BJC HealthCare to steer out-of-network patients away

St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare is going to begin turning away out-of-network patients unless they provide a "secure form" of payment upfront in nonemergency situations, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.

Under its new policy, if an out-of-network patient seeks care at a BJC facility, the health system will redirect the patient to an in-network provider. If the patient still seeks care with BJC, he or she will have to provide a "secure form" of payment upfront, such as a credit card, to receive care from a BJC facility in nonemergency situations, a BJC spokeswoman told the Post-Dispatch.

Many consumers have started purchasing health insurance plans with narrow networks in exchange for lower monthly premiums. The BJC spokeswoman told the Post-Dispatch it is "not appropriate" for a consumer to choose a plan with lower premiums and then seek care at an out-of-network hospital.

Sidney Watson, a health law professor at St. Louis University, told the Post-Dispatch that under BJC's policy the PPO choice "becomes a loser." "You're picking it because it's a PPO and you have the option [to go out-of-network] but because of BJC's behavior you'd be shut out," she said.

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