The separation took effect Sunday after Anthem and Mary Washington failed to reach a last-minute contract agreement. According to the report, this may be the first time in more than 50 years that Mary Washington has not been an Anthem provider.
The breach will affect all of Anthem’s commercial insurance products, as well as Mary Washington Hospital, Stafford Hospital, Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgery Center and Snowden at Fredericksburg.
The dispute involves how much money Mary Washington will receive for treating Anthem-insured patients. The health system sought an increase in reimbursement rates from the insurer, arguing the rates were lower than the industry average.
According to Mary Washington Healthcare spokeswoman Debbie McInnis, Mary Washington Healthcare has taken several steps to minimize the impact to Anthem patients. If Anthem patients have out-of-network benefits and choose to come to MWHC-impacted facilities, the health system will hold the patients harmless from higher co-pays and deductibles associated with the out-of-network charges. The patient will only pay what they would have paid if they were in-network. Ms. McInnis directs patients to www.marywashingtonhealthcare.com for more details.
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