A judge denied Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare an emergency injunction to keep a contract with Tupelo-based North Mississippi Health Services intact until arbiters could be chosen to resolve a contract dispute, reports Daily Journal.
Despite the declined injunction, UnitedHealthcare said it will maintain in-network rates for policyholders seeking care at NMHS as it looks to end its contract with the insurer over payment disputes. NMHS said it discovered payments from UnitedHealthcare that came through as paid at $0, which accumulated to tens of millions of dollars in remittances. The payer said the claims were paid correctly, according to the report.
The contract between North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo and UnitedHealthcare will expire at the end of the month. NMHS will choose whether to accept in-network payments from UnitedHealthcare, as the hospital confirmed its commitment to treating all UnitedHealthcare patients Thursday.