EIRMC and Blue Cross of Idaho reach agreement for in-network benefits

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and Blue Cross of Idaho have reached an agreement that affects people who have chosen Blue Cross of Idaho individual health coverage. This includes people who bought coverage either privately or on the Idaho Healthcare Exchange. These two BCI products are known as “Hometown East” and “Connected Care.”

There are two important elements to this agreement:

Emergency services provided at EIRMC will be covered as an in-network benefit. This includes basic ER care; intensive care (ICU); pediatric intensive care (PICU) for children; neonatal care (NICU) for babies; and emergency surgery as a result of an ER visit. All other referral -based services obtained at EIRMC will be covered as in-network by Blue Cross of Idaho. Examples include- but are not limited to- maternity services; cancer treatment; cardiovascular services, including heart surgery; medical imaging procedures such as X-Ray, MRI, CT-scans; mammography; physical therapy; wound care; electrophysiology; stroke care; neurosurgery; inpatient behavioral healthcare.

Blue Cross of Idaho customers are encouraged to contact BCI for more detailed information.

Employees with Blue Cross of Idaho insurance through their workplace are not impacted by this change, as they have always been covered as “in network.”

We have reached out to EIRMC and BCI and they have provided us these statements:

“Our priority at EIRMC is to provide the highest quality healthcare to people all across southeast Idaho. This agreement is good for patients, as it improves access to a wider range of healthcare services, increases patient choice for healthcare, and lowers out of pocket costs.”

– Coleen Neimann, Community Relations

“We are pleased to reach an agreement with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) to provide additional in-network care for our members under the Hometown East or Mountain View networks. These members now receive in-network coverage for emergency room care or a physician referral for services not covered by another local provider. Customers with Blue Cross of Idaho coverage through their employer or Medicare Advantage continue to receive in-network benefits if they choose to visit EIRMC for healthcare services.”

– Peter Sorensen, Director of Consumer Business