More than 66,000 Cigna beneficiaries will soon be back in network with St. Luke's Health after a long dispute.
The new agreement takes effect March 1, according to a Feb. 1 news release from the 19-hospital system.
The previous contract between the payer and health system expired at the end of October 2021, according to the Houston Chronicle.
"Termination of our previous contract was a difficult decision, but it was necessary to address the financial sustainability of St. Luke’s Health," CEO T. Douglas Lawson, PhD, said in the release. "These are challenging economic times for everyone, and our new agreement ensures that our patients again have the option of choosing great healthcare at great value without significantly affecting their insurance rates."
St. Luke's is continuing work on an agreement with Cigna's transplant network, LifeSource, according to the release.
Cigna beneficiaries are also back in network with St. Luke's academic affiliate Baylor College of Medicine, based in Houston, according to the release. That agreement became effective Jan. 9.