Payer Contracting

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin and Wausau-based Aspirus Network have signed a new contract to maintain in-network access, CBS affiliate WSAW reported Nov. 23.

Cameron (Mo.) Regional Medical Center will go out of network with Cigna Medicare Advantage plans on Dec. 31, the New-Press Now reported Nov. 25. 

UnitedHealthcare and Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health have reached a multi-year deal to keep nearly 3 million beneficiaries in-network with the health system's physicians and facilities in California, the Eureka Times-Standard reported Nov. 22.

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and Buffalo-based Kaleida Health have signed a long-term agreement to allow Highmark’s members to have in-network access to Kaleida's facilities.

Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and BCBS Texas have all finalized network provider agreements with health systems since Oct. 31:

Aetna and Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network have reached a new deal, avoiding a contract split that would have affected thousands of patients, the Morning Call reported Nov. 17. 

UnitedHealthcare and Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed have signed a multi-year contract that restores in-network access for thousands of patients.

Centene is the largest Medicaid managed care organization, serving 15.7 million low-income members nationwide. According to federal policy publication ExecutiveGov, these are some of the company's largest government contracts with details publicly available:

If payer-provider disputes were a reality TV show, just a few years ago viewers would have been hard to come by. 

The nearly 15,000 independent pharmacies dropped from Tricare's network could be reinstated, Military Times reported Nov. 14.