The Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. (SSFHS)--which operates St. Anthony Memorial Health Center in Michigan City, among other facilities--and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana have announced a new multi-year contract which will maintain in-network health care benefits for Anthem policy holders and employer groups throughout the state.

The previous contract was set to expire today, according to a joint statement released on Monday.

The agreement covers the following SSFHS facilities and physicians:

*St. Anthony Memorial Health Center in Michigan City.

*St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, and Mooresville.

*St. Elizabeth Regional Health and Home Hospital in Lafayette.

*St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point.

*St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Hammond and Dyer.

*St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville.

*Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster.

*Indiana Bone and Marrow Transplantation Unit in Beech Grove.

*And more than 300 physicians throughout the SSFHS service areas.

Health insurance plans covered by the new agreement are Anthem Blue Access PPO, Anthem Blue Preferred HMO, Anthem Traditional, Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO, Lumenos, Hoosier Healthwise (Indiana Medicaid), and Anthem Healthy Indiana Plan.

“We recognize how difficult this has been for our patients and appreciate their support and patience during the negotiations,” said Jay Brehm, regional chief financial officer for SSFHS and chief negotiator. “The agreement we have forged, in the end, ensures our mission to provide patients with the timely and compassionate care they expect and deserve.”

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Sisters of St. Francis Health Services because it ensures that our customers will have uninterrupted, in-network access to medical care at SSFHS facilities across Indiana,” said David Lee, vice-president of health services for Anthem. “This contract achieves our number one goal of keeping health care affordable for our members.”

SSFHS, headquartered in Mishawaka, is a network of 13 growing hospital campuses in Indiana and is one of the largest health care systems in the state. The system’s health care ministry was founded in Indiana in 1875. SSHFS employs more than 16,000. For more information go to www.ssfhs.org

For more information about Anthem go to www.anthem.com

Posted 9/1/2009