After months of negotiating NCH could drop Florida Blue by September 30th. This may impact more than 40,000 patients could be forced to pay out of pocket, according to NCH.
“Our goal is to protect our patients and ensure that we can continue providing them with the care they need,” Matthew Stacell, NCH Chief Performance Improvement Officer, said. “We’ve been trying to work with Florida Blue for months to reach a fair agreement, but with the September 30 deadline approaching, time is running out before NCH may be forced out of network for Florida Blue members.”
There will be an open house where you can learn more about the status of the negotiation and address any concerns:
Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Telford Auditorium, NCH Downtown Baker Hospital, 350 7th St. N, Naples
NCH also stated that Florida Blue earned over $14 billion in the first six months of last year, but despite these substantial earnings, negotiations have been ongoing for months, with NCH asking for equitable reimbursement to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality care to the community.
NCH is reimbursed up to 40% less than other healthcare facilities in our region despite the nearly identical costs to provide those services.
Florida Blue provided this response to NBC2 News when questioned about the potential fallout:
"We are currently in negotiations and doing everything we can to reach an agreement with Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) -- to avoid health care disruption for our members and keep the area’s health care as affordable as possible. NCH continues to demand excessive rates without a commitment to improve the efficiency of care, which would only result in higher costs for those in the community, many of whom are already struggling financially. As primary and essential provider in Southwest Florida, Naples Comprehensive Health has a responsibility to NOT use its dominance in a way that would burden the community with higher health costs. We remain hopeful NCH will agree to terms that support high-quality care and do not unreasonably drive up the cost of care for individuals and employers. Please visit here for more information," - Spokesperson for Florida Blue.
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