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Piedmont Inks Contract with Anthem BCBS of Georgia, Ending Impasse

News  |  By Steven Porter  
   April 23, 2018

The agreement ensures members can see their Piedmont physicians and hospitals as in-network visits, including for services delivered since the previous contract expired April 1.

Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia signed a new contract agreement, ending a prolonged dispute that had put hundreds of thousands of patients in limbo.

The impasse drew the attention of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who tweeted an ultimatim last week threatening to use unspecified "executive action" if the parties didn't work out their differences by the close of business last Wednesday.

In a follow-up tweet, Deal announced that leaders from Piedmont and Anthem had reached a "handshake deal" in his office.


Related: Governor's Ultimatum Looms for Anthem-Piedmont Contract


Piedmont announced Monday that the two organizations had officially "put ink to paper" on Friday, signing a contract that will last into 2021.

"Preserving the relationship between the patient and their preferred healthcare provider has been our number one goal during this entire negotiation," said Piedmont President and CEO Kevin Brown in a statement. "We know this has been difficult for our patients, and we are glad to finally have a resolution that restores and protects patient care."

Piedmont and BCBS of Georgia each said in separate statements that the agreement ensures BCBS members can see their Piedmont physicians and hospitals as in-network visits, including for services delivered since the previous contract expired April 1.

"The thousands of businesses and 3.5 million consumers we serve across Georgia trusted us to reach an agreement with Piedmont that continues to deliver access to high quality health care that is affordable," BCBS of Georgia said in a statement Saturday.

"We are pleased that the new agreement will enable our consumers to continue to access affordable care through all Piedmont hospitals and physicians that are now back in our network

 

Steven Porter is an associate content manager and Strategy editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.


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