Kenosha, Wis.-based Froedtert South signed an in-network agreement with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, according to a BizTimes report.
A previous agreement between the parties expired Dec. 31, 2017. Jim Mueller, an insurance industry executive and president and CEO of Mueller QAAS, told the publication negotiations between Froedtert South and Anthem were complicated for several reasons. One of them is Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care's planned merger with Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care.
"Aurora wanted that market share to move from Froedtert South to Aurora, so they were putting pressure on Blue Cross," Mr. Mueller told BizTimes. "Paul Nobile (president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin) knows that the employer community, with low unemployment, wants a provider network with everyone in. And Blue Cross of Illinois didn't want to disrupt the access for employees that live in Kenosha."
Under the agreement, Anthem members will have access to Froedtert South's facilities and services through Dec. 31, 2020. The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, according to the report.
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