Patients won't see interruption in health care services

Cigna health insurance patients would be able to continue to get care at Parkview Medical Center without interruption after both entities reached an agreement Tuesday on a new contract.

Late last month, Pueblo-area residents received warning letters that Parkview would no longer be in Cigna's network for care after July 1 because the provider and the hospital hadn't reached an agreement on new services. The letters were a requirement because the contract was within 60 days of expiring.

A Cigna spokesperson said 1,900 of its members were treated at Parkview during the past 18 months.

With the new agreement now in place, Parkview withdrew its notice to end its contract with Cigna, said Jeff Tucker, Parkview's public relations specialist.

“We believe the terms of this agreement are in the best interest of the hospital and, most importantly, the people of Southern Colorado who depend on us for their care,” Leslie Barnes, president and CEO of Parkview Medical Center, said in a statement announcing the agreement with Cigna.

The agreement provides Cigna customers with uninterrupted access to Parkview at rates that stabilize the cost of their care, said John Roble, the president of Cigna Mountain States.

Had the agreement not been reached in time, Cigna customers would have had to use St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center or Colorado Springs hospitals for insured care.

rseverance@chieftain.com

Twitter: @RyanS_Chieftain