Jake Henry Jr., president and CEO of Saint Francis health system, has claimed that its proposed contract agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma was dropped owing to last-minute changes by BCBS. The insurer has refuted the claims.
- Contract Expired on April 30 :Saint Francis’ previous agreement with BCBS expired on April 30, 2021. They have given their members 90 days to find new healthcare providers who are accepting new patients into their practices.
- Members Informed: In a statement, Saint Francis said, “We want to keep you (members) informed about how the changes in BlueCross BlueShield’s (BCBS) network might affect you and your care team at Saint Francis if an agreement is not able to be reached related to our contract with them.”
- Agreement Efforts On: Saint Francis said it is continuing to work toward an agreement with BCBS that would allow members to keep their healthcare team and continue to be able to access Saint Francis Health System providers and facilities at in-network rates.
- BCBS Refutes Claims: Refuting Saint Francis’s claims, BCBS said the Tulsa, Okla-based health system refused its two offers and did not agree to a short-term extension of negotiations. Saint Francis is asking for reimbursement rates at its clinics and retail locations that mirror those at its acute care hospitals, BCBS said.
- BCBS Seeks Reasonable Agreement :Rick Kelly, BCBS of Oklahoma’s vice president of healthcare delivery and provider network operations, said they had been trying for months to reach an agreement with Saint Francis. “But we work for our members. It’s their premium dollars that they’ve entrusted us with. We cannot sign an agreement that could put them in financial harm. When Saint Francis comes to the table with a reasonable agreement that ensures our members are protected from unexpected future costs, we’ll sign.”