversing course on contract awards that could have forced two million Medi-Cal members to switch insurance.
3. Anthem Blue Cross and Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital agreed on a new contract. The hospital had been out of network for Anthem PPO members since Aug. 10.
4. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health reached a three-year deal days before their previous contract was set to expire.
5. Humana Military and TriWest Healthcare Alliance were awarded the Defense Department's Tricare managed care support contracts. Humana Military was awarded the $70.9 billion East Region contract, andTriWest Healthcare Alliance was awarded the $65.1 billion West Region contract.
6. Kroger and Prime Therapeutics have agreed to a new contract. The new contract comes as the grocer, with 2,200 pharmacy locations nationwide, exited Express Scripts' network at the end of 2022.
7. Cigna and Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica reached a verbal agreement for 2023. ProMedica sent letters to Cigna members Dec. 5 stating that the system would go out of network if the two sides were unable to reach a new deal by Jan. 1