Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois has provided a response about the news of the rift between them and Springfield Clinic.
In a written statement from BCBS Senior Manager of Communication Colleen Miller, she says the insurance company was provided an improper 30-day termination notice for one of their networks known as Blue Choice.
Miller says the timing of the notice coincided with the open enrollment period for one of Springfield’s largest employers. Blue Cross Blue Shield accuses Springfield Clinic of sending misleading communication directly to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois members and to the marketplace, creating concern and confusion.
BCBS says that Springfield Clinic’s participation agreement for the PPO and Blue Choice networks will terminate on November 17th unless a new arrangement can be made. Miller says that Springfield Clinic will remain in-network for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, PPO, and Blue Choice until that date as well as for Tier 1 benefits for State of Illinois Open Access Plan members.
As WLDS reported yesterday, Springfield Clinic’s ambulatory surgery center remains in-network for all commercial networks, including PPO, Blue Choice and HMO networks, until August 19th. Miller says in the statement that Blue Cross Blue Shield remains open and hopeful around future successful agreement discussions with Springfield Clinic. Blue Cross Blue Shield has over 100,000 patients in its network in Central Illinois. Springfield Clinic has two affiliate clinics in Jacksonville including Urgent Care on West Morton Avenue.