Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island may drop Landmark Medical Center — a pending acquisition for Boston-based Steward Health Care — from its network, according to a Providence Journal report.
The payor notified roughly 198,000 of its members that the Woonsocket, R.I.-based hospital may no longer be in the BCBS network as of August 1. BCBS officials said they reached a deadlock in negotiations with Steward and wanted to give members time to make arrangements with other healthcare providers.
A Landmark spokesperson said BCBS' notification is a "leverage tactic" for negotiations, according to the report.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin approved the sale of Landmark to Steward in May, but the sale has not been finalized.
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The payor notified roughly 198,000 of its members that the Woonsocket, R.I.-based hospital may no longer be in the BCBS network as of August 1. BCBS officials said they reached a deadlock in negotiations with Steward and wanted to give members time to make arrangements with other healthcare providers.
A Landmark spokesperson said BCBS' notification is a "leverage tactic" for negotiations, according to the report.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin approved the sale of Landmark to Steward in May, but the sale has not been finalized.
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