CHI Memorial Health Care System and UnitedHealthcare announced Monday they have reached a new agreement for commercial health plans. The new contract gives UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored and individual members in-network access to care at CHI Memorial Hospital, CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson, CHI Memorial Ooltewah Imaging Center, CHI Memorial Medical Group physicians, The Chattanooga Heart Institute physicians, EMS, CHI Memorial Health at Home, the Rees Skillern Cancer Institute, and the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center.
This agreement is effective immediately and retroactive to Nov. 1.
CHI Memorial’s participation in UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage network for its hospitals will only extend through Dec. 31.
“Throughout our negotiations with UnitedHealthcare, our patients were always our number one priority,” said Larry Schumacher, CEO of CHI Memorial and senior vice president of operations, Southeast division. “While these negotiations extended beyond our contract, they were also very important to our organizations. This new agreement sets the stage for a cooperative relationship that allows both parties to explore ways to incorporate new models of care in the future. We feel the new contract reimburses CHI Memorial fairly for the services we provide to UnitedHealthcare members and recognizes the value CHI Memorial brings to people in Southeast Tennessee. We look forward to continuing our relationship with UnitedHealthcare,” said Schumacher.
“CHI Memorial is an important provider of health care services, and our renewed network relationship strengthens our joint commitment to provide quality, cost-effective health care for UnitedHealthcare plan participants near where they live and work,” said Tom Choate, CEO, Southeast Region UnitedHealthcare.