Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has not yet reached an agreement with Topeka-based University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus, also owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based Ardent Health Services, the organizations confirmed to Becker’s.
The current contract for BCBS of Kansas and the system’s St. Francis Campus expires at the end of the year. Patients with respective Healthy Blue Medicaid and Medicare plans would not be affected if St. Francis goes out of network, the campus said.
St. Francis Campus notified 9,000 patients of the possible change and said members could lose coverage at the main facility and its sites of care.
“We have made repeated efforts to engage directly with senior decision-makers at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair resolution,” a spokesperson for the campus said. “We are seeking an agreement that reimburses St. Francis Campus at rates consistent with rising costs due to inflation and supply chain pressures. Equitable reimbursement rates are critical to supporting the high-quality care that our patients deserve.”
BCBS of Kansas confirmed ongoing negotiations.
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas continues its good-faith, active discussions with the University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus [in] Topeka. Our goal is to compensate providers fairly while being good stewards of our members’ healthcare dollars — when we pay more, members pay more,” the insurer said. “We hope to reach a renewal agreement before the expiration of the contract.”
Additional information is available on both the health system’s and the insurer’s websites.
