Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGA) announced Tuesday they have signed a new, multi-year agreement that will allow patients with BCBSGA health insurance to continue to receive in-network access to the health system’s facilities and employed physicians.
The two parties began negotiations in January but talks stalled in August when BCBSGA invoked the “run-out-period” clause. The clause is reserved for the purpose of preparing the market to go out-of-network. BCBSGA contracts with the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center were set to expire at midnight Tuesday.
The new contract between NGHS and BCBSGA is effective October 1, 2014, and covers all NGHS facilities and employed physicians, including:
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (all providers, all locations)
The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center (all providers, all locations)
Urgent Care (all locations: Gainesville, Braselton, Buford and Dawsonville)
The Imaging Center (all locations: Gainesville, Braselton, Dawsonville)
The Rehabilitation Institute (all locations: Braselton, Buford, Cleveland, Dahlonega, Dawsonville and Gainesville)
The Toccoa Cancer Center
Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center
“We have worked tirelessly to secure a new agreement that is beneficial for both parties and improves the overall health of the communities we serve,” says Carol Burrell, President and CEO of Northeast Georgia Health System. “This new agreement ensures that NGHS has the ability to offer the highest level of services, physicians and facilities for the regional community. We are extremely pleased that patients can continue to access our health system with no disruption in service.”
“We value our longstanding relationship with the hospital and medical professionals at Northeast Georgia Health System,” said Morgan Kendrick, President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. “Several months of hard work have brought these negotiations to a successful conclusion for the good of the community. We’re pleased that our members in the Gainesville area will continue to have access to the high quality medical care provided by Northeast Georgia Health System.”
Officials say terms of the contract do not allow for contract details to be disclosed.
