Trinity Health, UnitedHealthcare reach new multiyear agreement
Photo | Joseph Driscoll
Trinity Health Of New England's sign outside the Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Gengras Medical Office Building at the corner of Asylum Avenue and Woodland Street in Hartford.
Trinity Health Of New England (THONE) announced Monday it has reached a new multiyear agreement with UnitedHealthcare.
Terms of the deal, which is effective as of Aug. 19, were not disclosed. It comes 50 days after the previous contract expired on June 30, and ends months of contentious negotiations.
The new agreement covers THONE’s hospitals in Connecticut as well as Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group.
THONE’s Connecticut hospitals include St. Francis Medical Center and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford; St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury; and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs.
The deal also covers Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The previous contract expired at midnight June 30. A spokesman for UnitedHealthcare said in May that approximately 27,000 members overall had received services from a Trinity Health Of New England provider or facility in the past 12 months.
In a statement emailed to Hartford Business Journal after the previous contract expired, Trinity Health said "a cooling off period" would continue to provide in-network access to all of its hospitals for those insured with UnitedHealthcare through Aug. 31.
During the negotiations, both organizations posted messages on their websites attacking the other, with each claiming they were keeping their customers’ best interests in mind.
THONE had said that it was seeking “new agreements that more adequately cover the cost of the care we provide to our patients with UnitedHealthcare Commercial and Medicare Advantage plans.”
UnitedHealthcare had countered by saying that THONE issued a notice to end the contract and was demanding a more than 30% price hike over the next 24 months.
Monday, THONE President & CEO Montez Carter expressed satisfaction with the new agreement.
“With fair reimbursement,” Carter said, “we can continue to invest in our colleagues, medical staff, innovative treatments and important health programs, protecting access to care now and in the future.”
Patients who receive health insurance coverage through UnitedHealthcare should contact UnitedHealthcare directly using the number on the back of their insurance card with any questions about their coverage or benefits.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments