CIGNA Separates Service with Liberty Hospital

At the end of January, many insurance holders were notified by CIGNA Healthcare that CIGNA and Liberty Hospital have been unable to reach mutually agreeable contract terms. The notification stated that beginning March 1, 2024, Liberty Hospital will no longer be a part of the CIGNA Healthcare network.

According to Liberty Hospital Public Relations Strategist Michelle Manuel, CIGNA notified the hospital of their decision to terminate the contract unless the hospital accepted new reimbursement rates. Hospital officials thought that the rates were untenable. Manuel said at the time of notification, the hospital wasn’t in negotiations with CIGNA, and their decision was unexpected.

“Despite managing a cyber event throughout much of December in which our systems were down, we made every effort to open discussions and offered a counterproposal,” Manuel told KPGZ News. “CIGNA initially rejected our counterproposal. However, we are now in discussions and hope for a solution that will maintain convenient access to healthcare for patients in the Northland and northwest Missouri.”

The original notice advised CIGNA customers that these Liberty Hospital areas would be affected in the change: The Pulmonary & Sleep Clinic, Liberty Hospital Physicians, Liberty Cardiovascular Specialists, Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, The Liberty Clinic, Liberty Cardiothoracic Surgeons, The Excelsior Springs Clinic, Liberty Hospital Primary Care Shoal Creek, Liberty Hospital Emergency Medicine Physicians, LLC and Liberty Hospital Urgent Care Shoal Creek.   

KPGZ News contacted Manual about the status of the Kearney Clinic, and she said, “Primary Care Kearney Clinic is in the Liberty Hospital network, so would be included in whatever decision is ultimately made.”

If you seek health care services at any of the above, they will be treated as out-of-network, and you will pay higher costs. Healthcare systems that are still in CIGNA’s network are St. Luke’s North Hospital and North Kansas City Hospital.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story