Little Rock, Ark.-based CHI St. Vincent, part of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, settled a contract dispute with Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare, Arkansas Business reports.
The parties reached a contract Friday after months of negotiations on rates. The new contract allows UnitedHealthcare members with Medicare, employer-based and individual health plans to receive care from CHI St. Vincent providers at in-network rates.
Details of the contract were undisclosed, according to the report.
A previous contract between CHI St. Vincent and UnitedHealthcare was scheduled to expire April 1. More than 30,000 UnitedHealthcare members could have been affected if negotiations collapsed.
Chad Aduddell, CEO of CHI St. Vincent, said in a statement to Arkansas Business, "As we work toward developing new models of care focused on higher quality and lower costs, it is important we receive fair and reasonable payments to continue our ministry. We believe our continued relationship with UnitedHealthcare allows the two of us to work together to better serve the needs of our patients."