UnitedHealthcare (UHC) and Prisma Health have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract that ensures UnitedHealthcare members uninterrupted access to all Prisma hospitals, facilities and physicians. UHC and Prisma Health made the announcement Thursday.
Prisma’s announcement read,“UnitedHealthcare and Prisma Health have reached a multi-year agreement that ensures people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and employer-sponsored health plans have uninterrupted access to quality care at an affordable cost at all Prisma facilities and with its physicians.”
Prisma also added, “Our agreement also ensures continued access to Prisma’s facilities and physicians for members enrolled in the Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (VACCN), United Behavioral Health and Spectera Eyecare Network.”
A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson said the final contract is consistent with the previously agreed upon terms from last month, according to WYFF.
The Prisma and UHC have had contentious meetings according to recent statements.
Prisma posted the following message on Tuesday. “For several months, Prisma Health has been working in good faith with UnitedHealthcare to renew our payor contracts for hospital and physician services. Despite our efforts and diligence, we have been unable to come to an agreement. Prisma Health is continuing to negotiate with UnitedHealthcare in the hope of reaching new agreements that will allow UnitedHealthcare members to maintain in-network access to the Prisma Health hospitals and physicians they depend on for local, high-quality care; but it is not certain this will happen.”
United Healthcare issued this statement when negotiations apparently fell apart. “Prisma is inexplicably spreading inaccurate and misleading information to our members and employers regarding the status of our negotiation. As Prisma is well aware, we have already agreed to the health system’s requested terms for a new multi-year contract that would keep its Upstate hospitals and physicians in our network after Jan 1, 2022. We urge Prisma to move forward with the agreed upon contract without further delay to prevent unnecessary disruption for its patients and our members.”