How long NGHS and UnitedHealthcare have to renew expiring contract

Jeff Gill, The Times, Gainesville, Ga.
·2 min read

Oct. 21—Contract talks are underway between Northeast Georgia Health System and one of its key insurance providers, UnitedHealthcare.

The parties are "hoping to reach an agreement that protects in-network access for patients and fair compensation for the care NGHS provides," an NGHS press release states.

The contract, which expires April 30, 2023, covers care at all NGHS facilities, including all Northeast Georgia Medical Center hospitals, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group practices, Urgent Care locations, Georgia Heart Institute locations, Laurelwood, long-term care facilities and other outpatient facilities.

"It's important to stress nothing is changing now, and people with UnitedHealthcare plan coverage should continue to see their NGHS providers and seek care like usual," said Steve McNeilly, NGHS' chief operating officer of population health and vice president of managed care.

"We simply want to be transparent with our community — especially because it's open enrollment season for many — so people have all the information available to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. We will keep our patients informed as the negotiations progress."

NGHS also has sent letters to patients with UnitedHealthcare.

UnitedHealthcare said it sees the NGHS announcement as putting "our members in the middle of our negotiation" and "creating unnecessary anxiety for them and their families."

"We are early on in our negotiation and are engaged in routine contract discussions with the goal of ensuring our members long-term access to NGHS," according to a statement from the company. "We ask that NGHS work with us on a new agreement that is affordable for Georgia residents and employers."

NGHS states that contract talks between insurance companies and providers "are very common" and that discussions with UHC started earlier this year "to allow enough time to reach an agreement and avoid unnecessary disruption.

"It's critical that health systems have collaborative partnerships with health insurance companies like United in order to continue providing high-quality care for patients," the press release states.

It's also possible for talks to break down and both sides reaching an impasse, as what happened between NGHS and Anthem in September 2019.

In that instance, Northeast Georgia Health System continued to treat patients with Anthem insurance as if they were in-network until Dec. 31, 2019. An agreement was finally reached in January 2020.