CHI Memorial and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee have said throughout their months-long contract dispute that they nevertheless are putting their patients first.
Today, the hospital and the insurer have about 150,000 patients who might disagree.
On Tuesday, a Memorial hospital spokeswoman said as of July 1 most BlueCross members in the area will no longer have access to the hospital’s services. Meanwhile, BlueCross said it was removing Memorial as a provider in its popular Network S. The insurer said it was adding HCA Parkridge Medical Center to the plan in a three-year agreement.
A BlueCross spokesman said the insurer still hopes to work out an agreement with Memorial for its Network P customers and its Medicare Advantage plan. However, Memorial said it was unlikely to split its physicians and the hospital services.