Pressing care supplier threatens to sever ties with insurer over reimbursement charges

One of many nation’s fastest-growing pressing care suppliers says it can sever ties with an insurer if it doesn’t get higher reimbursement charges.

New York-based WellNow Pressing Care has introduced that it’s going to finish its relationship with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield on Jan. 1 if the insurer doesn’t begin paying “truthful charges” for care offered.

“This motion will successfully power WellNow Pressing Care areas to go ‘out-of-network’ with Excellus, impacting a whole lot of hundreds of Excellus coated sufferers who go to WellNow Pressing Care facilities every year,” WellNow stated in a information launch.

The pressing care supplier stated it had been negotiating with Excellus “in good religion” since previous to the pandemic, however that the insurer had didn’t decide to “affordable charges” for healthcare providers.

“The truth is, charges from Excellus have decreased within the final decade regardless of the large inflation during the last a number of years and the truth that Excellus has continued to boost charges for its members,” WellNow stated.

The healthcare supplier stated it will be “unsustainable” to proceed to do enterprise with Excellus until the insurer improved its charges.

“Excellus has been given permission by the New York Division of Monetary Companies to boost its premiums virtually yearly,” stated Sam Meites, president of WellNow Pressing Care. “By our calculation, that’s greater than an 8% improve in premiums every year for his or her clients since 2017. But, they don’t need to decide to affordable price will increase that might assist pay for the devoted healthcare professionals who’ve labored proudly to fulfill New York’s pressing care wants. That’s Excellus putting pure revenue over its members’ care.”

WellNow operates greater than 70 pressing care clinics in New York state, together with 41 facilities in central New York.

With many areas in New York state missing satisfactory entry to healthcare and almost 20 hospitals within the state’s rural areas vulnerable to closing, WellNow stated pressing care clinics present essential providers for these dwelling in so-called “healthcare deserts.” It’s estimated that pressing care facilities stop greater than 24 million emergency room visits every year, WellNow stated.

“Sadly, Excellus is failing to fulfill the problem to assist New Yorkers shut the hole between their healthcare wants and the area’s shrinking capability,” Meites stated. “Reimbursement charges should replicate the price and worth of providers rendered, the comfort offered, and the price financial savings to Excellus from offering a welcome various to already overburdened hospital emergency rooms. Honest reimbursement charges will not be only a matter of economic stability for these facilities – it straight impacts sufferers’ capacity to entry high-quality, cost-effective care in a well timed method all through the state.”

BlueCross BlueShield can be dealing with a lawsuit in Tennessee by a gaggle of former staff who have been terminated for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

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