CHI St. Vincent no longer part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas network

CHI St. Vincent will not be part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas network after the Little Rock-based hospital system and the insurer failed to reach an agreement on renewing their contract, both sides announced Tuesday.

The two failed to reach an agreement during negotiations over the past several months about how much the insurer reimburses CHI St. Vincent. 

“This was not the outcome we have been working toward, and please know that we have not and will not walk away,” CHI St. Vincent said in a statement on its website. “We remain fully committed to reaching a new agreement as quickly as possible, but the agreement must equitably address the need for fair reimbursement for the care we provide.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas said it was disappointed but appreciated the care the hospital system had provided to its members. 

“We are committed to exploring approaches that ensure our members receive high-quality care that is also cost-efficient, and we have communicated to CHI St. Vincent and CommonSpirit Health that if their focus or circumstances should change in the future, they have an open invitation to rejoin us in this work,” Alicia Berkemeyer, executive vice president and chief health management officer for Arkansas Blue Cross, said in a news release.

CHI St. Vincent, a part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health System, operates hospitals in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Morrilton and Sherwood. 

The stalemate means that claims with dates of service of Monday or earlier will continue to be reimbursed at in-network rates, Blue Cross Blue Shield said. 

Blue Cross members may be eligible to receive services with in-network coverage for the lesser of 90 days from the date they receive an out-of-network notice or until the condition for which they are being treated is resolved, if transition to another provider would be inappropriate or unsafe, the insurer said. More information about that coverage can be found online. 

The stalemate occurred as hospitals around Arkansas have had to scale back services because of the rising cost of services and the relatively low reimbursement rates they receive for providing care.