In Brief
- Lovelace providers may be out-of-network for Blue Cross Blue Shield NM patients as soon as June 1.
- Negotiations between the health care group and BCBSNM are ongoing.
- Both Lovelace and BCBSNM said emergency services will not be impacted.
- Some patients, such as those who are pregnant or those with pre-scheduled surgeries, may qualify for continuity of care services.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lovelace Health System, one of the Albuquerque metro’s three major hospital and health care networks, may soon be designated as an out-of-network provider for one New Mexico’s largest health insurers.
Lovelace Health System recently sent a letter to patients who use Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, warning them of the potential disruption.
What Lovelace is saying
In the Lovelace letter, the provider said it is “working in good faith to achieve an agreement” with BCBSNM.
In a statement to KOB 4, a spokesperson for Lovelace said “BCBSNM reimburses Lovelace significantly below what it pays other health systems in New Mexico. Like health systems across the country, we are navigating significant inflationary pressures and rising costs for staffing, supplies and technology, along with higher administrative costs required to resolve delayed or denied claims. To continue delivering the level of care our community depends on, we are asking for reimbursement and payment terms that are consistent with what BCBSNM already provides to other systems—not more.”…