Contracting

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.

CDPHP and St. Peter's Health Partners are taking shots at each other during routine contract negotiations — but despite the bad blood, both sides say they anticipate reaching an agreement by the end of the year, WAMC reported Nov. 11.