EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a note from The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians.
The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians are moving ahead with plans to terminate contracts with UnitedHealthcare. Letters notifying patients and families of the likely change are being mailed this week. The termination will take effect on Jan. 1, 2008.
“We have negotiated for more than a year without reaching agreement on a new contract with UnitedHealthcare and we’ve had no increase in reimbursement in more than two years,” said Glenn Fosdick, president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center. “Given the lack of progress, we felt very strongly that we needed to take action sooner rather than later in notifying our patients so they would have adequate time to evaluate their insurance options.”
“We are committed to providing our patients with high quality, affordable access to care,” said Rodney Markin, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of UNMC Physicians. “Unfortunately our relationship with UnitedHealthcare has been fraught with administrative issues that make it difficult to fulfill this commitment.”
The contract terminations would affect UnitedHealthcare’s commercial, Medicare and Medicaid products. Patients with this coverage would be subject to paying higher out-of-pocket costs beginning on Jan. 1 when The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians are no longer considered in-network providers.
Patients are encouraged to call a special hotline established to answer their questions about the contract termination and how it could affect them. The phone number is 1-888-662-8662. Calls will be answered from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Signs displaying this number will be posted around the hospital, at Clarkson West and throughout the UNMC Physicians clinics.
Because of the complexity of this issue and the wide variations in how it will impact individuals, all employees should direct patients to the hotline number should questions arise.
Beginning Aug. 22, a new section also will appear on The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians public Web sites featuring a list of questions and answers as well as other resources to help patients. Information for employees is already available on each organization’s Intranet site.
While we understand the frustration this may cause, as the leading healthcare providers in the region, The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians are committed to creating value for all patients. By failing to reimburse for quality and innovative care at reasonable, market-based rates, both organizations believe UnitedHealthcare is putting an undue burden on the hospital, physicians and patients.