Johns Hopkins Medicine ended contract negotiations with UnitedHealthcare on Monday, according to a statement from the Baltimore health care provider.
The two companies did not reach an agreement after eight months of negotiations, Kim Hoppe, vice president of public relations for Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a statement emailed to The Baltimore Sun late Monday.
In August, Johns Hopkins doctors, hospitals and facilities stopped taking in-network insurance from UnitedHealthcare, which affected close to 60,000 patients on the insurer’s plans in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
“UnitedHealthcare refused to agree to reasonable contract language, instead insisting that we agree to terms that would make it difficult for us to provide patient care,” Hoppe said. “UnitedHealthcare had the opportunity to listen to our concerns in a meaningful way and prioritize what matters most: ensuring patients get the care they need, when they need it, without excessive delays or denials.”
Hoppe said UnitedHealthcare proposed offers that made it “difficult” to provide patient care. She said the two parties disagreed on language regarding authorization requirements and treatment denials.
“Unfortunately, they chose profits over patients,” Hoppe said. “We decided to make patients aware of this stalemate now, to provide our patients and their employers the time they need to explore alternative insurance options during the upcoming open enrollment season.”
UnitedHealthcare was unable to immediately be reached Monday night for comment.
The health insurer has previously disputed denying care, saying it approves and pays 90% of claims shortly after they’re submitted, with the rest going through additional reviews.
In August, UnitedHealthcare officials said Hopkins demanded unfair contract terms.
“Johns Hopkins refused to move off contractual terms no other health system in our network requires, including language that would allow it to deny patient access at its discretion,” Joseph Ochipinti, UnitedHealthcare CEO for the mid-Atlantic region, said in a statement from August. “Our top priority now is providing people with the care they need through continuity of care or a smooth transition to another provider, as appropriate.”
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