Saint Francis, UnitedHealthcare reach agreement

Saint Francis Healthcare System and UnitedHealthcare have reportedly reached an agreement to bring Saint Francis back into the United network of provider facilities.

Saint Francis Medical Center and its affiliated facilities have been “out-of-network” since March 5 when the previous agreement between Saint Francis and United expired and the two parties could not agree on a continuance while negotiations continued.

However, physician providers affiliated with Saint Francis remained “in-network” under the terms of a separate agreement with United.

Dr. Maryann Reese, president and chief executive officer of Saint Francis Healthcare System, said the deal will benefit many in the region.

“A renewed partnership with UnitedHealthcare is great news for our region. While this negotiation process was difficult, reaching this agreement ensures in-network access to our providers as well as our facilities. Our top priority is to provide exceptional care to the communities we are called to serve, and we appreciate UnitedHealthcare’s collaboration to help achieve this result,” she said in a release.

Patrick Quinn, CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Missouri, agreed.

“We recognize the care Saint Francis Healthcare System provides is not only important but also personal to our members and we appreciate their patience during what we know was a difficult negotiations process. Our top priority throughout this process was ensuring the members we’re honored to serve in the southeast Missouri region have access to quality, affordable healthcare and this new agreement accomplishes that goal. We appreciate Saint Francis Healthcare System’s collaboration in helping achieve this outcome,” a release quoted him as saying.

UnitedHealthcare is among the largest health care companies in the world with revenue of $242 billion and a reported profit of $18.5 billion in 2019. According to Saint Francis, patients insured by United account for about 5% of Saint Francis’ customer base.

Several major employers offer UnitedHealthcare insurance coverage to their employees including Southeast Missouri State University, Procter & Gamble and HAVCO Wood Products LLC.

Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Saint Francis and UnitedHealthcare plan to issue a joint statement about the new provider contract later today.