Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the state's largest insurer, and Bristow (Okla.) Medical Center are in a battle over a contract for Bristow's new Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Excellence in Jenks, Okla., according to a NewsOK report.
Here are three things to know about the issue.
1. The Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Excellence, which opened in July, cannot currently accept BCBS patients because the insurer has so far denied the hospital a contract, according to the report.
2. During a recent legislative hearing on rural healthcare, Bristow Medical Center CEO Jan Winter Clark said the Center for Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Excellence might not succeed unless a contract is in place, according to NewsOK.
3. BCBS spokeswoman Ashley Hudgeons declined to comment in detail about Ms. Clark's complaint, citing confidential provider network discussions, according to the report. But she did say in general, BCBS considers various factors when making decisions about its network composition, including how adequate its existing providers are, what impact a new provider's participation would have on overall costs and accessibility of care and what services patients could expect to get from a potential provider, the report notes.