Hospitals May Cease Blue Cross Contract
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The parent company of two local hospitals has threatened to discontinue its contract with Blue Cross of California after negotiations stalled Friday.
After July 7, Blue Cross patients attempting to seek care at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo would be forced to pay higher fees.
Catholic Healthcare West, which oversees 30 hospitals statewide including the two in Ventura County, had been negotiating reimbursement costs with Blue Cross for six weeks.
“The care we provide must be supported by fair and equitable reimbursement to cover the increasingly complex and intensive ways that health-care services are delivered,” Dr. Kevin Fickenscher, chief medical officer of Catholic Healthcare West, said in a statement.
Blue Cross could not be reached for comment. Blue Cross members with questions can call the Blue Cross customer service number or Catholic Healthcare West at (800) 733-4966.
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