Two Tenet hospitals at odds with Blue Cross

Philadelphia Inquirer, April 18, 2008

Talks have broken down between two Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospitals in the Philadelphia area and Independence Blue Cross as the expiration date of their contract approaches. Both sides have notified Blue Cross subscribers that they may not be covered for treatment by the Tenet hospitals or some of their doctors after April 30. Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children say Blue Cross wants to pay them significantly less than it pays comparable hospitals. Experts say the battle reveals much about the balance of power between the Philadelphia region's hospitals and its dominant private health insurer.