Patient First stops accepting some Anthem plans: 4 things to know

Richmond, Va.-based Patient First — the state's largest provider of urgent and primary care — is no longer accepting a number of Anthem plans, according to WTVR.com.

Here are four things to know about the change.

1. Patient First stopped accepting multiple types of plans. As of Feb. 2, Patient First quit accepting patients with Anthem, HealthKeepers and out-of-state BlueCross BlueShield plans except CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Patient First also stopped accepting any new or existing patients with Anthem's HealthKeepers Plus plan, Anthem's Medicaid option.

2. Patient First claims Anthem is demanding too high of reimbursement rates. "For years, Patient First has worked cooperatively with Anthem to expand access to convenient, cost-effective medical care for Anthem members," said a post on Patient First's website. "However, as we continue to see routine increases in our cost to provide patients with medical care, Anthem insists on reducing its reimbursement rates for these services into 2012 levels."

"We have been working to resolve this situation for more than two years and only reached this difficult decision after months and months of unproductive discussions with Anthem," the statement added.

3. Anthem says the discussion is ongoing, and hopes to reach an agreement. "We are in discussion with them on a number of topics," said Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia spokesman Scott Golden. "It's unfortunate the situation we are in right now, and we hope to come to a resolution. We feel that we have ample alternatives for our members if we don't come to a resolution."

4. Patient First operates outside Virginia as well. The provider began operating its first medical center in Richmond in 1981, and now operates nine medical centers in the area. In total, Patient First operates 62 medical centers in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Top 40 articles from the past 6 months