We've seen hospitals and Blue Cross/Blue Shield at loggerheads before, but this spat between the health-care insurer and Condell Medical Center in Libertyville is turning into a bitter battle of attrition.
The Hound usually takes his medical ailments to a sawbones with DVM behind her name. She is kindly, but doesn't practice at Condell which is lucky these days for The Hound.
The fuss between Blue Cross and Condell has crossed over and is now effecting patients and, as of Tuesday, 93 doctors whose contracts were terminated by the insurance company. These were doctors in private practice with access to Condell through patients' Blue Shield HMO or Blue Advantage PPO. They're losing money and probably patients who decide to transfer to doctors practicing at other county hospitals.
The hospital and insurer both believe they are in the right. Blue Cross contends Condell owes it $20 million in unpaid debt. Condell says Blue Cross stopped paying it for procedures, which makes it hard to pay back the insurer. A Cook County judge ruled recently Blue Cross broke the contract with Condell by refusing reimbursement payments. The upshot of the dispute is that doctors and patients are being squeezed. At least some of the minimum 11,000 patients are scrambling for those other practitioners at nearby hospitals.
One thing that isn't clear is how this may effect Condell's plans for expansion to a Level I trauma center. In past hospital-insurance carrier squabbles, someone usually cries "uncle." This one may have gone past that point.
I have written to the CEO of condell telling him the last time someone tried to beat someome in lake county International Harvester Co. went BROKE, showing you can't beet someone bigger than you without loosing. Mr. CEO has had problems before and lost, now he wants to close our HOSPITAL. He has a very good start. Can't the people of LAKE COUNTY stop him? In Kentucky they through him out! Aren't we as smart as those Kentuckiens?? We need to get rid of the whole board of directors for hireing Mr. CEO and start over. Kenneth Dowell, Wauconda, IL
THE HOUND SAYS: What beat I-H was the United Autoworkers Union, whose members went on strike at the old Hough plant so many times Harvester just gave up and sold the whole kit and kaboodle to Dresser. It's tough to get rid of a board of directors at a privately held community hospital. I would agree Blue Cross/Blue Shield is a formidable adversary in this health-care battle. The question remains is how many patients is Condell losing over this?