BALTIMORE — CareFirst and Johns Hopkins have reached an agreement that will avoid any disruption to patient and employee healthcare.
The announcement comes more than a month after the two sides reached an impasse over negotiations on physician rates.
Things got tense at one point, with Carefirst accusing Hopkins of "terminating" their existing contract.
For their part, Hopkins said it was all part of the normal contract negotiation process.
RELATED: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Johns Hopkins Medicine reach impasse in contract negotiations
Governor Larry Hogan even got involved last week on Twitter, urging both sides to come up with a solution.
Our administration will continue to encourage collaboration among all stakeholders in Maryland’s healthcare system to always put patients first.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) October 26, 2022
My statement on today’s announcement by Johns Hopkins and CareFirst: pic.twitter.com/bEJaLa51xF
"These negotiations are never pleasant, but it was necessary for us to make sure that we were getting paid at a fair and sustainable rate by CareFirst—a rate that is closer to what others in the market pay us," Hopkins said in an email.
Ultimately the issue was resolved before any CareFirst insured Hopkins patients lost coverage, which would have run out in December.
"Over the next few days, we will follow up with patients who have CareFirst health insurance, and we will adjust the messaging on our website, at our call center, and across social media to reflect this resolution," Hopkins added in their email.
