Contracting

More than 66,000 Cigna beneficiaries will soon be back in network with St. Luke's Health after a long dispute. 

New Mexico has canceled its current Medicaid contract procurement process as the state's Human Services Department director and Medicaid director depart. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Ascension Texas have reached a new contract agreement, avoiding going out-of-network in a dispute that could have affected 66,000 patients. 

Here are seven new contracts and extensions Becker's has reported since Jan. 4. 

CVS Accountable Care Organization and Chicago-based Rush University System for Health are collaborating on ACO REACH participation for Medicare members in the Chicago area.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Abilene, Texas-based Hendrick Health have extended their contract agreement through April 30, avoiding a split between the two organizations. The contract was set to expire Feb. 1. 

Clovis, Calif.-based Community Health System is back in network with UnitedHealthcare and continues to negotiate new contracts with the two other payers it went out of network with at the end of 2022, The Fresno Bee reported Jan. 22.

Issues with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina's claims processing system led state officials to request new contract bids to manage its state health plan, the Charlotte Observer reported Jan. 19. 

North Carolina is moving ahead with its plans to hand over its State Health Plan to Aetna, rejecting protests from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and UMR, a UnitedHealthcare subsidiary. 

More than two weeks after Clovis, Calif.-based Community Health System went out of network with several major insurers, hospital staff members are speaking out after being left without covered access to the system's facilities.