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CHI St. Vincent Reaches Agreement with Centene

2 min read

CHI St. Vincent, a regional health network serving central and southwest Arkansas, announced Wednesday that it reached a new multiyear agreement with Centene Corp. on Jan. 1.

Centene operates government-sponsored health care programs, specifically providing access to health services for Medicaid and Medicare members, as well as to individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace and the TRICARE program.

The renewal agreement will allow patients to maintain in-network access to all CHI St. Vincent services across existing contracted products including Centene’s Qualchoice Commercial and Ambetter Individual and Family, which includes ARHome membership, as well as Allwell Medicare Advantage plans.

A press release from CHI St. Vincent stated that “from the beginning, our goal in working with Centene has always been about ensuring we can continue to meet the needs of our patients today and in the future.”

The agreement represents a positive development amid increasingly contentious negotiations between health care providers and insurers in Arkansas and nationwide. It comes at a time when hospitals are pushing back against what they see as burdensome pre-authorization requirements and claims denials from insurers.

“We highly value our long-standing partnership with CHI and are truly grateful that we have the opportunity to continue to work together to provide our members with access to high-quality care,” John Ryan, Centene-Arkansas plan president and CEO said in the release.

Hospitals are also struggling with flat Medicare and Medicaid payments while facing pressure from commercial insurers. Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield’s recent layoffs and implementation of substantial premium increases is just one example of the financial pressures affecting provider-insurer relationships.

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