Johns Hopkins Medicine and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield have reached a multiyear agreement that averts putting hundreds of thousands of Maryland CareFirst beneficiaries outside the Hopkins network.
“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with CareFirst to keep our doctors, nurses and other caregivers in CareFirst’s network,” said Dr. Theodore L. DeWeese, interim dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in a joint statement. “Our goal was to reach a resolution before our patients had to make changes to their care or their coverage, and we appreciate CareFirst’s collaboration to make that happen.”
Details are scant about the terms of the contract, however, it does assure that Marylanders on CareFirst plans will stay in-network with Hopkins Medicine.
The spat between the two organizations started in September when Hopkins and CareFirst could not come to an agreement on terms for physician rates and surgery centers.
Johns Hopkins claimed that CareFirst reimburses the system at lower rates than other insurers in the state.
Johns Hopkins estimated that the cost to provide health care has increased more than 21% in the past decade while CareFirst payments increased by 10%, according to the hospital’s website.
Hopkins said it was planning on terminating its contract with CareFirst, which would put beneficiaries out-of-network starting Dec. 5.
The issue was so influential it caught the attention of federal lawmakers.
Most of Maryland’s congressional delegation wrote a letter to CareFirst and Hopkins on Oct. 20 urging them to come to an agreement.
The lawmakers released a statement today applauding the contract.
“Marylanders can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they won’t experience disruptions to their health care coverage during this year’s open enrollment period,” they said. “We’re glad to see Hopkins and CareFirst heed our calls to reach an agreement and urge the strengthening of their partnership to promote access to high-quality, affordable health care to Marylanders.”