Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Health System and UnitedHealthcare have reached a multi-year agreement after months of negotiations to keep 172,000 Duke Health patients in-network, effective Nov. 1.
"We thank our members and customers for their support and patience throughout this process," a Nov. 1 UnitedHealthcare news release said. "We are honored to continue supporting all of the people throughout North Carolina who depend on us for access to quality and affordable health care."
Along with preserving patient care access for United's Medicare Advantage and commercial plans, the contract expands patient in-network access for those insured under United's Medicaid plan, according to a Nov. 1 news release shared with Becker's.
"This new contract preserves and expands our patients' access to the Duke Health care teams they know and trust, and appropriately reimburses us for the expert, complex care only we can provide," Thomas Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Duke University Health System.