PEORIA, Ill. — OSF HealthCare announced last Friday a notice of termination to Meridian effective December 15, 2019.
In a statement released late Monday afternoon, OSF HealthCare remained at a standstill with Meridian due to the company’s allegedly not honoring the current agreement.
According to OSF HealthCare, Meridian owes OSF millions of dollars for outstanding claims for services provided over the past five years.
“We are concerned for Meridian members, which is why we contacted the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and Meridian members to make them aware of the situation.” said Randy Billings, OSF HealthCare senior vice president of population health.
“Meridian’s inability to pay claims per industry standards within the contractually required amount of time has created an unmanageable administrative burden for OSF in billing for services it provides,” said Billings.
Billings also added Meridian’s demands OSF resubmit claims that were properly submitted were completely unreasonable.
Meridian members who want to remain with OSF providers can choose a different managed Medicaid plan during the open enrollment period, which is now under way.
OSF declined comment beyond its statement.
Meridian issued the following statement to WMBD News:
“OSF HealthCare has been a valued partner of MeridianHealth for many years. We are currently working with OSF on the terms of a new contract and remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached.
“In the meantime, our members’ continuity of care remains our number-one priority. In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, we have a comprehensive process in place to transition our members to alternative providers within the MeridianHealth network.”
