Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health and Blue Shield of California have gone out of network across 17 hospitals.
The two organizations said they remain open to contract discussions but cut ties Dec. 1 for all patients covered by commercial, Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid health plans.
Nonprofit Adventist operates 26 hospitals and 400 clinics across California, Oregon and Hawaii. Nonprofit Blue Shield of California has 4.8 million members. It is the third-largest health insurer in California, behind Kaiser Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross.
The 17 California hospitals now out of network with Blue Shield are: Adventist Bakersfield, Adventist Clear Lake, Adventist Delano, Adventist Glendale, Adventist Hanford, Adventist Howard Memorial, Adventist Lodi Memorial, Adventist Mendocino, Adventist Reedley, Adventist Selma, Adventist Simi Valley, Adventist Sonora, Adventist St. Helena, Adventist Tulare, Adventist Tehachapi Valley, Adventist Ukiah Valley and Adventist White Memorial hospital.
Some Blue Shield patients may be able to receive care from Adventist for a period of time as a continuity of care service.
'There have been extensive renewal negotiations with Adventist Health for nearly a year to reach a reasonable agreement on reimbursement rates and contractual terms that keep care sustainably affordable for our members," a Blue Shield spokesperson told Becker's. "We are disappointed to have not been able to reach a new agreement with Adventist Health prior to the contract's expiration and regret the inconvenience this causes our customers and members."