OREGON, USA — Oregon Health & Science University and UnitedHealthcare have reached a “good-faith agreement” on a new contract, according to a statement from the hospital system on Friday. About 74,000 people in Oregon will be looking for a new doctor at the end of March if the two sides do not finalize the deal.
Health care providers like OHSU have contracts with insurance providers, agreeing to reimbursement rates that the insurance company will pay for medical services. But United’s contract with OHSU ends on March 31, and if they don’t negotiate a new one by April 1, OHSU’s doctors will be “out of network” for patients with United insurance.
That means United patients can still go to an OHSU doctor, but it will cost them significantly more, and OHSU says patients might not even be able to stay in the hospital. If patients remain on March 31, OHSU said on its website that it will make sure they are stable, but on April 1, patients may be asked to leave and find a hospital that’s still in United’s network…