Recently, Mission Health notified Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina (BCBS of NC) of its plan to terminate their current contract as of October 5, 2017. If no new agreement is reached by that date, this action would result in Mission Hospital, its outlying hospitals, and a number of its physicians being “out-of-network” for patients with BCBS of NC.
While we believe this impasse will eventually be resolved, this announcement has led to multiple questions from our patients about how this might affect their care at EmergOrtho: Greater Asheville | Blue Ridge Region. The following information answers the most common questions we have received.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
- Blue Ridge Bone & Joint, a division of EmergeOrtho, has a stable current contract with BCBS of NC, and all services at any of our three locations (Asheville, Arden/Fletcher, and Hendersonville) are considered “in-network.”
- We have doctors who practice at all three major hospitals in the Asheville/Hendersonville area. These include Park Ridge Hospital, Pardee Hospital, and Mission Hospital. Should Mission Hospital and BCBS of NC be unable to reach an agreement, we are confident that we can arrange for the highest quality orthopedic care at one of the other two hospitals in the region or at the Orthopedic Surgery Center in Asheville to allow you to remain “in-network.”
- Until October 5, 2017, Mission Health and its outlying facilities remain “in-network” and patients with BCBS of NC will continue to receive “in-network” benefits should you choose your care through a BRBJ EO doctor who operates at a Mission Health facility.
EmergeOrtho doctors are one of the few independent orthopedic and musculoskeletal care practices remaining in Western North Carolina. One of the reasons we chose to remain independent in the face of mounting pressure to join several hospital organizations was to help provide our patients and our doctors the most flexibility of choice when it comes to your health and orthopedic care.
We appreciate and thank all of our patients for choosing us for your orthopedic and musculoskeletal care needs.
