Aug. 06--Cigna and Roper St. Francis Healthcare said today that they have reached an agreement on a new contract that takes effect Aug. 15.

Doctors who are employees by the healthcare system and operate as Roper St. Francis Physician Partners will once again be part of the Cigna network as of that date.

The previous contract expired in February after the two sides could not agree to the reimbursement rates Cigna would pay Roper for physician services.

Roper has said that about 200 doctors and about 6,500 patients were affected.

Cigna customers who receive services from these physicians will again be covered at the in-network benefit level, according to the terms of their medical plans.

"We are pleased to renew our long-standing relationship with Roper St. Francis Healthcare and to once again offer our customers in-network access to this group of system-employed physicians," said Charles Pitts, president and general manager for Cigna in the Carolinas. "At Cigna, we work to provide our customers with access to a broad network of high-quality health care professionals while also balancing our clients' and customers' needs to manage costs. We believe we have achieved both goals under our agreement."

David L. Dunlap, president and CEO of Roper, said: "We look forward to continuing to serve the health care needs of Cigna customers in our community and to working with Cigna for many years to come."

The negotiations did not affect hospital care, which is negotiated under a separate agreement.

See Tuesdy's editions of The Post and Courier for more details.

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