In a report posted on Feb. 12, a representative of BCBS said that the group withdrew over the insurer’s policy of paying only one submitted claim for anesthesiology services. In Shreveport, unlike other areas, CRNAs are employed by the hospitals, where as anesthesiologists are employed by their practices. The insurer paid only one bill to one facility, meaning only one party was paid 100 percent. BCBS then decided to split the payment 60/40 to the anesthesiologists, according to the report.
In a response to the Feb. 12 report, Richard Kensten, MD, a physician with Regional Anesthesia Consultants, defended the anesthesia groups’ decision, noting the split was not about CRNA payments. He noted that regardless of the percentage paid, CRNAs in the region are salaried, so only the hospital would receive the payment.
Dr. Kensten said in the report that the decision was made after BCBS decided to reduce reimbursement for invasive procedures, while raising patient premiums and significantly increasing reserve capital funds.
The decision will not affect members in BCBS’s BlueChoice 65 Medicare supplement, according to the report.
Read the Times’ report with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
Read Dr. Richard Kensten’s response to Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
