Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant Orders Blue Cross to Reinstate 10 HMA Hospitals

Gov. Phil Bryant has issued an executive order to force Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi to reinstate 10 hospitals owned by Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates into its network, according to a report from The Clarion-Ledger.

Gov. Bryant issued the temporary order to give the state time to determine whether or not the BCBS network would provide adequate patient access without the Health Management hospitals, according to the report. The health insurer has filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Miss., seeking a temporary restraining order against the governor's order.

Earlier this year, BCBS sent a termination notice to Health Management informing the company it intended to ax its contracts with 10 of the hospital operator's Mississippi facilities after they all sued the insurer, claiming the payer has been underpaying them by millions for certain inpatient procedures. Gov. Bryant recently sent a letter to BCBS officials warning that keeping the 10 hospitals out of its provider network would hurt patients and reduce access to care.

Earlier this week, BCBS announced it would reinstate four of the hospitals — Woman's Hospital in Flowood, Tri-Lakes Medical Center in Batesville, Gilmore Regional Medical Center in Amory and Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale. The hospitals have been out of network since September, although Health Management has not been charging those patients out-of-network rates.

More Articles on Mississippi Hospitals:
Blue Cross of Mississippi Reinstates 4 HMA Hospitals
Mississippi Mayors: HMA, Blue Cross Dispute Could Hurt Economy
HMA, Blue Cross Dispute in Mississippi Could Create Opportunity for Other Insurers 

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