RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — UNC Health announced it has signed a new, long-term agreement with UnitedHealthcare.
The health system says their multi-year deal will allow UnitedHealthcare members across the state to continue receiving uninterrupted care from UNC Health providers, clinics and hospitals.
The current contract was scheduled to expire April 1. Not reaching a deal would have left thousands of patients in a situation where their care providers were suddenly out of network, forcing them to either pay those out-of-pocket costs or seek new care providers.
The new deal covers all United commercial, Individual Exchange and Medicare Advantage plans.
“This new agreement will benefit our patients across the state as well as our providers,” said Dr. Matt Ewend, Chief Clinical Officer at UNC Health. “Our patients will not face increased costs and stress of going out of network or seeking new providers for their care. We look forward to working with United in the coming years to improve access, reduce costs and eliminate obstacles to care.”
UNC Health said it will communicate with affected patients as quickly as possible to ensure they are aware of the new agreement with United and that care with their UNC Health providers will not change.
Negotiations between the two organizations began last year.
The new agreement with UnitedHealthcare follows UNC Health’s recent announcement of a long-term contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Discover more from LockedIN Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.