Today, St. Charles Health System is announcing contract agreements with two insurance providers - Aetna and Cigna - that address concerns about denials, inefficiencies and administrative burden and will allow patients using those insurance plans to remain in-network for elective services at St. Charles facilities.
“For the past several years, St. Charles has asked insurance companies to work with us to address concerns about coverage denials for medical treatments, increasing administrative burdens for our care teams, inefficiencies and delays in patient care,” said Matt Swafford, Chief Financial Officer for St. Charles. “Though not perfect, both contracts with Aetna and with Cigna include elements that better address these issues. We will remain in-network for both insurance companies.”
The contract with Aetna was resolved recently and Aetna estimates it covers about 7,500 people in Central Oregon. The contract with Cigna was set to expire on Sept. 30, which would have affected about 5,000 patients.
“We understand that some individuals were concerned about potentially losing or having to switch coverage, and that’s a worry we take seriously,” Swafford said. “We are moving ahead with these newly negotiated agreements because we believe it is in the best interest of patients and for preserving health care access in Central Oregon.”
