EDITORIAL: Saint Francis agreement helps patients

June 24--Congratulations to Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma for averting a protracted contract battle that could have financially hurt many area patients.

EASTAR Health System and BCBSOK's reimbursement agreement did not transfer to the Tulsa-based Saint Francis when it purchased EASTAR's lease from Capella Healthcare.

The lack of an agreement meant anyone insured by a number of BCBS plans would have been considered outside Saint Francis Muskogee's network of coverage.

Out of network means higher deductibles for treatment and more out-of-pocket expense for the patient.

An interim agreement extended in-network coverage until May 31.

The contract agreement, which was reached last week, was made retroactive to June 1.

Saint Francis would have had difficulty making its Muskogee properties successful without BCBSOK. And the insurance company needed an agreement with Saint Francis, too.

Saint Francis and BCBSOK are in the business of health care. But it's a business, and negotiations such as these are an integral part of doing business.

Given how important a local hospital is to its community, the winner in all of this negotiation will be patients.

___

(c)2017 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.)

Visit the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.) at muskogeephoenix.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.