news-record.com

GREENSBORO - The standoff between the state's largest health insurer and Guilford County's largest health system has ended.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Moses Cone Health System announced today that they have entered into a multi-year agreement, according to a press release from the insurer.

The agreement means that Cone will continue to serve as an in-network hospital for Blue Cross customers.

Many Guilford County residents and employers have been worried by the organizations' three-month standoff.

In July, Cone announced that it planned to cancel its contract with Blue Cross, effective Nov. 1, because the two had been unable to agree on reimbursement rates - how much the insurer pays the hospital for treating its members. Blue Cross generates about 18 percent of the Cone system's revenue.

Without a contract in place, Blue Cross members would have had to pay higher, out-of-network charges for treatment at Cone facilities - Moses Cone Hospital, Wesley Long Community Hospital and The Women's Hospital in Greensboro and Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville. Or they would have had to seek treatment at other area hospitals that have contracts with Blue Cross.

Blue Cross had said it would not negotiate as long as a cancellation notice was in effect. But the two agreed to begin talks again in late September.

"This agreement continues access for our Triad members to all local hospitals while keeping rates as low as possible," Bob Greczyn, president and CEO of Blue Cross, said in a statement.

Tim Rice, president and CEO of Cone, said the agreement supports quality health care in Guilford County.

"Our new contract helps us to continue investing in the technology and personnel we need to keep excellent health care close to home," he said