Schneck Medical Center has reached an agreement with health insurance provider Anthem on a multiyear contract.
That happened over the weekend and was announced Tuesday by Dr. Eric Fish, president and chief executive officer of Schneck.
This means the Seymour hospital and Schneck Physician Practices remain in the Anthem network and will continue to provide care to the insurance company’s health plan members.
“It is our honor and privilege to serve the members of our communities,” Fish said. “We worked in good faith with Anthem to ensure our patients would continue to have access to the high-quality care they deserve close to home. This has always been and will continue to be our top priority.”
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On Sept. 2, 2020, the hospital received an unexpected contract termination notice from Anthem.
The contract required a 180-day notification, and if a mutually beneficial agreement wasn’t negotiated, the contract would expire at 11:59 p.m. March 1, 2021.
Fish said that would have threatened the health of the hospital going forward and more importantly the health of the community.
Since that news broke, Fish said a team of employees from many areas of the hospital worked diligently through the process.
“Negotiations are complex and take time to work through,” he said. “We recognize this was a stressful time for Anthem members, and we appreciate the support and patience of our community. We also appreciate that Anthem understands the value Schneck brings to our patients and employers to deliver high-quality care and excellent service at the lowest reasonable cost.”
He also said health care costs are complex, and Schneck worked in good faith with Anthem to achieve a fair and equitable agreement.
“Schneck has a comprehensive approach to fighting the rising cost of health care that addresses the entire continuum of care, including overall costs, readmission rates and utilization,” Fish said. “We are proud of the contributions we have made to lower the ever-rising cost of health care and make health care more affordable for our patients.”
After working diligently for months to reach common ground on a new contract, he said it was good to see significant progress made over the weekend to fully execute a new agreement with Anthem.
“For over 100 years, Schneck has grown as our communities have grown, and partnerships like this are integral to being able to deliver on our mission to improve the health of our communities,” Fish said.
“With partnerships such as we have with Anthem, we can achieve our goals of better health, better care and lower costs,” he said. “Ultimately, it is our patients that benefit from the renewed agreement, which ensures continued access to their trusted Schneck health care team. We cannot be happier to share the news of our agreement and to give patients peace of mind and security.”
From the beginning, he said Schneck’s goal in working with Anthem was to ensure it could continue to meet patients’ needs today and in the future.
“This means our patients can continue to receive care close to home from their trusted health care providers,” he said.
With the multiyear agreement, Fish said it’s Schneck’s hope to have another long-term, successful partnership with Anthem to protect patients’ in-network access to Schneck.
“Schneck is deeply rooted in the communities we serve, and we are committed to making our communities healthier,” he said.
“It is our honor and privilege to serve our friends and neighbors, and we value the trust they put in us,” he said. “Every choice, every decision we make is about advancing care for our patients, to achieve healthier communities. Thank you for your continued trust in Schneck and for the opportunity to meet your health care needs.”
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For information, patients can call 812-522-0414 or the number on the back of their Anthem insurance card.
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